Dropbox Smart Sync style functionality for iCloud?

[SaucyWeeTart]

Hey guys,

Just wondering, anyone heard anything through the grapevine about anything Apple are thinking of doing along the lines of Dropbox's Smart Sync? After a week of moving almost my entire workflow over to the Apple universe (iCloud, Safari, maps, contacts etc) the one place I’m still finding a big gap is cloud functionality. Because I’ve not got a lot of local storage space, my current setup is to store everything in Dropbox and then use oDrive to sync everything up/down.

I’m literally ready to give our overlords all my income every month for the same functionality. What are your thoughts on the subject?

Cheers!

 

[riverfreak]

iCloud is too smart for you. It picks and chooses what files it thinks you need the most and stores them locally for you. Very rarely are these the actual files you need. And if you need things to sync quickly between devices or want some indication of syncing progress?

If you want Dropbox selective sync so you can pick and choose which files you want to sync, and maybe you want to see a list of all your files without syncing them or using the preferences, or use private key encryption in oDrive, I have two suggestions: use Dropbox and oDrive.

 

[SaucyWeeTart]

Um, my sarcasm indicator seems to be misfiring. That true what you said about iCloud picking files on your behalf? Or are you winding me up?

 

[Rigby]

Um, my sarcasm indicator seems to be misfiring. That true what you said about iCloud picking files on your behalf? Or are you winding me up?

There is such a feature in Sierra, but it's optional (see "Optimize Mac Storage" in the settings under iCloud Drive/Options). iCloud Drive still doesn't support selective sync where the user can choose what to sync.

 

[SaucyWeeTart]

There is such a feature in Sierra, but it's optional (see "Optimize Mac Storage" in the settings under iCloud Drive/Options). iCloud Drive still doesn't support selective sync where the user can choose what to sync.

Oh, I know of that. A selective sync type functionality seems to me to be a no-brainer for Apple because they already have complete access to their own operating system and could surely implement it at the finder level.

 

[riverfreak]

Oh, I know of that. A selective sync type functionality seems to me to be a no-brainer for Apple because they already have complete access to their own operating system and could surely implement it at the finder level.

No wind up at all. Just some observations from someone who has wasted too much time on a variety of half-baked cloud collaboratory spaces.

The operative word in your response is that Apple "could" implement a selective sync type function at the Finder level. The reality is that they haven't.

Case in point - the collaboration tools of iWork. You can share things with people. But they can only use iCloud.com to edit. Not the desktop apps. Why?

Don't get me started on the hilarious "feature" of keeping your iWork documents in the cloud "until you need them". Come on. That's ridiculous. Dropbox to google to box have figured out how to maintain current locally hosted docs.

 

[SaucyWeeTart]

No wind up at all. Just some observations from someone who has wasted too much time on a variety of half-baked cloud collaboratory spaces.

The operative word in your response is that Apple "could" implement a selective sync type function at the Finder level. The reality is that they haven't.

Case in point - the collaboration tools of iWork. You can share things with people. But they can only use iCloud.com to edit. Not the desktop apps. Why?

Don't get me started on the hilarious "feature" of keeping your iWork documents in the cloud "until you need them". Come on. That's ridiculous. Dropbox to google to box have figured out how to maintain current locally hosted docs.

Yea, the current iCloud baffles me. Maybe if Smart Sync really takes off for Dropbox (after they offer it to pro users and not just their ridiculous biz plans) then it might spur Apple into taking action.

If anyone from Apple are listening, let me do you a favour - buy oDrive.

 

[riverfreak]

Yea, the current iCloud baffles me. Maybe if Smart Sync really takes off for Dropbox (after they offer it to pro users and not just their ridiculous biz plans) then it might spur Apple into taking action.

If anyone from Apple are listening, let me do you a favour - buy oDrive.

One hundred Likes. I purchased oDrive just for the zero knowledge encryption. That's the only way that any cloud storage service should be implemented.

 

[Rigby]

If you just want end-to-end encryption, try Cryptomator. Free and open source.

 

[Wmrobertdavis]

Oh, I know of that. A selective sync type functionality seems to me to be a no-brainer for Apple because they already have complete access to their own operating system and could surely implement it at the finder level.

This thread seems to confuse selective sync and smart sync functionality. They are hugely different functions. Smart sync is only available with Drop box pro or Drop box business accounts.

I have not found a smart sync like functionality in any other cloud services and certainly not icloud.

 

[SaucyWeeTart]

This thread seems to confuse selective sync and smart sync functionality. They are hugely different functions. Smart sync is only available with Drop box pro or Drop box business accounts.

I have not found a smart sync like functionality in any other cloud services and certainly not icloud.

Yep, I mistyped. I meant smart sync.

And I've heard of a couple of other services have this very thing. Does Google not supply it with G-Suite? And MS with OneDrive? Could be wrong but that's what I gather.

 

[Wmrobertdavis]

Yep, I mistyped. I meant smart sync.

And I've heard of a couple of other services have this very thing. Does Google not supply it with G-Suite? And MS with OneDrive? Could be wrong but that's what I gather.

Microsoft Onedrive had it at one time, then pulled it. I do not know current state. I have not checked out Google. Dropbox has been the most stable, most efficient cloud service I have used, but Icloud may be there someday. I would gladly pay more money to dropbox if smart sync is rock solid. The chatter in community implies it is not there yet.

 

[SaucyWeeTart]

Microsoft Onedrive had it at one time, then pulled it. I do not know current state. I have not checked out Google. Dropbox has been the most stable, most efficient cloud service I have used, but Icloud may be there someday. I would gladly pay more money to dropbox if smart sync is rock solid. The chatter in community implies it is not there yet.

What I'm seeing is a lot people are pretty narked off at the fact that they've been waiting for DB to implement Smart Sync into the 'Pro' plans for ages (me included) but instead, what they get is for DB to lower 'Pro' users to a 'Plus' account and then proceed to make the 'Pro' package a good bit more expensive (which includes Smart Sync).

As a former 'Pro' dropbox user, it feels very cheeky and I can't wait to give my money to a competitor. Get a shifty on, Apple.