In September 2022, we were excited to launch Proton Drive(new window) and introduce the first standalone Proton Drive paid plans. As with all the services we’ve rolled out over the years, we know the launch is just the first step. The real work is in the continual improvements, advancements, and added features that follow. Building an encrypted file storage service is not easy, particularly one that uses end-to-end encryption on both your files and file metadata like Proton Drive.
Many of you have asked us what is next for Proton Drive, and today, we wanted to share with you a short-term roadmap of what you can expect in the coming quarters. Of course, we also have longer-term roadmaps. We look forward to sharing those and keeping you updated on the latest developments as Proton Drive progresses.
Proton Drive on mobile
In August 2022, we released the early access versions of the Proton Drive apps for Android and iPhone, which the Proton community greeted with great excitement. You filled the 15,000 early access slots we had for our Android app within a day of the release. Thanks to your assistance and feedback, we should be able to release the Proton Drive app for Android and iPhone to the general public by December.
Proton Drive on desktop
The Proton Drive team is currently working on two new apps: standalone desktop apps for Windows and macOS.
The Windows app is further along in the development cycle, and we plan on releasing an early access version of the app to a limited number of beta testers before the end of 2022.
There’s more to do before the macOS app is ready, but we’ve targeted releasing an early access version to a limited number of beta testers in the first half of 2023. Pay attention to our social media channels and this blog for more details on how to help beta test the Proton Drive Windows and macOS apps.
We’re currently focusing on creating apps for all major devices and building out the core feature set of those apps. Our priority is to make sure we have an app for every major device that can:
- Securely store, share, and manage files and folders
- Preview images, PDFs, and clips directly within the Proton Drive app
- Sync and backup local files with the online Proton Drive, all with end-to-end encryption
Once we’ve developed apps with these core features, we will begin to add features that improve the user experience and app usability, such as encrypted search and different collaboration capabilities.
Building a better internet
The development of Proton Drive is the next phase of building out Proton’s encrypted ecosystem, and it brings us one step closer to a better internet where privacy is the default. This work wouldn’t be possible without the over 500,000 members of the Proton community who have tested or are currently testing early access versions of Proton Drive.
As we’ve said before, Proton would be nothing without the Proton community. Your support helped us get our very start and has powered our growth from a small email provider to an entire encrypted ecosystem that serves tens of millions of people worldwide. Thank you.
If you have questions or feedback about this roadmap, we want to hear from you! We take your feedback seriously and use it to make sure we deliver an encrypted cloud storage service that meets your requirements. Contact us on Facebook(new window), Twitter(new window), or Reddit(new window), and let us know what you think.
