In what could be one of the most significant announcements made by Dropbox, the company revealed that the Dropbox Transfer which was in beta until now is now available for everyone to use. The decision was made after users requested a solution that allowed them to send large files.
While smaller files could always be shared via email, there are limitations to the size of the file. For instance, Gmail allows only a file of 25 MB to be sent via email. Larger files need to be sent as a Google Drive link. Similarly, Dropbox’s new service allows users to send a file and forget about it, regardless of how large it is. In other words, users do not have to wait until the transfer has been completed.
What is unique about Dropbox Transfer?
Transfer solves many unique problems that users have with current file-sharing options. Let us take a look at some of them:
- The solution is perfect for handing off a large number of files before leaving a company or ending a relationship with a client.
- One can create a shareable folder of large number files up to the limit of 100 GB, and just hand over those files in an instant
- The recipients will not be able to view the initial versions of the files, nor will they be able to track any changes you make to them later on.
- Set an expiration date so that the recipients feel compelled to download the files as soon as possible
- Set passwords to those files so that only the recipients can open them
- Even those who do not have an account on Dropbox can receive these large number of files
Other interesting features make this announcement truly remarkable
There are many other interesting features that come with Dropbox Transfer. You gain access to useful insights such as how many times the files were accessed by the recipient. You can initiate a transfer right from your Dropbox iOS app, or from Dropbox Desktop. It is no longer necessary to visit the website to do so. In addition, you can take your branding to the next level by using your own background and logo which will appear during transfers. Most people are already able to access Dropbox Transfer. You can visit Dropbox Transfer’s official page and see if it is working for you. You can also take a look at the size limits and availability based on the subscription plan.
A shift towards cloud storage solutions
A growing number of people have already ditched offline storage devices such as SD cards, hard disks, and portable storage devices. Instead, most people have migrated their data to cloud storage solutions such as Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud Drive. There are other solutions too, which are quite popular with enterprises. But at an individual level, people seem to prefer one of these three options. This is mostly because all of these are heavily integrated into Android and iOS platforms, which make not easy for users to quickly upload, sync and share files from their mobile devices.
A chance for Dropbox to regain its market
Dropbox has increasingly felt the pinch of its competitors eating into its share of profits and has been on the lookout for bringing marvelous new features. This announcement is certainly a step in that direction and will help Dropbox to regain its losing stature in the arena of cloud storage solutions. Some of Dropbox’s other notable competitors include Droplr, Bitrix24, Box, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, and ShareFile. In terms of ease of use and popularity among users, Dropbox consistently ranks very high and is only threatened by cloud storage services offered by Google and Apple.
