What you need to know
- Dropbox now has its own password manager.
- It's also adding a pin-protected Vault for you to store your most important documents, which will be encrypted on the company's servers.
- The company is also releasing a number of other features relating to PC backups, e-signatures, and third-party apps.
- A new Family plan will let you pool up to six individuals under the same plan.
Dropbox unveiled a laundry list of new features for its cloud storage platform today. The most exciting among these is the company's foray into the world of security, with the launch of its own password manager. As the company's Timothy Young told The Verge this week, not only do its customers use Dropbox for storing their passwords but also for sync their data on other password managers. So, the company decided to get in on the action itself.
Another security-oriented feature announced today is the Dropbox Vault, a pin-protected section of your Dropbox storage where you can store your most important documents. Alongside the pin protection, files stored in the Vault will be encrypted at every step of the process, from upload to their storage on the company's servers to anytime you want to download them.
In addition to all that, Dropbox is also making it easier for you to backup data from your PC or Mac, with the option to selectively choose which folders get synced automatically. "Nice to see you finally joining the party," said OneDrive in response.
The PC backup feature is available for both paid and free users in beta today, while Dropbox Passwords and Vault are available only to Dropbox Plus users on mobile devices, with other Plus users set to follow in the coming weeks. Thus, it would seem that the latter two features are not going to be available for the free tier of users.
Continuing with that trend of limited betas, the company is also making available for some users native HelloSign eSignatures support, as well as a new App Center, which will serve as a central repository for third-party apps. Think the Chrome Web Store, but for Dropbox. Wider availability for native HelloSign is expected to follow next month, while the same is expected for the App Center sometime later this year.
Last but not least, the company is also introducing a new Family plan that lets you pool up to six family members under the same billing plan. That'll be available for Plus users first in the next few weeks, while all other users will have to wait till later this year.
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