Does chrome.storage.sync sync when Chrome sync is disabled but user is signed in?

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Bobby Aleena

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3:24 PM (6 hours ago) 3:24 PM

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The official Chrome documentation states:

▎ "If the user enables syncing, the data syncs with every Chrome browser that the user is logged into. If disabled, it behaves like storage.local."

However, in my testing I consistently observe the following:

- Profile 1: signed into Google account, Chrome sync is off (browser shows "Turn on sync" prompt)

- Profile 2: signed into same Google account, Chrome sync is on

- I save data to chrome.storage.sync from Profile 1

- The data appears almost immediately in Profile 2

This suggests chrome.storage.sync is syncing regardless of the Chrome sync toggle, as long as the user is signed into their Google account.

Questions:

1. Is this the expected behavior?

2. Is chrome.storage.sync governed by the Chrome sync toggle, or only by whether the user is signed into their Google account?