What does it mean for a Dropbox product to be in "alpha" or "beta?"

At Dropbox, we are constantly creating and exploring new products. Some of these products are still in development but show a lot of promise, so we want to give you a chance to try them out. We use several different names to refer to these products, including "early access," "alpha," "beta," "preview," or words or phrases with similar meanings.

These products usually haven't been subjected to the same reliability, availability, and security testing as other Dropbox products. Also, the features they contain are still changing. If one of these products doesn't delight users to the extent that we expect it to, we may even stop offering it altogether. Because of this, we ask that you use care when deciding when and if you use one of these products.

Finally, these products are subject to some additional terms of service. If you have a Dropbox team account, the following terms apply to your use of these products:

• Beta Services. Use In Customer’s Discretion. Despite anything to the contrary in the Agreement: (a) Customer may choose to use Beta Services in its sole discretion; (b) Beta Services may not be supported and may be changed at any time without notice; (c) Beta Services may not be as reliable or available as the Services; (d) Beta Services have not been subjected to the same Security Measures and auditing to which the Services have been subjected; and (e) DROPBOX WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH BETA SERVICES – USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

• Feedback. Dropbox offers Beta Services in order to get user feedback. In exchange for using Beta Services, Customer Agrees that Dropbox may contact Customer and its End Users to obtain feedback regarding Beta Services. Customer agrees to: (i) and hereby does, assign to Dropbox all right, title, and interest in any feedback; and (ii) provide Dropbox any reasonable assistance necessary to document and maintain Dropbox’s rights in the feedback. This feedback may include oral or written comments, suggestions, error reports, and analysis. 

• Confidential. Beta Services are confidential until officially launched by Dropbox. Customer will take reasonable measures to keep information regarding the Beta Services confidential, including at least those measures Customer takes to protect its own confidential information of a similar nature. Customer will not disclose information regarding Beta Services to any third parties, and will keep new features and functionality confidential until officially launched by Dropbox. Customer may disclose information regarding Beta Services to the extent required by law or regulation if Customer gives Dropbox reasonable advance written notice, to the extent permitted, so Dropbox can seek to prevent or limit the disclosure.

If you are using an individual Dropbox account, the following additional terms apply to your use of these products:

• Beta Services. We sometimes release products and features that we’re still testing and evaluating (“Beta Services”). Beta Services are labeled  “alpha,” “beta,” “preview,” “early access,” or “evaluation” (or with words or phrases with similar meanings) and may not be as reliable as Dropbox’s other services. Beta Services are made available so that we can collect user feedback, and by using our Beta Services, you agree that we may contact you to collect such feedback.

• Beta Services are confidential until official launch. If you use any Beta Services, you agree not to disclose any information about those Services to anyone else without our permission.