Getting Started with Sync Awesome
Follow this step-by-step guide to set up your phone and desktop apps and start syncing your photos and videos privately.
How Sync Awesome Works
Phone App
Selects and sends your photos and videos to your desktop over WiFi.
Your WiFi
Media transfers directly over your local network. Nothing goes to the cloud.
Desktop App
Receives, organizes, and categorizes your media using local AI.
Step-by-Step Setup
Install the Desktop App
Start by installing Sync Awesome on your Mac or Windows computer. This is where your photos will be stored.
Sign In on Desktop
Open the desktop app and sign in with your Google account. This is used only to pair your phone and desktop securely.
- Launch Sync Awesome on your desktop
- Click "Sign in with Google"
- Complete the sign-in in your browser
- Return to the app - you should see the main gallery
Choose Your Storage Folder
Go to Settings and choose where you want your photos saved. You can organize them by date or keep everything in one folder.
- Click "Settings" in the left sidebar
- Click "Change" next to Destination Folder
- Select or create a folder for your photos
- Choose your preferred organization (by year/month/day, etc.)
Install the Phone App
Install Sync Awesome on your iPhone or Android phone. This is where you'll select which photos to sync.
Sign In on Phone (Same Account!)
Important: Sign in with the same Google account you used on your desktop. This is how the apps find each other.
- Open Sync Awesome on your phone
- Tap "Sign in with Google"
- Select the same account you used on desktop
- Grant permission to access your photos when prompted
Connect to the Same WiFi
Make sure both your phone and desktop are connected to the same WiFi network. They'll find each other automatically.
Start Syncing!
You're all set! Select photos on your phone and they'll transfer directly to your desktop.
- On your phone, browse your photos in the Sync Awesome app
- Tap to select individual photos, or use filters to select by date/album
- Tap "Sync Selected" to start the transfer
- Watch them appear in the desktop app's Gallery within seconds!
Desktop App Features
🖼️ Gallery View
Browse all your synced photos organized by month. Click any photo to view it full-size with details and tags.
🤖 AI Categorization
Photos are automatically tagged with detected objects, scenes, and text. All AI processing happens locally on your computer.
👥 People Recognition
The app detects faces and groups similar ones. Name a person once, and they'll be identified in all your photos.
🔍 Search
Find any photo by searching for objects ("dog"), people ("John"), or dates. Combine filters for precise results.
📁 Smart Organization
Photos are saved in your chosen folder structure. Add custom tags or let the AI categorize automatically.
⚙️ Background Sync
Enable background sync on your phone and new photos will transfer automatically when both devices are on the same WiFi.
Troubleshooting
My phone can't find my desktop / "Server not found"
- Check WiFi: Make sure both devices are on the exact same WiFi network
- Check the server: Look for "Server Running" (green) in the desktop app status
- Restart the server: Go to Settings → click "Stop Server" then "Start Server"
- Check your firewall: Make sure your firewall allows incoming connections to Sync Awesome
- Same account? Verify you're signed in with the same Google account on both devices
Photos are syncing slowly
- Large videos take longer - this is normal for files over 100MB
- Check your WiFi signal strength on both devices
- Try moving closer to your WiFi router
- 5GHz WiFi is faster than 2.4GHz if your devices support it
AI categorization isn't working / no tags appearing
- Categorization runs in the background - give it a few minutes
- Check Settings → "Run categorization on import" is enabled
- The first run downloads AI models (~100MB) which takes time
- Click "Tasks" in the menu to see categorization progress
The app says "Protocol version mismatch"
This means your phone and desktop apps are different versions. Update both apps to the latest version:
- Update the phone app from the App Store / Play Store
- Download the latest desktop app from this website
How do I sync photos when I'm away from home?
Sync Awesome only works over local WiFi for your privacy. Your photos are never uploaded to the internet. When you're back on the same network as your desktop, syncing will resume automatically (if background sync is enabled).
Where are my photos stored?
Your photos are stored in the folder you chose during setup. By default, this is:
- macOS: ~/Documents/SyncAwesome/
- Windows: Documents\SyncAwesome\
You can change this anytime in Settings → Destination Folder.
🔒 Your Privacy Matters
Sync Awesome is designed with privacy first. Here's what we never do:
- We never see, store, or process your photos
- Your media transfers directly over your local WiFi
- AI categorization runs entirely on your computer
- We only store your email address for device pairing
Still Need Help?
If you're still having trouble, we're here to help.