Apple Confirms macOS 12.3 Deprecates Kernel Extensions Used by Dropbox and OneDrive

Apple today seeded the first beta of macOS 12.3 to developers for testing. In the release notes for the update, Apple confirms that it has deprecated kernel extensions used by Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive and notes that both cloud storage services have replacements for the functionality currently in beta.

General Dropbox Feature
Earlier this week, Dropbox announced that users who update to macOS 12.3 may temporarily encounter issues with opening online-only files in some third-party apps on their Mac. Dropbox did not provide a reason for this issue, but it is now clear that it relates to the kernel extensions that enabled this functionality being deprecated by Apple.

In a support document and an email to customers, Dropbox said it is actively working on full support for online-only files on macOS 12.3 and will begin rolling out an updated version of its Mac app to beta testers in March. In the meantime, Dropbox users who update to macOS 12.3 will still be able to open online-only files in Finder.

Microsoft is also working on a new online-only files experience for OneDrive that is "more integrated with macOS" and "will have long-term support from Apple."

Related Forum: macOS Monterey

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18 Available Today With These 8 New Features For Your iPhone

Sunday September 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by
Following over three months of beta testing, iOS 18 will finally be widely released to the public this Monday, September 16. The update should be available to install starting at around 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern Time) in the Settings app under General → Software Update on the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have highlighted eight key new features included in iOS 18, and Apple...
iOS 18 Public Beta Thumb 1

Here's When iOS 18 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone

Monday September 16, 2024 3:56 am PDT by
It's that time of year again. Apple is about to release iOS 18, which promises to bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and the company is expected to release it sometime today – Monday, September 16. Based on past releases, the update is likely to drop at around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time/1:00 p.m. Eastern...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday September 13, 2024 2:40 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
apple silicon mac lineup wwdc 2022 feature purple

M4 Macs, New iPad Mini, and iPad 11 Expected at Upcoming Apple Event

Sunday September 15, 2024 5:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated...
16 pro

iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

Sunday September 15, 2024 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been "lower than expected" since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store. Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached...
iphone 16 pro apple intelligence

Apple Intelligence Features Expected to Roll Out in This Order Between iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.4

Friday September 13, 2024 1:01 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will be released to the public on Monday, but the first Apple Intelligence features will not be available until iOS 18.1 is released in October. Apple Intelligence features will continue to roll out in iOS 18.2 and beyond, with the expected roadmap outlined below per Apple's website and rumors. Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro model or any iPhone 16 model, and it will...

Top Rated Comments

usagora Avatar
35 months ago

"Deprecates" just means they remove support and/or express disapproval.

I think "breaks" is the right word here, even though it doesn't sound as impressive. :)
No, deprecate is the correct word. Obviously both of the developers knew about it in advance and have made the necessary adjustments. "Break" would be if they didn't warn anyone, and you install the Beta and all of a sudden Dropbox or OneDrive doesn't work, and the developers have to scramble to fix it.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Think|Different Avatar
35 months ago
I moved on to other services (iCloud Drive works great!) and never looked back. Crazy how relevant DB was – and how hard they fell by bloating their offerings.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svenmany Avatar
35 months ago
Dropbox works great for me. My wife and I share a single Dropbox account (single login). Since we have separate Apple IDs, it would be less convenient simulating that with iCloud. Also, I access Dropbox a lot from Windows. I've never had any issues with Dropbox on all platforms over the many years I've used it. I've had a number of issues with iCloud file sync (e.g. files added elsewhere not showing up on my Mac).

I have no desire to use offline files, so I hope my Dropbox experiences is not impacted by this change. I see that OneDrive is going to default to off-line files with local files requiring extra effort; I hope Dropbox doesn't do that.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Digital Skunk Avatar
35 months ago
Dropbox is still far superior for filesharing outside of the Apple ecosystem and with large teams. I don't know how the basic versions compare, but for my team of 5 Dropbox is as close to perfect as we can get.

For personal use, and for my family, it's iCloud all the way. At that point we're in the Apple system, so there's no reason to store anything outside of it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
soid.exe Avatar
35 months ago
If I’m reading it right, Dropbox should sue Apple.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
leicaman Avatar
35 months ago

If I’m reading it right, Dropbox should sue Apple.
You're not reading it right. Apple told them what they needed to do long ago, and they actually do have the fix in beta. Users just need to wait until the fix is installed before upgrading Monterey.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)