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 However, the certification program also relied on low-cost, outdated drives, which the company intended to sell at a steep markup.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.