Classic app review: Dropsync for Android
Some apps have been awesome for so long that all the articles about them are hidden deep in the archive, making them next to impossible to find “accidentally.” That’s not how it should be, as everyone should be aware of apps that have been helpful for months, or even years. To try to rectify this situation I’m starting a series of app reviews of apps that have been showcased before, perhaps even reviewed before, but deserves a new proper mention. First up is Dropsync.
Dropsync has been on my devices since March, and has become a vital part of my daily Android experience. What the app does is allow you to sync folders on your Android device with folders in your Dropbox account, and by that I mean true syncing. Not one way, not photos only. Anything you want. I’ve used it to sync save files for games, music, Audible playback position, lost device files, app settings and backups, and a whole bunch of other things.
Setting up the app is quite easy. Once signed in with Dropbox, you simple add folder pairs that get synced – a folder locally tied to a folder in the cloud. You can now choose several different sync methods, giving you full control over how files sync. You can active instant upload of new or updates files in monitored folders, sync manually, or automatically on a schedule. You can also set up a variety of rules that decide what Dropsync will do in certain situations, like when the device is low on power or when it’s not on WiFi. You can also exclude certain files or folders, or limit by file size – an invaluable option to prevent large video files from clogging the system.
Dropsync works very well in practice. I’ve been plagued by a bug on my particular device, one that the developer is now looking into. Even with that bug, which seems to only affect very few people, I would say the app works great for me. I use it for a lot of things that rely on the instant upload feature to kick in and sync files as soon as possible, and boy does it do that. Seconds after a file is saved, Dropsync has it synced to the cloud. It’s such an easy and reliable system that the absence of it on the iPad makes me hate the thing for being “stupid.”
Dropsync is one of those apps that make Android worth the fragmentation and other issues for me. It’s a whole other level of security when you know that all your most valuable files are instantly backup up somewhere safe.
Dropsync is available as a free version and a $5 paid PRO unlock key. The free version is limited in certain ways, like file size and amount of folders you can sync.
Download: Google Play
