We all are well aware of the Dropbox, and if you are a Dropbox user, I am sure you are already using the Desktop Client and probably the Dropbox app for your respective Smartphone as well. Using the Desktop Client for Dropbox makes it damn convenient for the user to share the files using the Dropbox service.
The Problem –
However using a Android app isn’t that convenient, and the reason is – the mobile phone app for Dropbox isn’t a full featured client, the files or the folders don’t get downloaded to the phone automatically, you access them online, and if you wish to, only then you download the file. Same is the case with uploading; you need to manually start the uploading process in order to get a particular file in the specified folder. Summarily, the Android Dropbox app doesn’t allow automatic uploading or downloading, or we can say that the auto sync feature is missing from the Dropbox Android app, unlike the Dropbox desktop client, where you drop the file and forget it; it will be synced to every instance of the folder across different machines/devices.
The reason behind the Problem –
Probably this missing functionality in the mobile apps is for two reasons –
- Save the limited space on your Smartphone which generally is in range of 2-8Gbs.
- And to save on the data usage.
Solution –
Keeping the limitations and the reasons behind the limitations, it is clear that the mobile phone apps probably can’t be designed to behave exactly like the desktop client for Dropbox, however if an arrangement can be made, where we can keep just one Dropbox folder in true two way sync with a folder on the SD card of the mobile phone, this can be a great help, isn’t it. Let’s see how this can help. Suppose you have multiple folders within your Dropbox, now if you create a new folder such that it can be used as a bin, i.e. a new folder which is actually in two way auto sync with a folder on your SD card, this can help, as whatever you put in that folder on SD card will appear in this Dropbox folder, and later you can move the files to the respective Dropbox folder, or any other folder on your hard disk. Sounds great, isn’t it? This can be achieved with the help of this Android app known as Dropsync.
Video Demo
Working of Dropsync –
Now, let us have a look at the working of this app. Download the app to your Android device. Launch Dropsync from your list of applications, it will ask you to link it with your Dropbox account, provide the email (which works as username) and password, and move ahead.
In case you already have Dropbox App installed on your computer, it will detect and use the same account unless otherwise you want to sync some other account of yours. This means you can have two dropbox account getting synced over the same android phone.
Once you are done with the linking process, Dropsync will take you to a screen which asks you to select a folder on your SD card, also if you want you can create new dedicated folder for Dropsync. Shown in the snapshot below, 1 shows the screen which asks to select a folder on SD card whereas 2 shows the selected folder ‘Dropsync-Test’, which I created especially to test the Dropsync.
As soon as you tap on the ‘Select’ button, Dropsync will access your Dropbox and will show you the folders in your Dropbox, here you will have to select the Dropbox folder which you want to sync with the one selected on your SD card (for me it’s ‘Dropsync-Test’).
As soon as you select the Dropbox folder it will show you a summary kind of stuff [screen 2], a screen which will show you the folders which will be synced, and later the you will be shown a screen which will show you the status [screen 3].
This was all about the app, the actual use of the app, and the setup process. Now, Dropsync also allows you to customize the working as per your needs, just launch the Dropsync anytime and tap the menu button to access the settings page, have a look at the snapshot below.
Above snapshot clearly indicates that the working can be fully customized, you can decide when to sync, also you can save on your Data usage by setting up a sync take place only when Wi-Fi is available, also you can impose a restriction, like if you battery is remaining below certain level the sync process may not occur.
Discussed here is the free version of Dropsync, and this allows syncing just one set of folders, whereas if you want more than one set of folders to be synced, you can go for the pro version of Dropsync. Overall this is an awesome app, if you are a avid Dropbox user and own an Android device, go ahead and get this app now.
Try out Dropsync and share your views about it with us. Download Dropsync
