6 ms·
Ask HN: Those who use an Android and macOS, how do you manage sync?
I've been using a Macbook with Samsung android for a while and I usually use something like Pushbullet to sync some notifications.
I also use the low-effort way of sending files to my WhatsApp on either device in case I need something quick.
Of late I've discovered PlainApp which has made managing files on my phone easier.
Weirdly enough I've found doing this using Google Drive the most cumbersome way so far. It just feels so difficult for some reason.
Looking for any tips or suggestions anyone that anyone has tested out that works for them.
- allanrbo 2y agoSyncthing
- jaypateln 2y ago[flagged]
- nkzd 2y agoI use NearDrop for sharing files between my Samsung and Macbook: https://github.com/grishka/NearDrop https://github.com/grishka/NearDrop
- fixmycode 2y agoDoes it work for you currently? there's an unsolved issue that happened after a One UI patch a few months ago
- jeffrallen 2y ago1Password and Google Photos and Google Drive. (i.e. piecemeal and badly)
- coldtrait 2y agoI loved 1Password but can't justify paying for it at the moment. Bitwarden does the job decently for now.
- wraptile 2y agoKDE connect is trully magical and works on every operating system and has been a core program on every device in our household.
- outofpaper 2y agohttps://snapdrop.net/ https://snapdrop.net/ is a great solution that unlike KDE doesn't require installation. Along with https://webwormhole.io/ https://webwormhole.io/ they are my go to for transferring assets between systems. Both use WebRTC.
- __rito__ 2y agoMany ways to do this. - Mega Sync - Syncthing - Plain old email to share small stuff
- navigate8310 2y agoWhile I don't have a Mac but I found LocalSend invaluable, which allows me send and receive files without internet on ad-hoc basis.
- prof18 2y agoTo quickly transfer files I'm using https://www.ubidrop.com/ https://www.ubidrop.com/
- livueta 2y agoSyncthing for background syncing things like my keepass db I always want an offline, updated copy of. Smb over wg for general filesystem access and one-off bulk copies, usually via rsync. Both are served from the same fileserver cluster; the graphene phones and macbooks are all clients. Nextcloud for notes and photos, though I can also get at those over smb if necessary.
- RandomGuy45678 2y agoI just use syncthing for all of these. Why do you use smb?
- livueta 2y agoBecause I can't fit hundreds of tb of stuff on every endpoint and don't like having to manage either adding or removing dirs from Syncthing or moving things in/out from preexisting sync dirs. IME Syncthing is also less performant on hundred-gb scale copies.
- ggm 2y agoI don't personally think there is one single mechanism. I use some things which synchronise inside themselves or their own cloud sync, (bitwarden) and some things which synchronise via Google Drive, and other things which use iCal/Caldev syncing, or IMAP syncing. I help people who live entirely inside Apple, and the built in and cloud sync is very very good: Password store sync is within seconds. But, for various reasons I think I will remain in Android, despite using a Macbook for my daily life. Photo sync has more complex problems. Acceptance of "live" images HEIC is .. mixed in other apps.
- thefz 2y agoSyncthing?
- sdoering 2y agoThis. Two Windows machines, Android and iOS (via paid Moebius Sync)
- egberts1 2y agoUnable to find Moebius Sync in Apple App Store in US. Ahhh. Möbius Sync. App Store Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/m%C3%B6bius-sync/id1539203216 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/m%C3%B6bius-sync/id1539203216
- aborsy 2y agoStill, in some countries it’s not available.
- nutrie 2y agoMoebius doesn't sync unless the app is in the foreground, or at least I haven't figured out how to make it work. I don't sync much to iOS, just KeePassXC db and some other stuff, but still, it's annoying.
- hehdhdjehehegwv 2y agoIn my experience you can get to nominally working without too much pain, but getting beyond that is very hard no matter what you use. You really need to commit to an ecosystem to get seamless integration. I’m not happy about this fwiw, just my experience.
- geor9e 2y agoFor small files with no hassle, any instant messenger app like Telegram, Google Chat, FB Messenger etc where you can send photos, videos, files to yourself. For massive files at home, I own a Synology NAS hosting a SMB network folder. I drag files in and they transfer at ~1gbps in theory, a bit slower in practive. For massive files on the go, I turn on mobile hotspot then use Total Commander in "Wi-Fi transfer" mode. Also ~1gbps in theory, a bit slower in practice. You use your browser to upload/download the files on the mac side. Options I avoid because they suck: GDrive (slow and limited by internet speed), All those "snapdrop" "peardrop" "wormhole" etc sites. They promise a lot more than they deliver. They're usually slow and finicky.
- bashZorina_09 2y agoHave you tried LocalSend⁽¹⁾ before? I share the same experience with Snapdrop-like websites, self hosted or otherwise, where establishing connections would have a 30% failure rate, speeds progressively deteriorate on very large files, and bundling files together would need them to zipped first which can waste time. LocalSend has none of these issues and has been rock solid in my year of use so far, and I also like that it can send plaintext easily, which fills the gap sites like SimpleSavr and Pushbullet would normally cover. The only caveat is that you need to have the application installed on all the devices you want to use it with (so it's not a true universal AirDrop or QuickShare alternative) but for your own devices, this is fine. (1) https://localsend.org/ https://localsend.org/
- seltzered_ 2y agoKDE connect (android, macos, linux, etc.) + Soduto (a kde connect client for macos - https://github.com/soduto/Soduto https://github.com/soduto/Soduto ) is decent for basic file-sharing as an alternative to apple airdrop.
- eloisius 2y agoKDE Connect is incredible for iPhone + Linux workstation. It’s about as close as you can get to Apple’s interop. I wish they’d make a few UX improvements like putting a button in the app to open Files at the directory for incoming files, but otherwise I use it daily to transfer files and clipboard integration.
- spartanatreyu 2y agoLooks like that repo is no longer maintained and a fork has sprung up: https://github.com/sannidhyaroy/Soduto https://github.com/sannidhyaroy/Soduto
- fuzzythinker 2y agoSoduto just stopped working one day (retried unpair/pair multiple times) so I'm just using KDE connect on Mac too.
- iqandjoke 2y agohttps://localsend.org/ https://localsend.org/
- davesmylie 2y agoBeeper is quite useful here with a pinned message to yourself - can quickly send urls/text and have that show up on all devices. Obviously also handles google chat/facebook/sms/discord messages etc in the same system. For photos and other large files - dropbox, though the current price means I'll probably be dropping this next renewal.
- rcMgD2BwE72F 2y agoSyncthing. 200%
- bhub 2y agoFor Dropbox like stuff I use Nextcloud. Means I can select which files I want to download on my phone. For individual transfers of files a la airdrop I use Tailscale’s Taildrop
- RandomGuy45678 2y agoHi, my best solution is Syncthing. It all happens in the bacground. You define which folders to sync and additionally you can sync with as many devices you wish (e.g. a backup in your own server). https://syncthing.net/ https://syncthing.net/ Good luck!
- bestouff 2y agoI'm on LineageOS and use the included backup with Nextcloud. Relatively painless to configure, works quite well. I also use Nextcloud for photos/videos sync, so in theory I can loose/break my phone and restore everything back on a new one.
- conradfr 2y agoFor a file or two I use "Wifi file explorer" that creates a temporary http server to browse from my computer.
- renegat0x0 2y agoTo send files I use smb with file manager. To send files over the internet I use nextcloud.
- aborsy 2y agoSynology NAS, and Tailscale tail drop.
- Kunsang 2y agoI am using OpenMTP for fast file transfers and file management https://openmtp.ganeshrvel.com/ https://openmtp.ganeshrvel.com/