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Can we sync files between iPhone and mac, or iPhone and windows over wifi? As in not just transfer files but automatically keep a folder in iPhone and mac/windows up to date. The folder may include documents and non-standard file types. And can we sync an iPhone app folder to a folder in mac/windows?
iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 15
Thank you judysings and lawrence finch for your valuable time.
As it stands, there’s no way to do this on ios and apple’s use of the term “sync” is misleading unless you are using iCloud. I hope apple adds this ability using iTunes/Finder or allow 3rd party services access over files.
Thank you judysings and lawrence finch for your valuable time.
As it stands, there’s no way to do this on ios and apple’s use of the term “sync” is misleading unless you are using iCloud. I hope apple adds this ability using iTunes/Finder or allow 3rd party services access over files.
Thanks for reaching out, singhsimranjeet.
It looks like you're looking for a way to share files between devices. We can definitely help.
You can learn more about a feature called iCloud Drive for steps to share files between all your connected devices. Use this guide to Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive.
Hope that helps!
Take care.
Then Oxford is wrong, or you are misinterpreting it. Oxford doesn’t say “in real time”. In the computer industry sync has never had an “in real time” requirement for syncing; indeed, the idea of real time sync is relatively new. Traditionally it meant to make data identical in the process of overnight batch processing, once a day.
But semantics aside, the only way to have near real time sync iscusing some cloud service, such as iCloud, Dropbox, box.com, Google One, Microsoft OneDrive, etc. I use all of those for different scenarios.
So is there a way to make the data identical on-demand, that doesn’t involve copying the entire directory again?
I used to use syncthing on android, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to do this with iPhone even with finder on mac or itunes on windows due to limitations set on ios except for iCloud. And I need one reason why iCloud is better.
singhsimranjeet wrote:
And I need one reason why iCloud is better.
That’s easy. It’s real time anywhere you are in the world, whether you have your computer with you or not, and accessible anywhere in the world at icloud.com, whether you have your computer or not. And it syncs to all of your Apple devices and those of people you want to share with, and Windows computers with iCloud for Windows.
For example, take a never-to-be-forgotten photo series, then later accidentally drop your phone into a river. Your photos will still be preserved in iCloud, even though your phone is gone.
Can I do the same locally over wifi?
You can sync locally over Wi-Fi, but it is not real time. It is the same as syncing with a cable, but without the cable.
That’s just transferring data.
Oxford defines synchronization as “the action of causing a set of data or files to remain identical in more than one location.”
Sync iPhone over wifi
