Dropbox is incredibly useful for storing, sharing, and backing up files. But, you may be surprised to know, it can actually do a whole lot more than that.
Between new offerings like its photo-sharing app Carousel, and helpful recipes from IFTTT, you can take your Dropbox game to the next level and make this cloud storage app work for you. No more hunting for old memories, or deleting apps and photos to make some extra storage space on your handset. Here are seven ways you may have never thought to use Dropbox's talents.
Save Space On Your Phone
Dropbox’s photo app Carousel (free on iOS and Android) can quickly free up storage on your phone by detecting and deleting photos that are already safely uploaded. Say goodbye to that facepalm inducing “Not Enough Storage” pop-up. After downloading Carousel, the app will automatically notify you when your phone's storage is nearing maximum capacity. You can then delete all the photos on your phone that have previously been backed up, should you choose. Automatically Store Facebook Photos
Digging through your Camera Roll for the perfect self portrait is tedious — more so if, say, you're looking for a photo of you and your bestie together to share for her wedding reception slideshow. Using this IFTTT recipe, you can automatically save every Facebook photo you get tagged in to a Dropbox folder. Read Books (Or Any PDF) On Any Device
Although dedicated e-book reading apps are useful, you don't actually need one. If you've got PDFs to peruse, whether it be a scientific paper or a digital copy of the latest New York Times bestseller, if it's stored on Dropbox, you can also read it on Dropbox. Just open the file in the app and use its preview function to read. Create a Customized, Changing Homescreen Background
Reddit has its pros and cons, but one thing it's great at: Surfacing amazing desktop background images. If you'd love your computer's background to be a constant source of inspiration, just head to your notebook's settings and change the background image destination to [dropbox]/IFTTT/hotredditwallpaper/Desktop.jpg, and it will change periodically using this IFTTT recipe. Get Reminded Of Great Flashback Photos
If you're opposed to Facebook, but love the idea of flashback photo and memory reminders, Carousel can help. Head into the settings and turn on the Flashback feature, and Dropbox’s photo app will surface interesting photos taken around the same time last year (or the year before... or the year before that), so you can relive your favorite old times. Save Interesting Articles
We have a tendency to save curiosity-piquing articles on Twitter or Pocket, and then never return to them. But, if you've got files, photos, and articles all saved in one place, perhaps that wouldn't be the case. You can use this IFTTT recipe to automatically port the articles you've saved for later reading with Pocket onto Dropbox. Encrypt Your Files
Files stored in the cloud (like with Dropbox) are vulnerable to being seen by not-so-private, government agency eyes. Keep your files truly private using a service like Boxcryptor. Free for private use, it encrypts all of your files so your data is kept private and secure. If you've got copies of things like your birth certificate, tax information, or private company documents, you don't want to keep those in the cloud unless they're properly encrypted.
Dropbox’s photo app Carousel (free on iOS and Android) can quickly free up storage on your phone by detecting and deleting photos that are already safely uploaded. Say goodbye to that facepalm inducing “Not Enough Storage” pop-up. After downloading Carousel, the app will automatically notify you when your phone's storage is nearing maximum capacity. You can then delete all the photos on your phone that have previously been backed up, should you choose. Automatically Store Facebook Photos
Digging through your Camera Roll for the perfect self portrait is tedious — more so if, say, you're looking for a photo of you and your bestie together to share for her wedding reception slideshow. Using this IFTTT recipe, you can automatically save every Facebook photo you get tagged in to a Dropbox folder. Read Books (Or Any PDF) On Any Device
Although dedicated e-book reading apps are useful, you don't actually need one. If you've got PDFs to peruse, whether it be a scientific paper or a digital copy of the latest New York Times bestseller, if it's stored on Dropbox, you can also read it on Dropbox. Just open the file in the app and use its preview function to read. Create a Customized, Changing Homescreen Background
Reddit has its pros and cons, but one thing it's great at: Surfacing amazing desktop background images. If you'd love your computer's background to be a constant source of inspiration, just head to your notebook's settings and change the background image destination to [dropbox]/IFTTT/hotredditwallpaper/Desktop.jpg, and it will change periodically using this IFTTT recipe. Get Reminded Of Great Flashback Photos
If you're opposed to Facebook, but love the idea of flashback photo and memory reminders, Carousel can help. Head into the settings and turn on the Flashback feature, and Dropbox’s photo app will surface interesting photos taken around the same time last year (or the year before... or the year before that), so you can relive your favorite old times. Save Interesting Articles
We have a tendency to save curiosity-piquing articles on Twitter or Pocket, and then never return to them. But, if you've got files, photos, and articles all saved in one place, perhaps that wouldn't be the case. You can use this IFTTT recipe to automatically port the articles you've saved for later reading with Pocket onto Dropbox. Encrypt Your Files
Files stored in the cloud (like with Dropbox) are vulnerable to being seen by not-so-private, government agency eyes. Keep your files truly private using a service like Boxcryptor. Free for private use, it encrypts all of your files so your data is kept private and secure. If you've got copies of things like your birth certificate, tax information, or private company documents, you don't want to keep those in the cloud unless they're properly encrypted.
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