Dropbox 3 device Limit

[Manta]

I’m also one who pays for iCloud and has been migrating off of Dropbox since they implemented the 3-device limit.

I’ve been using Reunion since the software was delivered on 3.5” floppy disks (I think on my old Mac SE), and nowadays I just use it periodically to update family data or look something up. I may spend an hour or so per month using Reunion during a busy month—it’s usually much much less. That said, it’s very hard to justify spending $10/month for Dropbox when the only benefit I would gain is the convenience of accessing Reunion on all my devices. If I needed to use Reunion daily, that’s another story. At the same time, not being able to use Reunion on my laptop (when I’m likely to gather new information when visiting family) just sucks. (My primary computer is an iMac, and when necessary, I access Dropbox via the web on my MacBook Air.)

I’m currently running Reunion 11. I generally hold out on upgrading unless I need it for compatibility or unless the new version offers a compelling new feature. This time around I've been waiting to see if Leister will change their stance on Dropbox. It looks like they haven’t and won’t for the foreseeable future. As a former product manager, I completely understand that their decision is in their best interests from a business standpoint, but unfortunately now it conflicts with my best interests as a consumer.

With MacOS Catalina coming out in October, Reunion 11 (32-bit and not compatible) will be the only software keeping me from upgrading my Mac. I’m not sure if I want to spend $50 to upgrade Reunion and still be facing Dropbox’s $10/month if I want to sync across all my devices. Has anyone found any viable alternatives to Reunion that support iCloud syncing? If there’s a decent option out there, I’d rather put my $50 toward that. (My needs are more centered around data storage, reporting, and charting. I don’t really have time these days for online research and publishing.)

And just to be clear, I wouldn’t think twice about staying with Reunion if it weren’t for Dropbox’s new device limit.

[SGilbert]

I have a MBP & iPhone with ReunionTouch. My wife, also big into genealogy, has the same setup. Thus 4 devices. (I've had to delete her iPhone on Dropbox that we share on same account)

Just a thought here. What do y'all think of the wife having her own Dropbox account and each of us sharing each others family file with each other?

Each of us would have two devices. Would that work? Flaws in this 'workaround'?

[eric.vanbeest]

The 3-device limit that Dropbox has is only a nuisance. There is asimple workaround.

I have a ’Master’ Dropbox which contains the canonical Reunion file, that Reunion Touch on my iPad also goes to. (This computer also has the master 1Password vault, Keyboard Maestro master macro set, etc). I also have, for groups of other devices, secondary Dropbox accounts using various free email accounts. The folder with he Reunion files on the Master DropBox is then shared with these email accounts, and they have full access. What’s great is that even if the Reunion folder is huge and goes over the 'free' limit, this counts towards the Master account only - it doesn’t affect the limit of the other account to which the folder is shared.

[Bob White]

Thinking out loud here.... One must wonder what method of recognition that Dropbox uses to sense devices. Why? Because I have been doing four devices (iMac, MBPro, iPhone and iPad) since long before the three device limit was implemented and I still do.

I have one single family file and it being open in Reunion switches back and forth between the iMac and the MBPro. That amounts to three active devices at any time (one Mac plus two iOS devices). I never get any error messages about needing to upgrade and start paying; I only have the free account. I have never instituted any workaround as described by Eric.

Do other members of this forum with a like circumstance have this same experience?

[SGilbert]

I never had a problem with 4 devices until last week when I updated our 2 iPhones to newest ones. Dropbox immediately 'locked' me out when opening ReunionTouch, saying I was over the limit.
Turns out, I should have dropped the 2 old iPhones before trying ReunionTouch. Even after I dripped them, I had to drop the wife's iPhone to come into compliance.
Obviously, I'm not a 'happy camper".

[A Hougie]

Thinking out loud here.... One must wonder what method of recognition that Dropbox uses to sense devices. Why? Because I have been doing four devices (iMac, MBPro, iPhone and iPad) since long before the three device limit was implemented and I still do.

I have one single family file and it being open in Reunion switches back and forth between the iMac and the MBPro. That amounts to three active devices at any time (one Mac plus two iOS devices). I never get any error messages about needing to upgrade and start paying; I only have the free account. I have never instituted any workaround as described by Eric.

Do other members of this forum with a like circumstance have this same experience?

You have been "grandfathered". "If you're a Basic user and you linked more than three devices prior to March 2019, all of your previously linked devices remain linked." (https://help.dropbox.com/accounts-bi...computer-limit)

[baddorfdeb]

..... What's great is that even if the Reunion folder is huge and goes over the 'free' limit, this counts towards the Master account only - it doesn't affect the limit of the other account to which the folder is shared.

Really???!! Is this a new thing? I'm sharing areas from a 'Master' and used to get a lot of "your quota is nearly used up" messages. We had to keep deleting things in the master folder. I'll admit I haven't seen that message in a while, but I thought it was because I was carefully pruning the master. Did they add this feature recently?