Feature idea – Optional “What’s New” notification on sync (Android use case)

Hi ! First, thanks for the amazing work on Syncthing — it’s an incredibly reliable tool that I use daily in a professional forestry context.

I’d like to suggest a feature that could be useful in certain field workflows, especially on Android devices.

Context / Use case I use Syncthing to send files (maps, instructions, updates) to technicians working. These users don’t always actively monitor file changes — they just open their device and expect the latest information to be there.

Proposed feature An optional “What’s New” pop-up or notification that appears when the app starts (or after sync), showing:

  • Newly added files

  • Modified files

Additionally, it could be interesting if the sending user had the option to attach a short message (e.g., “New harvest zone added – priority update”).

Why this could help

  • Improves awareness of updates without requiring users to browse folders

  • Reduces communication gaps in field operations

  • Keeps Syncthing as the delivery mechanism, without needing parallel tools (email, messaging, etc.)

Important considerations

  • This should definitely be optional and disabled by default

  • Messages (if implemented) should remain simple (plain text, limited length)

  • Security and trust between peers should be preserved

Curious to hear your thoughts — and whether something like this could fit within the project’s philosophy.

Thanks again!

3 Likes

I just select the “Recent Changes” button when I’m curious as to what has been changed. Why isn’t that good enough?

2 Likes

I cannot imagine wanting to alert somebody more than once or twice a day, and the bare file name alone would be useless. “New harvest zone added”? If you have to type in a custom message, type it into a messaging app. Don’t turn Syncthing into a messaging app, there are already a zillion of those.