Top Related Projects
Wrapper of syncthing for Android.
Open Source Continuous File Synchronization
:phone: The ownCloud Android App
Quick Overview
Syncthing-Android is an open-source, continuous file synchronization program for Android devices. It extends the functionality of Syncthing to mobile platforms, allowing users to synchronize files between their Android devices and other Syncthing-enabled devices or computers seamlessly and securely.
Pros
- Decentralized and secure file synchronization without relying on cloud services
- Cross-platform compatibility (Android, Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Open-source with active community development and support
- Customizable synchronization settings and folder sharing options
Cons
- May be complex for non-technical users to set up and configure
- Can potentially consume more battery life compared to cloud-based sync solutions
- Requires devices to be online simultaneously for real-time synchronization
- Limited integration with other Android apps compared to popular cloud services
Getting Started
To get started with Syncthing-Android:
- Install the app from the Google Play Store or F-Droid.
- Launch the app and follow the initial setup wizard.
- Add folders you want to sync by tapping the "+" button.
- Connect to other devices by scanning their QR codes or entering their device IDs.
- Configure sync settings for each folder and device as needed.
- Allow the app to run in the background for continuous synchronization.
For more detailed instructions and troubleshooting, refer to the official documentation on the project's GitHub repository.
Competitor Comparisons
Wrapper of syncthing for Android.
Pros of syncthing-android
- Official repository maintained by the Syncthing team
- More frequent updates and releases
- Larger community and contributor base
Cons of syncthing-android
- Less customization options for power users
- May lack some experimental features found in forks
- Potentially slower to implement user-requested features
Code Comparison
syncthing-android:
override fun onCreateOptionsMenu(menu: Menu): Boolean {
menuInflater.inflate(R.menu.toolbar_menu, menu)
return true
}
Catfriend1/syncthing-android:
override fun onCreateOptionsMenu(menu: Menu): Boolean {
menuInflater.inflate(R.menu.toolbar_menu, menu)
mOptionsMenu = menu
updateOptionsMenu()
return true
}
The Catfriend1 fork adds an additional method call updateOptionsMenu()
after inflating the menu, potentially providing more dynamic menu options.
Both repositories share the same core functionality, but the Catfriend1 fork may offer additional features and customizations for advanced users. The official syncthing-android repository benefits from more frequent updates and a larger community, while the Catfriend1 fork might be more suitable for users seeking experimental features or specific enhancements.
Open Source Continuous File Synchronization
Pros of syncthing
- More comprehensive and feature-rich, as it's the core project
- Supports multiple platforms beyond Android
- Larger community and more frequent updates
Cons of syncthing
- Not specifically optimized for Android
- May have a steeper learning curve for mobile users
- Potentially higher resource usage on mobile devices
Code comparison
syncthing:
func (m *Model) ClusterConfig(deviceID protocol.DeviceID, cm protocol.ClusterConfig) {
// Handle cluster configuration
}
syncthing-android:
public class SyncthingService extends Service {
// Android-specific service implementation
}
Additional notes
Syncthing is the main project that provides the core functionality for continuous file synchronization across devices. It's written in Go and designed to be platform-agnostic.
Syncthing-android is a fork of the original Syncthing Android app, maintained by Catfriend1. It focuses on providing an optimized Android experience with additional features and improvements specific to the mobile platform.
While syncthing offers a more comprehensive solution for multi-platform synchronization, syncthing-android provides a tailored experience for Android users with potentially better performance and usability on mobile devices.
:phone: The ownCloud Android App
Pros of owncloud/android
- Integrated with ownCloud's ecosystem, offering seamless file sync and sharing
- Supports multiple accounts and server instances
- Includes features like automatic photo upload and offline file access
Cons of owncloud/android
- Limited to ownCloud servers, less flexible for other sync solutions
- May require more server-side setup and maintenance
- Potentially less privacy-focused, as data is stored on centralized servers
Code comparison
syncthing-android:
@Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
if (TextUtils.equals(intent.getAction(), ConnectivityManager.CONNECTIVITY_ACTION)) {
updateRunConditions();
}
}
owncloud/android:
@Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
if (intent.getAction().equals(Intent.ACTION_POWER_CONNECTED) ||
intent.getAction().equals(Intent.ACTION_POWER_DISCONNECTED)) {
OCFileListFragment listOfFiles = getListOfFilesFragment();
if (listOfFiles != null) {
listOfFiles.refreshDirectory();
}
}
}
Both repositories implement broadcast receivers, but for different purposes. syncthing-android focuses on network connectivity changes, while owncloud/android handles power connection events and refreshes the file list accordingly.
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Syncthing-Fork - A Syncthing Wrapper for Android:
A wrapper of Syncthing for Android. Head to the "releases" section or F-Droid for builds. Please open an issue under this fork if you need help. Important: Please don't file bugs at the upstream repository "syncthing-android" if you are using this fork.
Major enhancements in this fork are:
- Folder, device and overall sync progress can easily be read off the UI.
- "Syncthing Camera" - an optional feature (with optional permission to use the camera) where you can take pictures with your friend, partner, ... on two phones into one shared and private Syncthing folder. No cloud involved. (deprecated)
- "Sync every hour" to save even more battery
- Individual sync conditions can be applied per device and per folder (for expert users).
- Recent changes UI, click to open files.
- Changes to folder and device config can be made regardless if syncthing is running or not.
- UI explains why syncthing is running or not.
- "Battery eater" problem is fixed.
- Discover other Syncthing devices on the same network and easily add them.
- Supports two-way synchronization on external sd cards since Android 11.
- Supports encrypted folders on untrusted devices.
About Play Store releases:
- Planning to close my Google Play Developer Account. Please say hi if you are interested in obtaining the latest gplay release files from me to help in publishing this app.
Privacy Policy
See our document on privacy: privacy-policy.md.
Goal of the forked version
- Develop and try out enhancements together
- Release the wrapper more frequently to identify and fix bugs together caused by changes in the syncthing submodule
- Make enhancements configurable in the settings UI, e.g. users should be able to turn them on and off
- Let's get ready for newer Android versions that put limits on background syncing tools. We need your bug reports as detailed as possible
Building
Prerequisites
If you miss any prerequisite, the shell scripts will abort with an error and tell you what you need to do. In case you like to dive into building directly, you can skip this section and jump directly to "Build instructions".
- Android SDK
# This command will help you install the minimum Android SDK components to build this project in case you don't use Android Studio.
python install_minimum_android_sdk_prerequisites.py
- Android NDK r26b
$ANDROID_NDK_HOME environment variable should point at the root directory of your NDK. If the variable is not set, build-syncthing.py will automatically try to download and setup the NDK.
- Go 1.21.4
Make sure, Go is installed and available on the PATH environment variable. If Go is not found on the PATH environment variable, build-syncthing.py will automatically try to download and setup GO on the PATH.
- Python 3.9.6 64-Bit
Make sure, Python is installed and available on the PATH environment variable. Download 'https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.9.6/python-3.9.6-amd64.exe' and run 'python-3.9.6-amd64.exe /quiet InstallAllUsers=1 PrependPath=1 Include_test=0'
- Git (for Linux) or Git for Windows
Make sure, git (or git.exe) is installed and available on the PATH environment variable. If Git is not found on the PATH environment variable, build-syncthing.py will automatically try to download and setup MinGit 2.19.0-x64 on the PATH.
- Java Development Version 17
"java" should be on the PATH environment variable. Download from Oracle and run the installer. Log off and back on to let the new PATH variable take effect.
Build instructions
Edit "App_build_and_release.cmd" and set "SKIP_RELEASE_BUILD=1" if you don't need to upload signed releases to Google Play. This will simplify things for you.
Build on Linux
A Linux VM, for example running Debian, is recommended to build this.
Build SyncthingNative and the Syncthing-Android wrapper using the following commands:
apt-get -y install git openjdk-11-jdk python
mkdir -p /root/work
cd /root/work
git clone https://github.com/Catfriend1/syncthing-android.git --recursive
cd /root/work/syncthing-android
./gradlew buildNative
./gradlew lint assembleDebug
You can also use Android Studio to build the apk after you manually ran the ./gradlew buildNative
command in the repository root.
To clean up all files generated during build, use the following commands:
./gradlew cleanNative
./gradlew clean
Build on Windows
git clone https://github.com/Catfriend1/syncthing-android.git --recursive
cd /d "YOUR_CLONED_GIT_ROOT"
SyncthingNative_update_and_build
App_build_and_release
Development Notes
It is recommended to change the GUI and Listen Address ports for the debug app, e.g. to 8385 and 22001 respectively.
The Syncthing native used for this android application provides a web interface by default. It can be accessed via the Settings menu -> 'Web GUI'. It is quite helpful to access this web interface from your development machine. Read android documentation on how to access the network of your emulator. Or use the following command to connect to the single currently running emulator/AVD.
adb forward tcp:18384 tcp:8384
Start Syncthing app on your emulator and access the web interface from you favorite browser of your development machine via https://127.0.0.1:18384
License
The project is licensed under the MPLv2.
Top Related Projects
Wrapper of syncthing for Android.
Open Source Continuous File Synchronization
:phone: The ownCloud Android App
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