From f735a7f95c4123dbe4b1f787ac9e7c407d8f5c82 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bob Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:12:15 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] docs(syncing): describe current Android sync state Replace the stale 'not available yet' note with an accurate description: push works but is scoped-storage-trapped, pull is a no-op, and automatic sync is now off by default (ActivityWatch/aw-android#184). Links to activitywatch#1357 which tracks the follow-up setup flow. --- src/syncing.rst | 22 +++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/src/syncing.rst b/src/syncing.rst index b33a2b6..80cf329 100644 --- a/src/syncing.rst +++ b/src/syncing.rst @@ -7,7 +7,27 @@ Syncing ActivityWatch has basic support for syncing your data across multiple devices using the ``aw-sync`` module since ``v0.13.0``. It works by creating a "staging" database file in a device-specific folder in the sync directory (default is ``~/ActivityWatchSync``), which is then synced to the other devices using a file syncing tool of your choice (like Syncthing, rsync, Dropbox, or Google Drive). So ``aw-sync`` does not itself send data over the network, but instead relies on you using a file syncing tool to do that. -Note that syncing is not available on Android, yet. +Android +------- + +Sync on Android is more limited than on desktop, and is currently **disabled +by default** with no user-facing way to turn it on. + +The Android app can push its own events into a sync directory (scoped to the +app's private storage: ``Android/data/net.activitywatch.android/files/sync/``), +but since Android 11 that directory is not accessible to other apps — so a +file syncing tool like Syncthing cannot read from or write into it. In +practice this means the app can produce its side of the sync data, but there +is currently no supported way to get that data off the phone (pull from other +devices) or onto it. Automatic background sync used to run unconditionally +every 15 minutes regardless of whether it could do anything useful; it is now +gated behind a preference that defaults to off, so it no longer runs on fresh +installs. + +A proper setup flow — a settings toggle plus a way to pick a sync directory +that's actually accessible to a file syncing tool (e.g. via Android's Storage +Access Framework) — is planned but not yet built. Track progress in +`activitywatch#1357 `_. How to set up syncing --------------------- From 421cef5485eb72f85fb8e5b08547ed82db78def3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bob Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:59:10 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 2/2] fix(syncing): correct push/pull direction in Android sync docs MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit 'get that data off the phone (pull from other devices)' reversed the direction — getting data off the phone is a push, not a pull. Greptile caught this in PR #175 review. --- src/syncing.rst | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/src/syncing.rst b/src/syncing.rst index 80cf329..91cc541 100644 --- a/src/syncing.rst +++ b/src/syncing.rst @@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ app's private storage: ``Android/data/net.activitywatch.android/files/sync/``), but since Android 11 that directory is not accessible to other apps — so a file syncing tool like Syncthing cannot read from or write into it. In practice this means the app can produce its side of the sync data, but there -is currently no supported way to get that data off the phone (pull from other -devices) or onto it. Automatic background sync used to run unconditionally +is currently no supported way to push that data to other devices or to pull +other devices' data onto the phone. Automatic background sync used to run unconditionally every 15 minutes regardless of whether it could do anything useful; it is now gated behind a preference that defaults to off, so it no longer runs on fresh installs.