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Ask HN: Those who use an Android and macOS, how do you manage sync?

22 points by coldtrait ↗ HN
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.

39 comments

[ 4.1 ms ] story [ 80.6 ms ] thread
jeffrallen
1Password and Google Photos and Google Drive.

(i.e. piecemeal and badly)

coldtrait
I loved 1Password but can't justify paying for it at the moment. Bitwarden does the job decently for now.
wraptile
KDE connect is trully magical and works on every operating system and has been a core program on every device in our household.
outofpaper
https://snapdrop.net/ is a great solution that unlike KDE doesn't require installation. Along with https://webwormhole.io/ they are my go to for transferring assets between systems.

Both use WebRTC.

spoiler
To be fair, KDEConnect offer way more than a file drop functionality!
rcarmo
Yep, but snapdrop is universally useful. I have a private instance for my kids to toss files across their phones and laptops (or to me for printing).
__rito__
Many ways to do this.

- Mega Sync - Syncthing - Plain old email to share small stuff

navigate8310
While I don't have a Mac but I found LocalSend invaluable, which allows me send and receive files without internet on ad-hoc basis.
livueta
Syncthing 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
I just use syncthing for all of these. Why do you use smb?
livueta
Because 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
I 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
Syncthing?
sdoering
This. Two Windows machines, Android and iOS (via paid Moebius Sync)
nutrie
Moebius 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
In 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
For 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
Have 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/

seltzered_
KDE connect (android, macos, linux, etc.) + Soduto (a kde connect client for macos - https://github.com/soduto/Soduto ) is decent for basic file-sharing as an alternative to apple airdrop.
eloisius
KDE 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.
fuzzythinker
Soduto just stopped working one day (retried unpair/pair multiple times) so I'm just using KDE connect on Mac too.
davesmylie
Beeper 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.

bhub
For 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
Hi, 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/

Good luck!

bestouff
I'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
For a file or two I use "Wifi file explorer" that creates a temporary http server to browse from my computer.
renegat0x0
To send files I use smb with file manager.

To send files over the internet I use nextcloud.

aborsy
Synology NAS, and Tailscale tail drop.