Data synchronization. How to Sync the State of Any App Between Different Android Devices

Hello everyone. Many of us use bookmarks for various frequently visited sites. Thanks to them, we don’t have to remember the address of the resource or its name. We add a site to our bookmarks just once, and now we always have it at hand in our bookmarks bar. Read about how to add bookmarks in our article “”. But the most unexpected thing can happen in life: your hard drive burned out, or you got a virus and had to reinstall the system. This means that all your bookmarks will be lost.

To prevent this from happening earlier, it was necessary to save bookmarks and then restore them after reinstalling the system. Read more in the article "". Today, in modern browsers this is much easier and more convenient. All you need to do is log into your browser using your credentials. And all your bookmarks, extensions, passwords, history are automatically synchronized with your account. Which allows you to then log into the browser from any device, log in with your login and all your passwords and bookmarks will be in front of you again.

When you add a bookmark or save a new password for the site, your new data is also automatically synchronized with your account.

Let's look at examples of how to log into your account in modern browsers: Google Crome, Firefox, Yandex Browser.

How to enable synchronization in Google Chrome.

In order for all your bookmarks, passwords, history and other information to be synchronized with your account, you just need to have it. How to create your Google account.

Launch the Google Chrome browser, go to the main menu and select “ Settings"or enter into the address bar chrome://settings/

And at the very top we are asked to log into our account to synchronize our passwords, bookmarks, etc. Press the key " Sign in to Chrome»

Enter your email address from Google. Click " Next».

If everything is entered correctly, we will be notified that we have entered the Google Chrome browser. Click the button OK»

Now all our data from the browser will be automatically synchronized with your Google account. But if you don't need everything to sync, turn off unnecessary items. To do this, click the button " Additional synchronization settings»

By default, all elements are selected and inactive. In order to uncheck some items, select from the drop-down list " Select objects to synchronize" You can now disable synchronization of individual objects.

After this, you will always be sure that your bookmarks and passwords will be saved and accessible on any device (tablet, smartphone). To access your information on mobile devices, you just need to sign in to your Google Account.

How to enable synchronization in Firefox

The Firefox browser also makes it possible to synchronize our bookmarks, passwords, and history. To enable synchronization, go to the main menu of the browser and click " Login to sync»

We indicate your any email address, create a new password, save this data in your age. Click on the button " Create an account».

An email should be sent to the specified email to activate your new account. Go to your mailbox and open the email.

In the letter, click on the button “ Activate now" That's it, your new account has been successfully activated.

After this, all passwords and bookmarks will be saved in your account. And you can access your data on any device, no matter where you are: visiting friends or acquaintances.

How to enable synchronization in Yandex Browser

In order to enable synchronization in Yandex Browser, you need to have a Yandex account. How to create it.

We launch the browser and through the main menu call the item “ Synchronization»

After this, you can also change the objects to synchronize by clicking on the link "Edit settings" Or you can change it later in the main browser settings.

In addition, you can connect . It's whatever suits you.

This is how we quickly and easily secured our passwords and bookmarks for unpleasant occasions.

Let me finish today. If you have any questions, write in the comments. See you again on the pages of our website for novice Internet users.

No matter what happens, I will not let my joy dry up. Misfortune leads nowhere and destroys everything that exists. Why suffer if you can change everything? And if nothing can be changed, then how will suffering help?

With the advent of smartphones, such a function as synchronization appeared on phones. In particular, synchronization is one of the basic functions of any Android smartphone. Now we will talk about what synchronization is on an Android phone, why it is needed and how to set it up.

What does it mean to sync Android on your phone?

Synchronization is the exchange of data between a device and a server on the Internet. In this case, the data that appeared on the smartphone is downloaded to the server, and from the server to the smartphone, what appears on the server is downloaded. This eliminates the difference between the data on the device and on the server. All available data is combined and synchronized.

In this way, a variety of data is synchronized on an Android phone. The most obvious example is contact synchronization. If this feature is enabled, the contacts in your Google Account will automatically sync with the contacts on your phone. For example, when you add a new contact to your phone, it's automatically downloaded to Google Contacts, and when you add a contact to Google Contacts, it's automatically downloaded to your phone. If the phone has access to the Internet, then such synchronization occurs constantly.

Everything else is synchronized in a similar way. This is how the following are synchronized by default on an Android phone:

Logins, passwords, bookmarks and other data from the Google Chrome browser;

Mail from the Gmail service;

Information from the social network Google Plus;

Movies, music, books and applications from the Google Play service;

Game saves;

Photos from the Google Photos app;

Files, folders and documents in Google Disk;

Notes from the Google Keep application;

Data from applications Calendar, Contacts and others;

This is the data that is synchronized with Google services, but third-party applications can also synchronize data with their servers on the network. For example, if you install Viber, WhatsApp or another, then your contacts will be synchronized in these applications.

Why do you need to synchronize data on your phone?

You may have a completely logical question: why do you need to synchronize all this data, why upload it somewhere on the Internet? In fact, synchronizing data on your phone solves several problems that you have probably encountered.

Backup
Data synchronization provides you with a backup copy of your data, which is stored on a server on the Internet. This allows you to quickly restore everything if your phone breaks or is lost. This backup also allows you to quickly transfer all data if you purchase a new device.

Access from the Internet
In most cases, the data that has been synced can be accessed through the website. For example, if you synced your contacts list on Android, you can view it using your browser at contacts.google.com.

Working with multiple phones
If you use several Android phones, then synchronization will allow you to have the same data on all devices. For example, the same list of contacts, the same notes, recordings, reminders, etc.
How to set up synchronization on Android

The Android operating system has a lot of settings related to data synchronization. To access these settings, you need to open the Settings app and go to the Users & Accounts section.

At the next stage, information about the selected account will appear. Here you need to go to the “Account Synchronization” section.

As a result, you will see a list of all applications whose data is synchronized with Google services. Here you can enable or disable synchronization for each application separately.

You can also manually start the synchronization process.

To do this, click on the button with three dots in the upper right corner of the screen and activate the “Synchronize” option.

Synchronization is a fairly capacious concept and is used in a variety of fields, from computer science to physics. This phenomenon can occur to users of smartphones and computers; game lovers also encounter this concept.
In the age of universal informatization and computerization, it is impossible to do without special methods that make it possible to organize the endless flow of information. In addition, all modern electronic devices and programs for them are closely connected via the Internet, and therefore it is necessary to ensure their joint functionality. Moreover, synchronization as an informational phenomenon is of fundamental importance for manufacturers of applications and technical devices, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it greatly facilitates the work with user target information.
What is synchronization
Synchronization is a system of algorithms that ensure the parametric unity of different objects in time and space. Depending on the nature of the process, synchronization of data and processes is distinguished.
Each device provides for the presence of certain synchronization algorithms in relation to other devices. When contact occurs between the computer and smartphone, synchronization is established. This allows you to make changes on your computer that will also be reflected on your phone, and vice versa.
When using huge amounts of data every day, synchronization is used to avoid their deformation and protection from interference, which can be reflected in the form of incorrect parameters that impede the operation of the recipient device.
Why is it needed?
This system has many purposes, some of them are formed for security reasons, others serve to optimize the connection of servers, the rest are necessary to ensure the functionality of programs and applications, including many computer games. Data synchronization is a multifunctional process, however, from the point of view of the interaction of a computer, smartphone, servers and other identical devices via the Internet, this process arises from the following problems:
Protecting source data from interference.
Copying data.
Identification of users on the network.
Storing the results of ongoing processes.
Ensuring the compatibility of the software of one device in relation to another.
Routing (direction) of information arrays.

Phone synchronization
Many cellular users are smartphone owners. Typically, these types of phones contain many important components: application data, system data, and user information. To ensure full functionality, synchronization in the phone is required. The following example will help explain what this is.
A notes application was installed on phone "A" from account "X". During the operation of the phone, data was entered there, but one day the phone crashed, and the information storage device was irretrievably destroyed. The owner purchased a new phone “B”, on which he installed the same application using the same account “X”. All past notes remain in the application and can be used.
The basis of this good news for the user is synchronization - this manifested itself in the saving and copying of user data in the application, which was always synchronized with the cloud and securely stored. The same principle of operation applies to other devices - they all store the latest version of the file.
Computer synchronization
Despite the differences between a computer and a phone, the principles and purpose of synchronization are similar. The only differences lie in the volume of synchronized information and its quantity.
Timely updating, as well as data protection of files and applications, which is achieved by saving the latest versions of files on other devices connected to it, and synchronization with the computer. It goes without saying that this is very important: the user’s entire workspace is reliably protected from outside interference and loss of important information.
Synchronization in games
Computer games can be single-player or multi-player. Players in multiplayer games often ask questions about why synchronization is needed in the game, what it means and why it is necessary.
The first encounter with synchronization occurs because game developers are trying to protect their product from theft. This endeavor is based on synchronizing a licensed product via the Internet; it is essentially similar to entering a registration key, also included with the game. This way, the user verifies the authenticity of the product and guarantees its functionality, and the developer verifies that a licensed version of the game is being used.
The second and permanent contact occurs with the start of the game. All data about accumulated game values, mission progress, etc. are stored on the developer’s servers, so users can leave the game at any time, saving accumulated achievements. Also, to ensure the simultaneous presence of a large number of people on the game servers, the data of each player is synchronized and compiled through the game engine on a remote server.
Sync folders
In fact, this process is little different from the synchronization of applications and programs and is designed by its specifics for use in closed systems that involve the exchange of information.
Folder synchronization is the process of continuously or scheduledly saving copies of folders to a different location on a different storage device, for example, from one hard drive to another.
The purpose of executing these algorithms is to protect them from loss and distortion of the primary version during the transfer of this folder to another device storing information.
Methods
Synchronization is a significant condition for the normal functioning of information systems. To ensure the functioning of large systems containing some information, regardless of the device type and nature, 2 synchronization methods are used:
Unilateral. Consists of checking matches between two devices or servers and replacing the parameters of the synchronization object on the slave device. This is reflected in the phone and app example above: the server containing the app's information is a priority member of the network, so all updates will be recorded and saved to all devices running the same app.
Bilateral. The essence of this approach to synchronization is to access a base of criteria by which a priority device is allocated and the amount of information that must be updated on a slave device is determined. Sometimes the user is asked to choose which storage location to update the information from.

What are the consequences of lack of synchronization?
In many cases, the user is trusted to independently determine the synchronization parameters, including disabling it or limiting it. But what could be the consequences of such a decision?
For those who use smartphones, it is common to accumulate a large amount of contact data and personal information; the loss or damage of the device will greatly upset the owner, and in addition, all the collected information will be lost if synchronization is disabled on the phone. What does this mean? The need to restore all data manually, which is extremely inconvenient and not always possible.
Computer storage stores accumulate even more information, but synchronization can be disabled. Is it worth doing? Probably not: if the equipment fails, the results of the work will be lost forever.
Information technology manufacturers know that synchronization is a primary condition for the security of user data, so they are improving it every year.

Each of you can decide on the safety of this data in your own way. I suggest you take a look at how to secure these files using data synchronization.

My friend's laptop recently broke down. He hit it accidentally and it stopped turning on. It turned out that the hard drive had failed, and all the important information was on it. File backup he didn’t do it because he often forgot, sometimes he was lazy or it was simply difficult to keep track of all the documents. Then he had a lot of problems with information recovery. Now, knowing about synchronization, he is not afraid of anything.

Now you understand perfectly well that when it comes to storing data, relying only on your computer, disks and flash drives is very unreliable and unsafe. You can also take into account the human factor, when something is accidentally deleted, forgotten, lost...

If you have already started to have questions about the meanings of some words and phrases, you can always look at the section . I will be collecting answers to frequently asked questions there.

How to synchronize files and folders?

Synchronizing files and folders is actually easy. It all comes down to the fact that you need to register in one of these services, then download a special program to your computer. The program will create its own folder on your hard drive in which you need to place files for synchronization.

In this blog I have tried to cover the most popular file synchronization services. You can find them at these links:

Nowadays there is a stormy development of cloud services, which, in the fight for users, try to come up with unique features and offer favorable conditions for using their services. On average it is offered approx. 5 gigabyte free cloud disk space to synchronize files. This is not that much, but it will be enough for the most important files. Therefore, I recommend also taking a look at the article, where I tried to answer the question of which files are for you and which are unimportant. It will help you choose the right files for synchronization and backup.

The essence of synchronization

Data synchronization ensures the identity of the selected information on different devices that are connected to the synchronization service. If we take a text document for example, it will be the same on all your computers. If you add anything to this document, the file will be automatically updated on other computers. Synchronization occurs mainly via the Internet. To do this, you need to install special programs on all computers, tablets or smartphones that you use, for example. The program will create a folder called Dropbox in which you will store your documents. They will be uploaded to special storage on the Internet, after which you will have access to them from anywhere on the planet via a web browser, smartphone or tablet.

The distinctive feature of data synchronization is that you no need to keep track of file versions with whom you work. You will always have the latest version of your document. Any file synchronization service allows you to upload your documents, photos, music and other files to cloud storage and then access them through programs for computers, tablets, smartphones, or simply through a web browser. In order to start using file synchronization you need to register and download the free file synchronization program. You can read about how to do this in the article about . And don’t let the English interface scare you, you can use a wonderful plugin for Google Chrome to quickly translate unknown words.

What benefits does data synchronization provide for ordinary users:

Firstly— data protection from loss of important information. You are not afraid of computer failure, loss of a flash drive, or hard drive failure. Your documents, photos, presentations, spreadsheets and other files will always be accessible from anywhere there is an Internet connection.

Secondly- you can easily exchange files with other people simply by sending them a link via email, VKontakte, Facebook or in any way convenient for you.

Thirdly— synchronization of computers via the Internet. You can start doing something on your work computer and continue where you left off on your home computer. Synchronizing data on two or more computers has become much easier.

Fourth— you don’t have to carry a flash drive with you all the time, often forgetting to put something on it. It is enough to know the login and password for the data synchronization service and your files will always be available to you via the Internet.

I never tire of repeating that with the modern rhythm of life, synchronization will not be superfluous. Nowadays it is especially easy to lose all your documents, files, photos due to the fact that computers have become mobile, they are easier to break or lose. Quite often, important documents just lie on the Desktop. But this won't bother you until you lose something important. So, they will help you secure your important information. synchronization services

Sooner or later, every phone owner is faced with the problem of transferring data from one device to another. It can be any combination. This is most often relevant for copying data from a phone to a computer or tablet, but there are many other devices with which you can “pair” your device. Sometimes it turns out that you need to establish contact between two phones. Let's talk about this.

In order to transfer data from one device to another, synchronization is needed. The difference from standard protocols is the presence of an external server for data storage. It all depends greatly on what kind of phone you have and to which one you need to transfer the information. In this article we will look at how to synchronize phones on the Android and Apple platforms.

Synchronizing Android phone books

Let's look at this problem using the example of synchronizing the phone books of an old and new phone. In order to synchronize them on this platform, you will need to create an account with Google. Everything is very simple here, if you have a Gmail email, then you are already registered and can proceed to the next step. Registration in such services as:

YouTube;

blogger;

Documents;

Picasa.

If you have an account on the listed sites, just go to your mail. All of these resources were developed by Google, as was the Android platform itself, so they have well-developed synchronization schemes using accounts.

Next, let's work a little with the old phone. First of all, your phone book is information that is stored in memory in a certain form. In order to upload this data first to Gmail, and then to the new phone, you need to format the contacts so that the resource can accept them. CSV and VCard are two formats suitable for this situation.

You need to go into the phone book of your old device and select all the contacts there. Next you need to copy them to the memory card. During this process they will automatically change the format. After that, you can find them on the memory card by going to the “General” folder and then “Contacts”. The last step in this step is to import this information into your Gmail. You need to copy contacts one at a time.

Now that we have the phone book in our Google account, we need to transfer it to a new device on the Android platform. Moreover, using synchronization, you can set up automatic data transfer. For example, if you deleted or added a contact in the mail, the phone will receive this data and do the same.

Taking a new phone, we proceed like this:

Go to Settings.

We look for the Accounts item, click - a menu appears.

In the pop-up window, the question “Add an existing account or create a new one?” appears at the top, and answer options appear at the bottom. Select “Existing”.

Enter the Gmail details where your contacts are saved and log in.

Then we synchronize and get a ready-made phone book on the new phone.

Having completed all these steps, you can quickly retrieve the information you need on your new device, be it a phone, tablet or other device. This is very convenient in any situation and life-saving if you lose your device.

Android Snap Sync
Photo synchronization was mentioned in passing in a review on how to clear the memory of an Android phone. All photos from Google Photos can be uploaded, if there is a connection, to a network Google Drive, visible to everyone who has access to it (set by the account owner). To do this, you need to enter the Google Drive application on your phone, select the top left menu, enter the settings and set the Auto-add option.

The reverse process is supported by Google Photos. You need to go into the application, expand the menu in the upper left corner of the screen, select Startup and synchronization (support.google.com/photos/answer/6193313?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=ru). Please note that the instructions only work for older builds. In new versions of Google Photos there is no such item. The authors rolled back the updates for this application to factory settings (version 1.11.0.110496109), and then the option appeared.

More detailed options are set as follows:

Here you can configure roaming settings, give preference to free WiFi, and specify the size of photos. You can sync most documents through Google Drive. Opposite those of them that have not yet been uploaded to the server will be a crossed out cloud.

Peer-to-Peer synchronization

Many companies offer free and commercial versions of synchronizers. For example, Resilio offers a client for data transfer using Peer-to-Peer technology, widely used in torrent clients. A server is created with a dedicated hard drive, where synchronized subscribers upload information. You can download the application for your computer on the company's official website.

The mobile phone accesses the information by scanning a QR code, which must then be opened.

We used the BitTorrent Sync application from Google Play as a client. Although the software is quite young, it still managed to collect a lot of positive reviews.

It is possible to work with Google Drive. To transfer files, a request is sent to your account email, which you need to confirm by clicking on the link, or ignore.

Instead of paid synchronization

Google gives 15 GB of space for free, and you need to constantly ensure that there is free space. Instead, it is sometimes easier to transfer files over wireless protocols without the involvement of mobile networks.

BlueTooth
This interface did not take root in personal computers. Meanwhile, in automatic mode, it allows you to pair not only smartphones, but also regular phones without operating systems. This is the best and fastest way to convey a small amount of information. This allows you to upload beautiful photos and high-quality music to simple equipment. What is important for developers is that the interface specification is available for free download (bluetooth.com). This means that anyone who wants to (and knows how to program) can start writing applications for connecting devices right now. This is an important fact, because many standards (including ANSI) are sold at a very decent price, and it is not possible to find them in the public domain.

The name was chosen in honor of the ancient Viking king Harald Bluetooth. Known not only for his conquests and attempts to unite the lands, but also for the installation of runic stones to describe his territory, and the construction of fortresses. Just as stones without the king's inscriptions are rock, phones without BlueTooth software cannot communicate with each other properly. Harald I at one time managed to unite the kingdoms of Denmark and part of Norway. The developers from Stockholm, of course, read the ancient sagas and hoped that their interface could do what BlueTooth did for its subjects in the 10th century AD.

Like WiFi, the interface operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, and therefore expansion card modules are often combined. Both protocols can be used. This is very convenient, because both technologies are very popular, although, as is obvious, WiFi is gradually replacing its counterpart. In the fight against signal fading, the channel is constantly looking for more suitable frequencies, which provides a certain flexibility and adaptability of the interface.

Unlike WiFi, the protocol speed is not very high, barely exceeding 1 Mbit/s. But this is quite enough to transfer small files between phones. For example, a high-quality 4K resolution photo can weigh about 5 MB. That is, the transfer will take 10 seconds. Most phone cameras have a much lower resolution, therefore, information is transmitted almost instantly. BlueTooth 5, released in pursuit of WiFi, is much more productive, the bitrate reaches 50 Mbps at a distance of up to 230 meters. To synchronize two phones you need to do the following:

Data transfer is carried out through the menu of these folders, the second option is to go to the directories and act from there. Some phones will additionally need to accept the OPP data profile for the operation to be successful. This happens automatically, but requires user approval.

Using WiFi

Under Android, it is possible to directly transfer data via WiFi Direct. All phones that enable the option will see each other. The menu is located in the WiFi network settings.

But sometimes it is more convenient to communicate through friendly applications. For example, the WiFi Transfer application is installed on Alcatel Onetocuh. We couldn't find it on the Play Market, but it's definitely present on many phones. The interface can be confusing when you first turn it on.

To a user accustomed to Windows, it seems logical to click images using the dot pointers at the bottom of the screen. But nothing happens! Only the Android user will guess that you need to drag to the left, then the next screen will appear.

Finally, on the third screen a prompt appears to start working... In particular, the system requires that there be no anonymous users in it. For presentation, use the user’s own nickname and an avatar to choose from from nine preset ones. Those interested can upload any photo.

After this, all that remains is to create your own group or join an existing one to begin transmitting information.

As can be seen from the screenshots, you can transfer music, videos, drawings, etc. Another common program is Share.it. We talked about it in the section on how to transfer photos from your phone to a computer (that does not support WiFi Direct).

Apple Sync

An iOS device can be synced wired using a special iTunes program. This is done using the original USB cable that comes with the phone itself and a computer.

All devices of this brand are synchronized with iTunes. Every time you update your device, adding or deleting new data, images or music, you will need to sync it with your computer so that all the information is copied there. Already from a stationary machine, you can transfer information in the opposite way to any Apple device. Let's look at this in more detail.

To sync you need the latest version of iTunes. Open the program and make sure all updates are installed.

Using a USB cable, connect your phone to the computer through the appropriate connector.

find the list of connected devices on the program control panel and select the one you need to work

then open this menu, on the left you will see a list of tabs that you can transfer to your computer

In order to synchronize devices, you need to click on the corresponding button at the bottom of the window.

A similar connection to a computer is also possible in reverse. You can also connect and synchronize without a cable. This can be done via wireless Internet, which, with good speed, is much more convenient.

By following these simple steps, you will make your life much easier when purchasing a new phone or any other device from the listed companies. If you are still tormented by the complexity of the question “how to sync phone to phone?” leave it. Just a few minutes of wasted time will save you whole hours of useless torment over technology in the future.
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Backup	Data synchronization provides you with a backup copy of your data, which is stored on a server on the Internet. This allows you to quickly restore everything if your phone breaks or is lost. This backup also allows you to quickly transfer all data if you purchase a new device.
Access from the Internet	In most cases, the data that has been synced can be accessed through the website. For example, if you synced your contacts list on Android, you can view it using your browser at contacts.google.com.
Working with multiple phones	If you use several Android phones, then synchronization will allow you to have the same data on all devices. For example, the same list of contacts, the same notes, recordings, reminders, etc.