Synology reverses course on non-certified HDDs in NAS systems

[Alfonso Maruccia]

Facepalm: Synology attempted to require customers to use only "certified" drives when expanding local storage capacities in its NAS devices, but users made their dissatisfaction clear. The company is now abandoning the new policy, although the certification program itself appears to remain in place for the time being.

Earlier this year, Synology announced a major change affecting how customers could populate the company's NAS devices with external HDDs. The Taiwanese corporation planned to restrict NAS compatibility to its own "certified" drives, meaning third-party units would suddenly lose support on newer NAS products.

Synology argued that focusing on a proprietary ecosystem of branded storage drives would bring significant benefits to customers, including improved performance, reliability, and power efficiency. However, the certification program also relied on low-cost, outdated drives, which the company intended to sell at a steep markup.

A few months after introducing the drive certification program, Synology has now completely reversed the policy. With the release of DiskStation Manager (DSM) 7.3 (the Linux-based operating system used in its products), NAS devices launched in 2025 will once again support third-party drives.

Support for non-branded drives is just a footnote in the announcement of the DiskStation Manager 7.3 release, but it may be the most significant change for users who continue to rely on Synology products. NAS sales have dropped sharply in recent months, with some reports suggesting that Synology's management was essentially forced to remove the artificial compatibility restrictions to stay afloat.

The improved compatibility is tucked away in the release notes for DSM version 7.3. Synology states that it is still collaborating with drive manufacturers to validate new units for its certified storage lineup, but customers clearly want more flexibility when selecting storage drives for their NAS.

Based on early user feedback, the change is unlikely to win back customers who were alienated by the company's previous decisions and perceived profit-first focus. Nevertheless, DSM 7.3 could be a welcome update for existing Synology owners, who will no longer need third-party tools to modify their NAS firmware.

Beyond third-party drive compatibility, DSM 7.3 also introduces enhancements in data management for AI workloads, storage efficiency, and system security. According to Synology, the new release provides a storage platform that is secure, reliable, and ready to support AI adoption in enterprise environments.

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Synology reverses course on non-certified HDDs in NAS systems

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

7.3 release notes also say that all previous decade models are going EOL too after this version

 

[BlackyNoir]

So they lied about what they were doing and why. And they can do it again, at any moment, adding new or the same manufactured limitation in a month, a quarter, a year.

No thanks. For my needs, I liked the idea of a NAS as an appliance, with very little hands-on management and skills to learn, while having a good ecosystem to add a tiny wee bit of customization. I was looking into buying one, when they made that announcement. Now, I'm never going there, not even at half the price.

They claim their product and services are "reliable", while having demonstrated they are anything but. Hard pass.

 

[mgwerner]

Nope, too late, already lined up replacements.

If they "changed their mind" this time, what is to stop them from doing it again once they make some more sales.......?

 

[noel24]

That was fast. Still, wouldn't buy anything from a company that had shown signs of freefall.

 

[Squid Surprise]

You never needed to buy their “supported” drives… any HDD worked - they just wouldn’t take responsibility if they failed…

I’ve been using “non-supported” HDDs in my Synology NAS for years with no issues…

Also “non-supported” RAM works fine.

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

That was fast. Still, wouldn't buy anything from a company that had shown signs of freefall.

Too many companies showed that sign recently. One of the most obvious among them is absence of frequent product updates and slipping with any updates, appropriate to company frequency I mean.
Before I thought that’s only for gullibles who update their iphone every year. Now I understand its a sign that corpo doing well inside.
Synology, as a hint - they kept this same DSM version, smth-smth update 4, without single annoying update for a year I think.
Another one - I looked up custom loop prods - EKWB had a major stock n production problems before y’all know what happened, they still barely alive, I’m sure wont look their way for anything bigger than tubes or spare parts. Same story goes for aquacomputer - man, those dudes doesn't even have fullcovers for rtx40 and rtx50.

 

[brucek]

Too late. My 2017 Synology was already past its prime, and their shift from user-first to cash-grab sealed it. I built a Proxmox/TrueNAS server instead—more setup (which I enjoyed), higher cost if new parts (mine weren’t), but far more power, flexibility, and freedom from corporate handcuffs.

 

[Tuxie]

Sad to see the enshittification epidemic hitting yet another formerly great company.

 

[Burty117]

Glad I stuck to my guns and custom built a NAS and used TrueNAS.

Used Synology and QNAP at work, I liked both, but enshitifying your products just means I’ll never buy from you again.

 

[amghwk]

I'm using Synology. Guess it's time to start preparing the migration to TrueNAS or Raspberry Pi based solution.

Dropbox's sudden change in policy last time made me switch to home NAS and at that time pre-built commercial NAS like Synology was easier to switch to. Time to switch again.

 

[NumberNine]

Build your own NAS.
It's a computer with several disks in it.

I believe in you.

 

[Watzupken]

It is not so much about reversing the bad decision made. The damage to the reputation cannot be easily undone.

 

[bviktor]

Doing fine on my self-built mini PC NAS, thanks.

 

[Starfals]

Haha, id rather die than buy HDDs from them. They price them 50% higher than everyone else.

 

[SRB]

Too many companies showed that sign recently. One of the most obvious among them is absence of frequent product updates and slipping with any updates, appropriate to company frequency I mean.
Before I thought that’s only for gullibles who update their iphone every year. Now I understand its a sign that corpo doing well inside.
Synology, as a hint - they kept this same DSM version, smth-smth update 4, without single annoying update for a year I think.
Another one - I looked up custom loop prods - EKWB had a major stock n production problems before y’all know what happened, they still barely alive, I’m sure wont look their way for anything bigger than tubes or spare parts. Same story goes for aquacomputer - man, those dudes doesn't even have fullcovers for rtx40 and rtx50.

I gave up on EK years ago....for much the same reason as Synology, say one thing and do another. Microcenter stocked EK products when I bought one of my first Ryzen CPU's. I bought the waterblock becaus it was AM4 compatible. When I opened the box, I couldn't find the AM4 parts. The manual said they would be provided free of charge by contacting EK. Not what I thought, but ok. I contacted EK, they said Microcenter could get it as a distributor. Well that didn't work, they didn't know anything about it.I contacted them back, they said "ok, we can get you one. It will cost $35.00". I though it was free. It was, that was the shipping. Wound up finding in on Performance PC for $9.95. Haven't bought anything from EK since.

P.S. And boy was I glad I did when I built my first Threadripper build. I had already bought my XSPC waterblock when the reviews for the EK came out. You'd be better off just putting a fan over it for cooling than that EK Threadripper water block
.

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

I gave up on EK years ago....

Apart from inner problems and corruption, they have enormous problems with QA. I have an acetal 3080/3090-RE fullcover that leaks frequently, cause bigger, main bolts (fasteners) that keep acetal cover and copper block together occasionally unscrew, just by themselves. So I have to tighten them up with hex key time to time.
Alot of fun indeed when you have bottom PSU. Thankfully C700P has that designer PSU cover.
NOT OKAY anyway, even if I grab it for ~100 eur at hiflow, and it was good discount. These new blocks, 300 eur per piece?! Big f*ing NO