[MLO for Android 2] Fully automatic sync not that automatic?

[robert roszak]

Hi Guys,

After 2 years since version 2 for Android was announced as "soon" it finally has come to being. Ono of most anticipated feature was fully automatic sync. I'm really baffled to see that it's not working any better than it did in ver. 1. When I create new task on Android from widget, it doesn't get synced to MLO for PC - at least it doesn't appear there in spite of me clicking cloud icon all the time. When I open android app I can see a cloud icon with up arrow there which to my knowledge is indicating there's local data waiting to be synced to server. I can't get why it's not syncing, all options in settings seem to be checked properly. Am I doing something wrong?

Robert

[Dmitry_N]

This is by design, unfortunately.

[robert roszak]

Hi Dmitry,

I won't believe that, no. This was probably most requested feature they must have done it right. Does it sync automatically for you guys?

[Dmitry_N]

"Automatic" sync in the MLO2 case means it syncs only when you launch the program. It doesn't sync anything in the background.

E.g., you have a due task with a reminder. You complete the task on your PC before the reminder is triggered. But nothing happens on your phone in the meantime, and you can rest assured that the task won't be completed on your phone, and you will hear the reminder on the phone until you open the program and it completes its "automatic" sync afterwards.

Is this what doesn't work for you? :)

[robert roszak]

The way you described it worked in previous version (ver 1.x), this time it was supposed to be fully automatic sync. Seamless if you will.

[Dmitry_N]

Well, it turns out to be "seamful" then :)

And no, in v.1, you had to press the sync icon manually every time for the sync to start, as far as I remember.

[robert roszak]

you're right, this is how it worked initially. Pressed by users' requests, however, they introduced semi-automatic sync at application's start/closing (I don't remember which one or both even) in one of last updates before 2.0

[Dwight Arthur]

My view might be a little different Dmitry's. I see it as mostly seamless but two seams remain.

First, irrespective of how well phone sync works, the task does not get to the pc until the pc syncs. If you are in a mode where the pc isn't synching you may have to initiate a sync on the pc side.

Second, if you start using the widgets or the add-task shortcut right after an Android restart before using the app you might find sometines that sync isnt running. This used to happen a lot but now I think it's more like "sometimes".

One other consideration: sync is automatic but it isnt immediate. It could take a minute or even two. This is fast enough for almost all real-world needs. It's true that software like MLO tends to attract obsessives, and it's true that obsessives can catch mlo/android with its little "sync-needed" icon exposed. But my experience the best way to solve that is to not check so often.

But I think that I read in your post that you saw the sync-needed icon and tapped it and it didnt go away. That sounds wrong and I haven't seen that. If that's what's happening to you and there's no problem with your sync setup or your internet connection, then in my view you have a support request.

[robert roszak]

HI Dwight,

Thank you for your involvment. 

Pc syncs well. Almost immediately after I had tapped cloud icon on Android, the tasks showed in MLO for PC. No problem there.

I don't demand immediate sync. In my case it takes hours from the moment I added tasks on phone to the moment I check on Pc. And still, no tasks synced.

I didn't say it hadn't gone away after tapping, it had. When I tapped sync icon on Mlo for Android it synced correctly and icon turned to normal no-tasks-waiting-for-sync cloud.

I'll try to start the app first before adding tasks from widget and see if it works then. Will keep you posted.

Robert

[robert roszak]

Ok, I added a task yesterday in the evening on Android in the app and left overnight. Now, after 12 hours, the task is still present only on Android and the sync icon says local data needs syncing but it won't sync. What's going on? Am I the only person it doesn't work for? In Mlo for android I have checked "enable auto-sync" and "use cellular data".

[Dwight Arthur]

Do I  correctly understand that if you were to tap the synch icon on MLO/Android while it was in this state that it would at that time correctly synch? If so, this sounds like either auto-sync is off or internet connection is down. Is there any chance that you left the phone overnight in a place where it couldnt get an internet connection?  Is there any chance that you have an android app like Timeriffic or Tasker that is turning off internet or autosynch? If no to both of these questions then i would say that you have a situation that no one else has reported to the forum since MLO2 release or during the beta, and that you should notify support. And oh, maybe try uninstalling and reinstalling.
-Dwight
MLO Betazoid on Android SGN4

On Dec 3, 2015, robert roszak <robert.roszak@gmail.com> wrote:

Ok, I added a task yesterday in the evening on Android in the app and left overnight. Now, after 12 hours, the task is still present only on Android and the sync icon says local data needs syncing but it won't sync. What's going on? Am I the only person it doesn't work for? In Mlo for android I have checked "enable auto-sync" and "use cellular data".

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[chrisleeuk]

I've only been using MLO2 since Tuesday, I guess I was just unlucky in the roll out.

Before I start ranting, I like the fresh more modern look and the view stuff will definitely come in handy, overall it's positive, except for the sync..

As far as I can tell MLO2 isn't doing any kind of automatic sync on the Android side.

I use Tasker, but it's not turning off internet access and I have good 4G LTE signal at all times.

If it's syncing when opened that works if I've made changes on the PC side. But it should do the same on exit, or better yet automatic periodically in case I leave the app open. Otherwise I can make lots of changes on the phone side and they never reach the PC side until I open again.

I've always been confused by the lack of completely automated sync on both Android and Windows.

Considering the power and elegance within the application elsewhere, I don't see why this has been so difficult to implement, we have waited years.

   

I was looking forward to MLO2 as a way to final get automated sync at least for one half of the equation, but it appears not.

 

Not much better on the Windows side of things really, I still have to hit sync, because it's just not that reliable.

I have quite a demanding job, which is part of the reason I use MLO to keep sanity intact.

Sync should be set/forget.

I want to be doing the tasks not worrying about syncing them.

[Dmitry_N]

Andrei wrote something on the Russian forum about the push sync feature to be implemented some time in the future... To be honest, I don't quite agree with the reasons he is giving for not implementing push sync at the time of the release: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mylifeorganized.net%2Fforum-ru%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ff%3D37%26t%3D3087&edit-text=

[robert roszak]

Ok, I reinstalled MLO for Android and thankfully it's working now. It's not immediate (could run more frequently for my taste) but it happens seamlessly as announced. Can't tell yet if it's reliable or not, too soon to tell. If it doesn't sync automatically for any of you, please reinstal the software.

Thank you to everyone involved!

Robert