Other sync solution than iCloud needed

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Here in Germany we have harsh laws about where we are allowed to store business data. Server in foreign countries are not on that list…

I would assume Apple has tackled this with iCloud by storing it in local datacenters? Otherwise nobody in Germany could use their service?

If I uncheck „Sync Notes Between Devices with iCloud“, Agenda stores everything anywhere local (where exactly?)

See Location of Agenda data - #2 by mekentosj

How about to chose a NAS to save everyhting? There would be still the problem how I get my data up to date on my iPhone — but we would be have the way.

See Problem syncing notes across devices - #11 by drewmccormack

I have problem during my test-drive, though: I let iCloud sync test data between my devices (sigh). But the information is not synched properly: Some notes a missing on one machine. Is there a command which I can call to trigger a save — resp. force a reload from iCloud?

See Drew’s answer above

Anyway: Agenda is an absolutely beautiful application. It is very fun to work with it, much of brainwork was done before building this marvelous GUI! Keep on that work :slight_smile:

Brilliant to hear, glad you like it!

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Indeed I add myself to the list of those who need an external Sync service, also because my relationship with the costly iPhone ended up on their version 4.

Being on Android since then, but loving my Mac is always a pain in the ass.

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+1 for local syncoption
+1 for extra encryption layer

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+1 for iCloud alternative. (My employer blocks personal iCloud accounts.)

Otherwise, it looks like your roadmap is pretty solid! I’ve tested a number of project/task management apps and see major potential in Agenda. If you have a TestFlight group, I’d love to join.

Thanks for innovating!

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If you want to join the testfligtht, post a comment in this thread: Can I join the iOS Beta?

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+1 for iCloud alternative

Posted this info on a similar post about Dropbox for storage, but realized this might be the better place for it.

I wanted to echo that other sync solutions – specifically Dropbox – would be extremely valuable for me! It’s one of the only reasons I haven’t purchased a subscription for Agenda yet.

There are a couple of reasons why the current iCloud syncing in particular isn’t working for me.

Firstly, if you do add image/attachment support (which it seems you are doing very soon) – that’s going to quickly eat up space in an iCloud account unless the user pays for additional storage. I already have Dropbox, so that’s a better option for me. My office also pays for Google Drive with our email accounts, so Google Drive would even work well for me, too.

Secondly, my REAL pain is that our office wants us to use an iCloud account associated with our work email address in the unfortunate event that a company computer gets lost or stolen, the company email address can be used with Find My Mac, for example. There are other reasons they prefer us to use a work-related-only account, but that’s the gist. My phone (with my notes, apps, etc) is attached to my personal iCloud account. Because my Work computer is on a separate iCloud account, I’ll never be able to sync between my phone and my computer to access notes on different devices or on-the-go. Honestly, I could set up a separate user account profile on my computer to set up the work iCloud account for Find My Mac support, since I don’t use it for anything else, and then connect my main user account on my work computer to my personal iCloud but that seems like a cumbersome solution and I also don’t particularly want my work computer associated with my personal iCloud either.

Just wanted to add to the conversation to explain my point of view on the syncing.

In a 100% ideal scenario, I would love it if my notes were simply synced using nothing but my Agenda account and didn’t require a 3rd party sync solution at all – but I have a feeling that would require a total re-engineering of how the app works and far more server/development resources, so I don’t expect that any time soon (if ever.)

I absolutely love the app you guys have created! I really hope Dropbox sync or other sync support is in the near future! Thanks!

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Thanks, it is useful to have the reasons for other options explained in detail.

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Couple of questions.

Dropbox isn’t secure so would encryption be included?

Secondly, does synching anything count as part of your iCloud usage? I was under the impression that synching data didn’t count, the actual files are on either end and iCloud is used for transit not storage?

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iCloud does store the data in the cloud. It is not a pure peer-to-peer network. So you are charged, but at this point, with only text, Agenda doesn’t use much data. May change with images.

In what way is Dropbox not secure? I think both iCloud and Dropbox have authentication, and are at least in that way secure. Encryption is something we would like to add, but would be independent of Dropbox.

Drew

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+1 for iCloud alternative

I can’t use my personal iCloud account on my work’s iPad so it’s a must for me.

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I would love to get another syncing option on iOS.
I am using an iPad Pro and an iPhone, both provided by my company.
Those devices have a management profile installed on them, which is mandatory for me to access my professional emails and agenda.
This profile include some restrictions, one of them being unable to use iCloud Drive.
Right now there is nothing preventing me from using Agenda primarily on my iPad, but as there is no other syncing option, I would have no backup option and I don’t want to take a chance with my notes.
Dropbox would works, as well as of course a fully ingrated cloud service in the app with appropriate encryption.

Thanks!

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Related to this thread, here’s my use case:

  1. I have a work Macbook
  2. I have a personal iPhone & iPad
  3. I want to sync specific project(s) between those without using iCloud.

In my case, it’s not acceptable to enable my personal Apple ID & iCloud Drive on the work machine. Enabling iCloud Drive in particular is all-or-nothing, which would pull a substantial amount of personal data onto a work system. Not good.

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Would another service like Dropbox be any better though? Do you want to activate Dropbox on your work machine, meaning all your personal stuff is there as well?

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Yes, Dropbox is materially better IF the app uses the Dropbox API vs. relying on a user install of the Dropbox client. For example, 2Do in its iOS and Mac versions uses this approach. No DB client install is needed, and (I’ll strongly wager) the resulting backend code in the two versions can be shared entirely. 2Do’s files are stored in the user’s Dropbox at Apps/2Do/, per the typical API usage setup.

From a user’s perspective, you simply setup your Dropbox credentials in the sync settings and are good to go.

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+1 for this. have the same issue with work / private projects.

re: laws in Germany. Yes, Icloud can be used, but when your employer demands that you use a cloud service of his choice, you’re in legal hot waters if you don’t.

Ideal solution for me would be to select cloud service by project, e.g. work project 1 on dropbox, private project 1 on iCloud etc.

having said that, remarkable app! love it!

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I think it is very unlikely we would allow using different sync services for each project. It would become a usability nightmare.

Something you could think about is creating a new account on your Mac just for work. That account could use your work iCloud, and have other stuff related to your work, while your main account is for private stuff. May be a workaround.

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Thanks for the quick reply, usability is an argument indeed, I do get that, I have seen it in many other applications. However, for me, there is now way around it.

Just to be precise regarding my problem and giving you a clear understanding why the European, and especially the German market is so different - and I apologise if I do repeat myself unnecessarily:

I cannot use iCloud at all for work, and I think that goes for large swaths of the German business market: iCloud does not offer a “EU-” or "Germany-"cloud, where all data is being saved on servers located in the EU and governed by EU or German law alone. Since the NSA / Snowden revelations, industrial espionage is the new big spectre haunting corp security deps. Therefore, in-house servers or “Germanclouds” are preferred and often mandatory due to company regulations.

Most companies even demand Germanclouds instead of EU clouds, as the UK are part of the five-eyes network.

I know this sounds a bit tin-foil-headed, but hey, if I had to protect intellectual property assets for any corporation these days, I’d be that way, too. industrial espionage, including by governments is a huge problem.

Suggestion:
Maybe offer a “business” option that is off by default, but when activated offers selecting different syncing options per project? Would omit the usability problem for the average user while simultaneously widen the usability for the EU, and especially the German market, drastically.

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We are based in the EU, so are aware of the issue. We would like to add other sync services as an option in future. I was just saying it is unlikely we will allow you to mix them together. You would choose one service, and use that.

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Dropbox would work yes and a good option for my use case.

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+1 for an iCloud alternative. In particular, Google Drive would be helpful. In my case, it is a pretty basic requirement because corp networks often have restrictions on where data is stored. Google is approved, iCloud is not.

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