Comment on Where did the dust settle on Syncthing Fork?
IanTwenty@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
F-droid themselves gave an update in April:
https://f-droid.org/en/2026/04/03/twif.html
If you’ve been holding off updating Syncthing-Fork we have two pieces of news for you. First, the original dev continues to collaborate still, we know this was a pain point back then. Second, we’ve just added BasicSync, A simple app for running Syncthing, which just controls Syncthing’s running behaviour as hands off as possible, while the original service hums in the background.
So it seems since the handover things have settled but there is also a new fork which takes a more bare-bones approach.
Looks like I’ll have to setup BasicSync. I still don’t trust Syncthing-Fork. The way things went down don’t give me any confidence it could happen again but worse e.g the dev introduces something like a “fuck zionists” patch that wipes everything if you’re on an isralean IP. Then I’d be putting myself in danger for using a VPN or TOR exit node in Israel. Not taking that risk.
Thanks for the writeup.
Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago Source for that?
I don’t like that a software with access to my files has logic for this behavior.
I use syncthing as a backup-tool so it would be, let’s say bad if it should happen.
That commenter was using an example of something very bad that could happen if the fork got handed off to someone else again but worse, not something that actually happened
Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago Whoops. Thanks for pointing it out. Read it as a fact not as an example.
perishthethought@piefed.social 2 weeks ago Man, the BasicSync app has a long list of permissions…
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.chiller3.basicsync/
Why does it need to know my Location?
Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago Location is such a weird permission…
For example the permission is also needed to find local devices via bluetooth (eyeroll)…
And even then, local device finding is a sub-permission of location…
timochka@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago I think that’s more about telling users though that if they let an apl find local devices, that can be used to deduce your location.
I’m using BasicSync since a few weeks, the location permission is completely optional. This is what the app says:
Location permissions are optional and are only needed when restricting allowed Wi-Fi networks. Even if the permissions are granted, they will not be used unless there are allowed Wi-Fi networks configured.
Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago What a bs permission to have been invented.
It should be it’s own special network permission or something but what the hell does that have to do with the general meaning of “location”?.
Just allow the app to see what SSID I am connected to if I want to allow that
Sry for having to endure my rant
Yeah, like other people covered, it’s unfortunate but also very important. It’s easy to tie “visible wifi networks” to “surprisingly precise location on globe” in many places, so the permission is named for the worst case scenario. Yes, the app might just be looking for a wifi, but it also could use that same information to locate you, so it’s the location permission. Sensible.
If they wanted to support just this one feature without requiring a location permission, they could maybe have an API that is “are you currently connected to this opaque token” API where the app can ask “am I connected” and is just told “yes” or “no”. That’s probably safe enough. And then I could register the app with my wifi without the app even knowing what my Wifi is, it just gets a unique but random string.
The same is true of bluetooth. If I can list nearby bluetooth, I can see that speaker and this TV and guess location. But there could be an API that hides that, there just isn’t currently
It’s actually a bit informative. I believe Android approximates location using the SSID/WiFi information, so it’s not just network that it’s used for.
At least it’s open source so anyone can look at the code and figure out why it asks for the permissions.
github.com/chenxiaolong/BasicSync#permissions
ACCESS_WIFI_STATE, ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION, ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_LOCATION
Optionally used for stopping Syncthing unless connected to specific Wi-Fi networks.
And location isn’t a permission granted by default on install (unlike Internet access), the user has to approve of it explicitly.
To know if you are on your home network and use direct lan etc, rather than finding a sync relay in the cloud…something like that.
This is amazing. So what you’re saying is that the answer is that there are now three separate syncthing apps, which are all similarly functional and in collaboration with each other?
sbeak@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago Two built for Android, Syncthing-fork and BasicSync, and the latter is meant to be less featured and simpler (or basic! Wow, it’s in the name!)
And the third is the desktop service for Linux, Windows, etc. Technically, you can install the Linux one with Termux or similar on Android, but it’s a little jankey. It is possible though, as somebody else has already mentioned!
There’s also Syncthing Tray’s experimental android interface. You either need to install from apk, or use something like obtanium, but it may be less flaky than Termux.
So… what is the proper way to get syncthing running on Android?
sbeak@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago I personally use Syncthing-Fork. It works well enough for me, but I know a lot of people run it through Termux. Haven’t tried it myself though, so unsure what the limitations are. BasicSync is also new to me. There isn’t a “proper” way, it just depends on your use case I think!
3?
I was thinking there was a syncthing in addition to syncthing-fork
I see. Yeah, that was discontinued. The maintainers didn’t have time for it.
This should be top comment
WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I don’t think that means much. didn’t the new maintainer say they were given access to the original maintainers account?