Sync across devices with BT Cloud

[SteveClayton]

I can't seem to find a way of doing this, so I thoght I would ask for help. 

The situation is that I have the BT Cloud app on two windows PCs (one desktop and one laptop), my phone and my tablet. What this results in is that certain folder (e.g. Pictures) are backed up multiple times as there are versions of the same files that come from each device. If I use OneDrive, which I have for work, this easily syncs files across all devices, so there is no duplication. I cannot seem to find a way of setting up BT Cloud so that, for example, I have one cloud folder for Pictures that then syncs across all devices without duplicates. 

If this makes sense, does anyone know a way of doing this? 

[henryfm]

Question is, are you using Backup or Sync?

With Backup, the BTcloud folder on each computer will be copied to the cloud, which you can inspect by logging in to BT Cloud on the computer.  Click on 'All My Files half way down the icons on the left; you will find one folder for your desktop, one for your laptop (I'm not sure what happens for the phone and tablet). You are copying the contents of your BTcloud folder to the cloud separately, no interaction.

With Sync, the BT cloud engine slowly works through the contents of your BTcloud1 folder on each client (it has to have a different name to the Backup folder).  The BT cloud engine slowly works through the contents of the BTcloud1 folder on each client, 'new' files being copied to a common location to the BT Cloud repository in the cloud, which you can inspect by logging in to BT Cloud on the computer. If a file is present in the cloud but not on the client (desktop, laptop, etc), the file is copied to the client, if it is in a folder marked for syncing.  (Especially on a phone or tablet, you do not want all files downloaded or you could quickly fill the storage, so you need to control which files you download).

Currently, with sync, if a file to be uploaded already exists in the BT Cloud repository, there are two possibilities
a) if the files are the same (name, date, etc) no action is taken
b) if they are not identical, the version in the BT Cloud repository will be copied to the client.  The file on the client is not deleted but is marked with the epithet 'conflicted file'
Thus, this logic means that an updated version of a file can never be copied to the cloud to be synced to other clients. Of course, what should happen is that the newer version is copied to the cloud, the older version being retained as a 'previous version'  (as in Old BT Cloud of 3 years ago). See my posting in this forum
It's Official - BT Cloud 22.8.10 is fundamentally flawed

The BT Service team are aware of this flaw, and have tasked the software team to resolve the issue; hopefully a properly working version of BT Cloud will soon be released. (and maybe have the courage to make BT Cloud available to new subscribers)

@SteveClayton 

[pddco]

@henryfm Have to say I’ve used the BT Cloud for both backup and sync for years.
And, while I like many, have suffered issues after a Windows update. Or during that transition when a perfectly working BT Cloud was ‘mended’ so it didn’t work so well, I’ve never had an issue like you’ve described. I have spreadsheets and documents in my BT Cloud folder on my Windows 10 PCs. Whenever  I make changes to the docs the updated version  is always available on whatever PC (or mobile device for that matter) I’m using. 

It doesn’t make sense to have only the ‘Cloud’ version copied back to the client PCs. But if it’s happening for you then something’s clearly amiss. I feel your pain though in trying to get issues resolved. Still trying myself to get the app backing up properly on an Android 10 phone. Been ongoing with BT/Synchronoss since June 2022!

[henryfm]

@pddcoFrom what you say, I assume you are using Sync, which effectively creates a backup, as you can't use the Sync and Backup facilities on the same umbrella folder.

Whatyou say: Whenever I make changes to the docs the updated version is always available on whatever PC (or mobile device for that matter) I’m using. is what used to happen, but does not now happen for me, and hasn't since V 21.2.3.  What version are you using? It would be handy to go back to a properly working version.

I agree that It doesn’t make sense to have only the ‘Cloud’ version copied back to the client PCs   But that's what the designers have said in writing is the current design logic. So, basically, I don't know how you can get BT Cloud to work as it should if you are using a recent version.

Do you have a link to a working version older than 21.2.3?

[pddco]

@henryfm @I’m using 22.8.10.  And any of the files I put in the BT Cloud folder on the PC are kept in sync with the corresponding BT Cloud folder on my other PCs. Which, as I understand it, is how it should be. 

I suppose you can infer that those files are also backed up as they exist somewhere other than my PC - in the BT Cloud.

[henryfm]

@pddco It's weird!
You describe how BT Cloud should work, how it works for you.  And yes, if Sync is replicating to your other devices and there is a preserved version on the web to access (keeping multiplevesions, not deleting a file (potentially inadvertently) deleted on one device), it's backing up as well.
However, it's not my experience, nor consistent with the logic that the BT Cloud developers have admitted.  How does it work for you?  (I don't expect you to know).
I did find I'd got a link to V17.3.0.45, before the 'troubles'.  I installed it, but got the following pop-up when I tried to run it.

So, no cheese...  Still no working version of BT Cloud for me!