File: trnpix/_viewable/2023 Sync App.jpg.note
2023's _<I>PC-Phone_ USB_ Sync_</I> app, running on an Android-13 _<A HREF="https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_Z_Fold_5">Fold5_</A>. This portable content backup/sync program runs on Android phones and _<A HREF="https://quixotely.com/PC-Phone%20USB%20Sync/+screenshots/Android/Tablet-Android13/_thumbspage/tx-landscape-main.jpg.html">tablets_</A>, as well as Windows, macOS, and Linux _<A HREF="https://quixotely.com/PC-Phone%20USB%20Sync/+screenshots/macOS/_thumbspage/20-main-picks.png.html">PCs_</A>. It can be used to both backup folders and sync them between a mix of devices. By using USB drives for propagating changes, it avoids the slowness and privacy issues inherent in clouds. This app is the culmination of a five-year content-processing odyssey on Android and a decade-long sync saga in general. It's largely the open-source _<A HREF="https://learning-python.com/mergeall.html">_<I>Mergeall_</I>_</A> system under the hood, with a new portable UI coded in _<A HREF="https://kivy.org/">Kivy_</A> to support the Android app. Products are built using _<A HREF="https://buildozer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/">Buildozer_</A> for Android and _<A HREF="https://pyinstaller.org/en/stable/">PyInstaller_</A> for PCs. On Android, it uses permissions available to standalone apps to regain access to USB drives and shared storage lost in Android 11. On all platforms, it's coded entirely in portable _<A HREF="https://learning-python.com/about-python.html">Python_</A>, and uses traditional POSIX file-path tools to process content—despite Android's self-defeating efforts to deprecate all such interoperable _<A HREF="https://learning-python.com/mergeall-android11-updates.html#asb4">things_</A>. The Android app was initially paid, partly to fund visibility on the payola that is Play, and partly because free generally implies ad farms or junk on that platform. The PC apps/executables are free, and there's a free trial Android app for test-drives. Visit the app's _<A HREF="https://quixotely.com/PC-Phone USB Sync">website_</A> for screenshots, videos, free downloads, and the full story, and keep your digital property safe from the many dark agendas out there. _<HR> _<I>2024 update_</I>: this app was eventually made free on Android, too, per the "Why Free?" button in the news post on _<A HREF="https://quixotely.com/PC-Phone%20USB%20Sync/News.html#1.3.0">quixotely.com_</A>. Please enjoy the app on all your devices, and help spread the word that storing personal digital property on clouds is inherently perilous and needlessly slow.