Synchronizing multiple devices

EpisodeSync allows you to synchronize played positions of episodes across multiple devices. For example you can pause an episode on one device and resume it on a different one. You can also "push" feeds (including categories they belong) from one of your devices to another.

What will be synchronized

  • With EpisodeSync your devices still remain independent - each one can potentially have a different set of feeds. EpisodeSync will sync only episodes of feeds that are common between the devices.
  • Any changes to episode played position on one device will be "pushed" to your other devices (as long as the same episode already exist on the other device).
  • If you download episode on a device, and your other devices don't have it already, it will be added to them as a new "streamable" episode. (If your feed is set to download episodes, this "streamable" episode will be automatically downloaded during the next scheduled update).
  • If a remote device deletes an episode, by default that episode will NOT be deleted from your local device. You can configure the local device to delete the episode by checking "Allow remote episode deletions" in the sync settings.
  • If you add a feed on a remote device, by default that feed will NOT be added to your local device. You can configure local device to always add (accept) feeds added on remote devices by selecting the appropriate option in "Accept feeds from remote devices" in the sync settings.

When changes will be synchronized

  • All changes (add, delete or play episode) made on one device will be published to other devices shortly (currently within 5 minutes) after the last change is made.
  • Once the local device changes are published, in most cases other devices should receive them immediately (this depends on their connectivity and network load).
  • You can trigger a manual sync by refreshing or updating any feed. (During the BETA test period you can also use the a dedicated sync menu: Menu > More > EpisodeSync.)
  • You can also manually send any existing feed to all your other devices at any time. Long press on the feed in the feed list and select "Send Feed to my Other Devices".

Configuring EpisodeSync

Select Settings > Configure EpisodeSync from the left navigation drawer. Episode sync requires an account that will be shared between all devices you want to synchronize. Use the "Create Account' or 'Login' buttons to create and later set your account on all devices you want to sync. Below are the options that can be used to customize the sync behavior:

  • "Allow remote episode deletions" - check if you want episodes deleted on remote devices to be also deleted from the local device.
  • "Accept feeds from remote devices" - select if you want feeds you add on remote devices to be automatically added to this device. Feeds will be added to the same categories as the remote device (creating categories if necessary).

Keep in mind that EpisodeSync currently does NOT sync the contents of your playlist and will NOT sync virtual feeds (feeds based on a local folder).

Syncing will start after it is enabled on the device and will sync local and remote changes that occur from now on. It will not sync anything that had occurred before enabling the sync.

Setting a new Device

When setting a new device, you can easily make an exact copy of your feeds and episodes from any existing device as a starting point. Use BeyondPod's backup/restore feature (Settings > Backup & Restore) to create a backup file. Use "Share Backup" feature to send the backup to a file sharing service like Google Drive, DropBox or even e-mail. To restore the backup on the new device, first make sure BeyondPod is installed and then tap (open) the backup file directly from DropBox/Google Drive. BeyondPod will give you the option to restore it.

If you want to share only some feeds across devices, you can configure both devices to sync and then send only selected feeds to the new device - open the feed, then select "Send Feed to my Other Devices" from the main (application) menu.