Proton now has a Bitcoin wallet, in addition to an AI assistant to help with writing. Is this really what Proton users want to see? I’ve had a Proton account for years, and here’s what I’m personally looking for.

1File-Syncing for Proton Drive on Mobile and Linux

Proton Drive is place to save or back up files online. Think of it as Proton’s answer to Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive. The big difference? Like all of Proton’s other services, your data is end-to-end encrypted.

Unfortunately, Proton Drive still isn’t a viable option for me. While there is a desktop app that offers file-syncing, it’s only for Windows and macOS. I left Windows behind for Linux well over a decade ago, and these days I actuallydo most of my computing from Android devices. There’s anAndroid app, but photos are the only files it will automatically upload. The rest you have to upload manually, which is the most tedious way to back up files.

An illustration of Proton Drive’s new photo backup feature on a smartphone.

2A Better Alternative to Google Photos and iCloud

When you buy a phone these days, part of the setup process involves signing in with online account that your camera photos can automatically upload to. On an iPhone, youback up photos to your iCloud account. On an Android device, this is typically Google Photos. This has become the default way people back up their photos.

What is Proton’s answer to this? It’s Proton Drive. Unfortunately, the experience just doesn’t feel that similar. The app meets the criteria of automatically backing up your photos so that they’re safe, but it isn’t a photo-first design. Proton Drive’s auto-upload feature compares to the same feature found in Dropbox, Google Drive, and that cohort. Google Photos, it is not.

Ente app on the smartphone screen with its mascot beside it, and a blurred smartphone with Google Photos in the background

3Proton Calendar Bridge (Like Proton Mail Bridge)

My wife and I use Proton Mail for our primary email, and we use Proton Calendar to share our schedules. It has all the functionality I need from a calendar app. My biggest issue is that I’m stuck using either the web app or the mobile app. I can’t use alternative clients of any kind.

I really dig theNiagara Launcher for Android phones, but I don’t get to take advantage of the calendar integration. If I could, I’d get upcoming events displayed right on my home screen above my apps.

The Proton Mail and Calendar logos over a purple background.

Likewise, I can’t use Samsung Calendar, which is comparable to otherSamsung apps that I consider pretty great. It not only integrates with more of the apps on my Galaxy Z Fold 5, but it’s just quicker to navigate than the Proton Calendar Android app.

I’d love to see a Proton Calendar version of theProton Mail Bridge app, which allows you to use your Proton Mail account with third-party clients like Thunderbird and Outlook. Granted, that’s a desktop-only app, so even if a desktop Proton Calendar Bridge did come out, that still wouldn’t be of much use on my Android phone.

A hand holding a phone on the contacts screen and a contact recovery icon with some profile icons around it.

4Contacts and Call Logs Syncing

Here’s a simple one. While I don’t want to give Google my contacts, there is an obvious peace of mind that comes from knowing that if I shatter my phone on the driveway getting into the car, I haven’t lost my contacts. Right now, Iexport my contacts manually into a VCF fileand keep a backup that way. As with any manual backup, there’s the risk of my backup being outdated if an accident happens.

Due to the end-to-end encryption, Proton is a provider I would actually trust with a backup of my phone contacts, just like I trust it with my email contacts. If Proton could also backup my call log, that’d be great, too.

A Google document and the Proton Drive logo with the Google Docs logo behind.

5Google Sheets and Slides Alternatives

In summer 2024,Proton rolled out Docs in Proton Drive, an alternative to Google Docs. It can open DOCX files, provides the essential formatting options, and has many of the collaboration features people have come to expect from Google Docs. It was a big necessary step in helping more people switch over from Google’s suite. I like Proton’s implementation, which almost feels more like a distraction-free writing app than a word processor.

Yet Google Docs is only one component in Google’s online office suite. To complete the job, Proton also needs an option for editing spreadsheets (like Google Sheets) and presentations (like Google Slides).

I’d be surprised if this isn’t already on Proton’s roadmap, but it’s precisely the kind of thing that comes to mind when Proton announces features like aBitcoin walletandAI-generated text. Those feel like distractions, if not an outright shift in the wrong direction.

I’m a big fan of Proton. Protecting your data online has generally been a technical affair, and usually involved an understanding of PGP keys or self-hosting. Proton’s services are as easy to sign-up for as any other web account, and for the most part, they just work.

It’s nice to see Proton roll out new options. I may not use Proton Pass, for example, but I get the hole the service fills. I just hope Proton devotes more resources toward fleshing out its existing offerings before getting too caught up in what can be considered the online fads of the day.