Proton Drive Upgrade
Source: Proton

Proton Drive is the secure, cloud storage alternative to Google Drive from Proton, the Swiss-based privacy champion. Recently Proton announced improvements to the Proton Drive service, proclaiming users can now expect a more powerful application with a smoother user experience.

Increased speed and control

Proton rebuilt Proton Drive so a single shared engine drives uploads, downloads, and encryption. Uploads are three times faster and downloads twice as fast. This is a significant upgrade that increases efficiency and creates a more pleasant user experience.

Files can be shared via an e-mail invitation or by copy and pasting a link. The owner has full control over who can edit files in the folder and who can just view them. For tighter control, different levels of access can be granted to an individual, but that will require a Proton account, which can be obtained for free.

Enhanced encryption

Proton builds the same end-to-end encryption into all of their products, and that hasn't changed with this update. What has changed, is the speed at which the encryption takes place. Encryption now takes place up to four times as fast, further contributing to the speed and responsiveness users can now expect.

Photo sharing

Proton Drive always had the ability to share photos, but for mobile users it was not very practical. It was not possible to view more than a small thumbnail without downloading the file, which was not conducive at all to scrolling through an album.

The photo experience has changed, for the better.

Grid view is now available for Proton Drive links, making it far easier to view photos. The full size photo can now be viewed with a simple tap, no downloading required. Combined with the increased speed of Proton Drive, the user experience is now comparable to viewing photos in Google Drive.

Other updates

  • The Windows desktop app now supports pausing of syncing, with Proton Drive automatically resuming syncing later in the event you forget to turn the feature back on.

  • A new, encrypted cache stores your 500 most recently viewed thumbnails, meaning folders you have already viewed will load instantly on subsequent viewing.

  • Proton Drive CLI has been made available for Linux, macOS and Windows, meaning uploads, downloads, and sharing can be scripted from your terminal.

No better time to try

As with all Proton products, Proton Drive is available for free, with options to subscribe for feature and storage upgrades, but all with the same level of security. The free version of Proton Drive comes with 5 GB of storage.

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