Cloud storage provider Dropbox is seeking to encourage more people to pay for the service, by placing new limits on free account holders.
An update to the company’s website says it is limiting access to Dropbox Basic accounts to just three registered devices.
The change, first spotted by Twitter’s Liliputing (via The Verge), sits on the Dropbox help centre and explains “Basic users have a three device limit as of March 2019.” Those Dropbox users with Plus, Professional and Business accounts can link unlimited devices.
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So, if you have your phone, your laptop and your tablet linked to your Dropbox account, that’ll be your lot. The provider does say Basic users will still be able to keep more than three linked devices providing they’ve already been registered.
Dropbox users with a free account can now only link up to three devices to Dropbox. But if you have more than three computers, phones, or whatever, you can still unregister a device to add a new one — it's just going to be a pain for multi-device folks. https://t.co/VubadTN6eF
— Liliputing (@liliputingnews) March 12, 2019
The page reads: “If you’re a Basic user and you linked more than three devices prior to March 2019, all of your previously linked devices will remain linked, but you can’t link additional devices.”
It encourages those seeking to add more devices to upgrade to a paid account. It is still possible for Dropbox users to change which three devices are linked to their account.
The Dropdox Basic plan only offers 2GB of storage, while Plus and Professional users get 1TB and 2TB of storage respectively. Pro users also benefit from advanced features like Smart Sync, Showcase, priority chat support, and more. However, the updates aren’t cheap. Billed yearly, Plus costs $99 a year or $9.99 a month to update to Plus. Pro costs double that.
Whether restricting the amount of registered devices Basic account holders can use will be enough to move that needle towards a paid account remains to be seen.
Does Dropbox offer good value for money? Will this force you into updating to a Plus or Pro account? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.