Dropbox Testing Native M1 App, Might Arrive Next Year

Due to the fact that the Apple Silicon is built using the ARM architecture, it means that apps developed for x86 processors, like those made by Intel and AMD, won’t be 100% compatible. In Apple’s case, they are using a tool called Rosetta that converts x86 apps into apps that are compatible with ARM.

It isn’t always the most ideal solution since they’re not necessarily optimized, but given how new the Apple Silicon chipsets are, we suppose it’ll have to do for now. The good news for Dropbox users is that the company has told 9to5Mac that they are actually testing out a version of the app that will be compatible for M1 chipsets.

Prior to this, users were complaining about the lack of M1 support, especially since sometimes apps converted through Rosetta actually end up being quite a battery drain due to the lack of optimization. This means that whatever Apple’s advertised battery life is has been offset by the lack of properly optimized apps.

According to Dropbox, “Dropbox currently supports Apple M1 through Rosetta. We have an internal build for native Apple M1 support, which we’re currently testing and we’re committed to releasing in the first half of 2022. While we regularly ask for customer feedback and input on new products or features, this was not one of those instances.”

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Computers
Tags: Apps, dropbox, m1, macOS