[njt]

I recently placed some PDF files for some nontechnical people on Dropbox. To avoid confusing them with the long complicated Dropbox URL, I even created a shortened link for them to use (think https://event.myorg.test).

Almost none of them had Dropbox accounts.

I found out later from someone that 90% of them couldn’t access the files. The link didn’t require a login but they made it look to the unsophisticated observer that you need an account to get the files. So these folks (most of them were elderly), just gave up.

[afro88]

My elderly mother ended up with a Dropbox subscription because someone sent her a file on Dropbox, that she could technically access for free, but she got dark patterned into creating an account and subscribing. To a yearly plan no less

[aeyes]

But you don't need a Dropbox account to view any file for which you created a shareable link.

If you add raw=1 to the URL then it will directly show in the browser without the Dropbox viewer.

Or did you share a folder?

[mystifyingpoi]

You don't need account, that's for sure, but multiple times I've seen a big upsell popup that suggests that account is required, while the tiny gray button "skip to files" is on the very bottom. I hate such patterns.

[MaxL93]

It's maddening that they force you to tweak with the URLs just so you can feed people a link that works for them though

[restruxt]

The dark pattern nags to unregistered users for shared files are the number one reason I permanently abandoned Dropbox for personal and business use. It was subtle at first, then it got pathetically bad.

When a company like Dropbox prioritizes user account growth over usability, that company debases itself and deserves to lose.