Synology, maker of network-attached storage (NAS) devices, will seemingly remove advanced features from its Plus devices that are not using hard drives provided by, or certified by, Synology itself, starting with its 2025 lineup.
A report on the German site HardwareLuxx (translated by Google) and a press release on Synology’s German-language website appear to confirm Synology’s strategy. The company, which sees “significant benefits” to its “proprietary hard drive solution” (also per Google’s translation), will be “expanding [its] integrated ecosystem to the Plus series.” For those Plus series models released in 2025, only Synology’s own hard drives, and third-party drives certified by Synology, will offer “the full range of functions and support.” Synology’s release states that it can provide the “highest levels of security and performance, while also offering significantly more efficient support.”
Ars has contacted Synology’s US offices for comment and will update this post with any response.
There is some chance that this move could be restricted to Germany or just the EU. Maintaining region-specific firmware is possible, if not efficient. Synology has previously rolled out its certified drive requirements for higher-end machines globally.
If you already have Plus-level or higher Synology hardware, this potential incoming change won’t impact you, at least until your next upgrade. You can also take existing drives from a Synology setup and move them into a 2025 or newer Plus model and continue having full support. Synology had already implemented this requirement for its XS Plus and rack-mounted models, notionally obliging those owners to use Synology-approved drives.
What you might lose from using non-Synology-approved hard drives could include pool creation and support for any issues. De-duplication, lifespan analysis, and automatic HDD firmware updates could also disappear on non-approved drives, Synology’s press release suggests.