Syncthing Android App Discontinued

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Google’s decision to strictly enforce scoped storage and deny broad filesystem access has led the maintainer of the official Syncthing Android app to discontinue it, citing vague Play Store requirements and lack of time to rewrite around Google’s Storage Access Framework. Commenters weigh the trade-off between stronger security controls and user freedom to grant full device access, arguing that constant platform churn is driving away small and open‑source developers. Many plan to migrate to the actively maintained Syncthing-Fork on F-Droid or other tools, while lamenting how modern mobile platforms are becoming increasingly locked down and hostile to “power user” use cases like full-device backup and seamless cross‑device sync.

App discontinuation & scope

  • The Android Syncthing app is being discontinued; final release planned around December 2024.
  • Main reason: maintaining Play Store compliance (permissions, API levels, verification) became too time‑consuming and demotivating for the maintainer.
  • Discontinuation covers both Play Store and F-Droid builds; no further development is planned.

Google Play policies & filesystem access

  • Central technical conflict: Syncthing Android relies on MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (full filesystem access).
  • Google now expects most apps to use scoped storage and the Storage Access Framework (SAF) instead.
  • Maintainer reports vague, shifting demands from Google and failed attempts to justify full-access permissions.
  • Some argue Syncthing is exactly the kind of app that needs full filesystem access; others say it should only access user-selected folders and can be implemented via SAF.
  • Multiple commenters criticize SAF as slow, buggy, Java‑only, and poorly suited to high-volume sync; others say many apps use it successfully and security justifies the pain.

User impact & reactions

  • Many use Syncthing Android for syncing Obsidian notes, KeePass databases, photos, documents, and backups.
  • Reactions range from disappointment and anger at Google to acceptance that the maintainer is burned out.
  • Some see this as another step in Android becoming as locked down as iOS; others argue tighter security was overdue.

Alternatives & forks

  • An actively maintained fork (“Syncthing-Fork”) exists on F-Droid; several users report good, even better, experience (battery, granularity).
  • Concerns remain that OS-level restrictions (not just Play Store) may eventually break non‑SAF approaches.
  • Other suggested options: FolderSync (with SFTP/SMB/cloud), rsync/rclone via Termux, proprietary sync tools, and iOS clients like Möbius Sync or Synctrain.

Broader platform & developer concerns

  • Extensive discussion of Android’s increasing API churn, tightening policies, and bureaucratic Play Store requirements.
  • Many note this disproportionately harms hobbyists and small developers and pushes apps toward F-Droid or abandonment.
  • Debate over whether this is primarily about user security/privacy, platform control, or market consolidation is unresolved.