this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2024
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Reason is a combination of Google making Play publishing something between hard and impossible and no active maintenance. The app saw no significant development for a long time and without Play releases I do no longer see enough benefit and/or have enough motivation to keep up the ongoing maintenance an app requires even without doing much, if any, changes.

Sad to see it go. There is a fork but seems not so great considering they are looking for active maintainer. Still better than nothing. Need to check it out as it has some enhancements.

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

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[–] [email protected] 75 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I've been using the fdroid syncthing-fork version for a long time now and haven't had any issues at all... Doesn't mean it'll last forever but it's been getting the job done for me even in its current state.

... And can't remember my original reason to use the fork instead lol

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yes, the core version was unusable because of the battery drain

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

THAT'S WHATS DRAINING MY BATTERY! I've been trying to figure it out, I knew it was draining quicker because of that but never really our two and two together

[–] anzo 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Android shows which apps consume the most energy since the last charge.

It's great, I've used it a lot.

Specially with relatives. It also lists 'Display', and shows how much your screen use was draining that new phone. I had to explain this to a friend recently, with their new phone. They thought it might be defective. It wasn't.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Oh wow, Nextcloud is really using my battery quite a lot in the background.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

There is a bug in 3.30.1 making it sync everything, in a loop. Keep an eye on your data usage! https://github.com/nextcloud/android/issues/13738

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Holy shit. Thanks for the heads up!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Where's the tailscale fork? Thats my current battery sink

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I was not even aware of this fork let alone a long timeline of existence. I am adding this onto my weekend project list. Thanks for the recommendation.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

I switched to the fork as soon as I read this news. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes:

  • Just install it in parallel with the mainline app,
  • export your existing configuration to the default storage location,
  • import it in syncthing-fork (it'll detect the export file automatically),
  • and you're done. Uninstall the official app so they don't compete for the daemon and port.
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Sadly it's unusable on Android 15. All of the interactable functions are crammed up into the status bar and cannot be touched.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Wdym cannot be touched?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah I Have the same problem and wondered why no one switching to the fork mentions that :D But I guess android 15 is not very widespread jet.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Sounds like a bug and the dev hasn't caught up to the new version?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yes, there seems to be an open issue for this bug, but actually the developers response doesn't inflict confidence in the fork 😅 He seems to have updated the app to target Android 15 without testing in it in the emulator.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Welp my phone updated to 15 today...guess I can join the bugged syncthing-fork club.

Looks like it is fixed in the latest release, just have to wait until it gets pushes to fdroid.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

If you want to speed up that process you could install Obtainium. Did that and with the newest release the app is usable again 👍

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 weeks ago

You know, I have obtainium but often forget it exists.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Let's hope that it doesn't rely on the official release

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

OK, I switched to that one now, thanks for pointing it out and explaining it.

[–] [email protected] 55 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Syncing with my phone was my main use for syncthing. :(

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Aww, too bad

I see a comment inbox but can't see here. I'm pasting it here

I switched to the fork as soon as I read this news. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes:
Just install it in parallel with the mainline app,
export your existing configuration to the default storage location, import it in syncthing-fork (it'll detect the export file automatically),
and you're done. Uninstall the official app so they don't compete for the daemon and port.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

On f-droid the fork seems to be behind the original, but I expect I will if it continues updating.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

The fork is much better anyway.

It moves the sync options into each sync folder/job. Lots more flexible. Now my photos sync on any network and any charge state, while less important things (downloads, etc) only sync when on WiFi and charging.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Syncing with my phone ~~was~~ is my main use for syncthing. ~~:(~~ :)

We shall persevere! It doesn't seem like it's really needed any updates anyway...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Only updates it should need are for weird changes Google decides to make to Android.

Hell, at this point if someone forked the fork, and charged a small fee for the Relay Server hosting, I'd happily pay.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just as I start using it bruh

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

Daamn same here, literally just found it the other day and it's been working great

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Syncthing is such a wonderful project. RIP. But for us already being spoiled by syncthing, it might be a good time to self host services to handle, sync and serve our own data like photos, contacts and more.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 month ago

This is just about the android app version. The desktop version still works and continues to live.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

I've let my google developer account expire quite a while ago after they kept asking for more and more stupid stuff. Nowadays if you don't get paid a lot for it you must be either a masochist or a bit stupid if you upload to google play.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

Damn this is some rough news... as other commenters have said though can't blame the guy. I'll cross my fingers for some random "Sinkboi for Syncthing" or something dumb like that to pop up down the road.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I installed from fdroid, I expect it to be still available as far as it will work...

And I guess somebody will build and keep publishing it just not on google play, which is anyway a cesspool nowadays, so no big deal.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Apparently publishing malware and the likes is quite easy, but publishing well-established foss software isn't.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

one has micro transactions that googles gets to skim from and the other doesn't.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

the fork version works fine. if that dies, i'm hopeful some new fork will emerge. syncthing is well known and used by many, so i think as long as the original software is alive, there'll be a way to use it on your phone. heck, there's ways to run syncthing on a pocketbook e-reader, lol

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Anyone have any good readings or discussions on what Google Play policies are being cited here as the major obstacle? Just curious to learn more.

Edit: 20 testers policy? Sounds onerous.