this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2024

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Dropbox now requires login to download a shared file (lemmy.today)

submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by LodeMike to c/assholedesign@lemmy.world

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On mobile, it prompts you to either "get the app" or "open app" with no way to click past. Screenshot won't upload.

This is worse from several months ago https://lemmy.today/post/8935690

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[–] subignition@fedia.io 63 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That's pretty scummy. It doesn't require login on desktop view.

Two workarounds:

enable desktop view, then you can close the login prompt and zoom way in to find the actual download button
easier, change dl=0 to dl=1 at the end of the URL and it will bypass all of that and download directly.

[–] LodeMike 18 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I am on Desktop view

[–] subignition@fedia.io 10 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

Then I would question whether the file was shared correctly by the uploader. I shared a file from my Dropbox, setting it so anyone with the link could view, and was able to download it from desktop view on mobile Firefox (in incognito mode)

There is an option to require a password to view the file, is there any possibility that that was set in your case?

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[–] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 43 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Shared from a paid account or from a free account?

If shared from paid account, then tomorrow I'm going to cancel our company account as this is unacceptable, we use that for sharing files in emails (we tried to use a self hosted nextcloud but customers are too dumb to figure out how to press the download button)

[–] LodeMike 24 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Paid. There may have been something that affected it but we don't know what. Can you do your own tests and report back?

[–] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Both on mobile and desktop there's a "login wall" but it can be dismissed by pressing on the X.

Still, it's a dark pattern that I don't like, tomorrow at work we will discuss alternatives as we subscribed (one single account shared between everyone) just for sending attachments with filelink using thunderbird - and with a "login wall" it no longer fits the purpose

[–] LodeMike 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

What fucking X? Where is it?

[–] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

On the top right. Maybe it's some a/b testing to see which one "converts" (=annoys) more. I don't have the "just take me to the download" link like in the other image, just the X to close the login popup

Unacceptable IMHO, I just want to give my clients an easy link to download the huge files I'm sending them without ads or tricks. With this wall many users will get confused and create a new account

[–] LodeMike 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Yeah it's gotta be A-B testing. Switching to dl=1 just returned a passive-aggressive "Hmm that doesn't look right" page. I didn't check the error code because mobile.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 15 points 4 months ago (4 children)

When something is free, you are the product.

[–] LodeMike 24 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Except the vast majority of Dropbox users pay for it.

Edit: adjusted to how much they use it/share files.

[–] mindlight@lemm.ee 4 points 4 months ago (2 children)

That's interesting. My experience is the exact opposite. Do you have any links to information on paying Dropbox customers?

[–] beefalo@fedia.io 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It's in the earnings reports: https://dropbox.gcs-web.com/financial-information/earnings-reports 18.16M paying customers in Q2 2024

[–] Irremarkable@fedia.io 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Dropbox's own website claims they have >700M users.

18M paying customers is a lot (and I wouldn't be surprised if in terms of percentage of data stored paying customers are the majority), but nowhere near a vast majority.

[–] subignition@fedia.io 2 points 4 months ago

If you were to look at the average cloud storage usage per user, split by free or paid, I think you would find that free users are using rather less space in total than you'd expect

But I agree, I did some of their cute ARG stuff for extra space when they were still acting like a startup and otherwise haven't paid them a cent.

[–] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 3 points 4 months ago

Free usage is still limited to 2gb unless you got a lot of referrals. It was a lot in 2008, but it's difficult to daily use that in 2024

[–] friend_of_satan@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

When something is free, you are fuel in the machine that is the product.

[–] AndrewZabar@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

Yeah except in this case this entire complaint is bullshit because somewhere there was user error. I tested it and it worked totally fine just using mobile browser. Simply offered to get app or continue using browser.

[–] ColdWater@lemmy.ca 13 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Dropdox and Mega,nz are the worst file sharing service ever made, I don't know why people still using their service and it's infuriating when I have to download from their shitty ass website

[–] casmael@lemm.ee 5 points 4 months ago

^porn, mainly^

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

ive always hated Dropbox so much. it's terrible with syncing as well.

[–] smort@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Can you recommend a good service?

[–] ColdWater@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Megadb.net is pretty good

[–] morriscox@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

"Upload is temporarly disabled for unregistered users.

Registered users can login to upload."

There's some irony here.

[–] ColdWater@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago

Name one file sharing service that allow more than 2GB without an account

[–] AndrewZabar@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

I have used both for many years and everything has worked absolutely as intended and I’ve had no problems.

Maybe not everyone knows what they’re doing completely? Maybe many people do something wrong by mistake but don’t know it? Or do, but they’re impatient? Or they get frustrated because they don’t want to fix their problem on their own and expect the product to be totally idiot-proof?

As an IT professional for several decades, I can attest this is the problem like 80% of the time.

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Isn't this a requirement that the sharer decides?

[–] LodeMike 2 points 4 months ago

Is it?

[–] generic_computers@lemmy.zip 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I hate when websites have "Apple" as their only third party login option. CloudFlare does this too.

Is it really that hard to add Google or others as well? Heck just use like Auth0 and you can add whatever logins you want without having to do much.

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[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 4 points 4 months ago

Time for some new Nextcloud servers :-D

[–] Luci@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Are you sure the person sharing the file didn't turn on a requirement for only logged in accounts?

[–] LodeMike 2 points 4 months ago

Yes

[–] jbk@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 months ago

i wonder if yt-dlp could download files automatically from dropbox lol

[–] lurch@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Maybe I shouldn't have bought their stock a while ago... but it was so cheap 😅

I guess I'm stuck with it now 😑

[–] LodeMike 4 points 4 months ago (2 children)

You can sell it?

[–] nokturne213@sopuli.xyz 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

But only if you sell it to a logged in account.

[–] LodeMike 2 points 4 months ago

[–] lurch@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

i would make a loss because of the tax on stock trades in my country and the fee of my banks broker ☹

but, as I mentioned it was kinda cheap, so not much money stuck in it. (i only trade shares for fun. i spend the money from my gaming budget on it, since i'm not very interested in new PC and console games any more.)

[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

Depending on your country you might be able to do the following:

Use the loss to offset capital gains on other stocks you sell
Deduct the brokers fees from your taxable income.

[–] LodeMike 2 points 4 months ago

Aw.

[–] AndrewZabar@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I just tested this and it works fine. I displayed in a browser window that had no authentication to the account and it merely offered me to get the app or continue with browser. No problem at all, had the file a moment later.

This is user error somewhere in the process.

P.S. free account used. P.P.S. Tested on iPhone share link from Dropbox app to clipboard, paste into two browsers: Aloha and Firefox. On both I got the standard cookie notice - which I DECLINED and it wasn’t a problem. Then the screen offered get the app or continue in browser. Chose browser and my file came up. No problem whatsoever.

OP refused to take advice and troubleshoot, instead just rants with baseless accusation. This is not a behavior I haven’t seen countless times already.

[–] LodeMike 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

A-B testing

[–] AndrewZabar@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

What? What does that mean?

[–] LodeMike 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It means that you got lucky and I didn't.

[–] AndrewZabar@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

That’s not how software works, dude. Programs are a series of precise instructions, and a computer will always follow what the instructions say, exactly, unless something interferes.

There’s no luck involved, ever. Luck is also an imaginary construct.

It could be a variety of causes on your end, and I saw many people make suggestions to you as to identifying and resolving the problem, but you refused all of them.

You want to hate Dropbox and you want others to join you. I do not know the reason, but this is the only conclusion available based upon your behavior.

We are here if you are willing to troubleshoot to achieve the results you desire.

[–] LodeMike 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A/B_testing

[–] AndrewZabar@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

Yeah the important term being multiple variants.

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