Dropbox begins testing an M1-native Mac app, beta coming soon

Dropbox icon (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Dropbox is finally working on a new version of its app that is M1-native.
Dropbox currently works on M1 Macs but uses Apple's Rosetta emulation.
The new test will roll out to Dropbox's beta users by the end of this month.

Popular file syncing service Dropbox has begun to test a new Apple silicon version of its Mac app, removing its reliance on the Rosetta emulation that the current version uses.

Having come under fire for initially saying it wouldn't build an Apple silicon-native app, the company later changed tune and said that it would get a new version ready in the first half of 2022. Now, according to a MacRumors report, the outfit is getting ready for the first beta testers to try it out.

Now, one week into the new year, Dropbox is seemingly fulfilling its promise. Dropbox has told MacRumors that it has begun testing native Apple silicon support with a small batch of its Mac user base and that it plans to offer all users who run the beta of its Mac app native Apple silicon support by the end of January.

While Dropbox does function as-is, the move to a native Apple silicon build would allow for improved performance and power efficiency, something that Dropbox hasn't been known for over the years. Dropbox still remains one of the best Mac apps for syncing files between devices and the web, but only just. This new app will definitely help the company rebuild its relationship with Mac users once it's available to everyone later this year.

Those on the current Dropbox betas should probably keep their eyes peeled between now and the beginning of February.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.