Hi, I have 2 mobile devices that are running syncthing 1.27.3.
One of them is not synching anymore.
I guess it’s time to install syncthing-fork or BasicSync
I’m afraid to mess things up.
Probably the most safe thing to do is to
remove all the folders configuration from the app and from syncthing on my laptop and remove the device association as well.
Uninstall the old app and install syncthing-fork or BasicSync
Associate the devices and reconfigure the folders synching on a new folder path (empty folder on my laptop).
What do you think about it?
Does the .stdfolder get removed then I remove the folder from syncthing or shall I check that as well?
Starting from scratch is surely the safest way, but migrating to the newer apps should also be possible.
If you remove the folders from Syncthing’s configuration in the current app, yes, the .stfolder marker will be removed. Not so if you simply uninstall the app.
You don’t need to remove the folders from your laptop though. Just unshare them, so the Android devices no longer sync. Then share again from the laptop to the new app installation, keeping the same folder ID, after you’ve connected the devices.
You don’t need to remove the folders from your laptop though…
I could use this approach on the sync related to the mobile that works.
I mean, the laptop and my mobile have the same files.
I expect syncthing will scan the folder on the new app, compare the hashes and avoid file transfer.
On my girlfriend mobile the app stopped syncing 1 year ago (September 2025).
In this case I have 2 different file sets that I don’t trust to merge.
She might have deleted old photos that are still on the pc and those will be re-uploaded on the the mobile.
I’d suggest setting the folder on the laptop to Send Only temporarily, and then once the sync on Android has completed and everything looks fine, change it back to Send & Receive (and if not, use the “Override Changes” button to make the Android side identical to the laptop side). This will prevent any unwanted changes from getting from the mobile to the laptop.
I think the problematic direction is the other way. There may be old files on the computer that should not be synced to the mobile again. In that case, if the authoritative source is the mobile, set that side to send-only type (under advanced folder options) before sharing between the two.
Just to clear another detail: if I remove the old app and install the new one on the mobile (without any other action), will I lose all my folders (and other) settings?
Yes. If you want to keep the device ID and folder configuration (so the new instance looks just like the old one from other peers’ perspective), then you need to use the export / import configuration feature of the apps.