Document Sync¶
In addition to syncing your data — bookmarks, workspaces, reading plans, My Documents, AI settings and reading progress (see Cloud Sync) — AndBible can also synchronize your installed documents — Bibles, commentaries, dictionaries and other modules — across your devices, using the same cloud account (Google Drive or Nextcloud).
When a document is installed on one device — by any method (downloaded from a repository, sideloaded as a zip, or imported as a MyBible, MySword, e-Sword or EPUB module) — the complete document is copied to the cloud and re-installed on your other devices. Enabling document sync on a new device also brings down everything already stored in the cloud.
Note
The whole document is copied to the cloud, not merely a reference to where it was downloaded from. This is deliberate: sideloaded and custom-repository documents often cannot be re-downloaded reliably on another device, so AndBible keeps a complete copy. As a result, the space used in your cloud account grows with the size of your document library.
How It Differs from Data Sync¶
Documents is a separate category from the data categories (bookmarks, workspaces, reading plans, and so on) described in Cloud Sync. It shares the same cloud account and runs on the same background sync cycle, but it moves whole document files rather than small database changes, and it offers more per-device control (see below).
Requirements¶
- A cloud account already set up — see Cloud Sync for how to sign in to Google Drive or Nextcloud.
- Internet connection.
Note
Google Drive sync is not available in the F-Droid build. If you installed AndBible from F-Droid, you can use Nextcloud instead.
Enabling Document Sync¶
- Open the top left main menu (☰).
- Tap
Sync settings. - Make sure you are signed in to a cloud account.
- Under Synchronization categories, toggle on Documents.
When you turn on Documents, AndBible scans your device and the cloud and shows a summary dialog of what it will transfer — for example how many documents would be uploaded and downloaded, with their approximate sizes. Confirm to start; the transfers then run in the background.
If there is nothing to transfer yet, the dialog says so — newly installed documents will still sync automatically from then on.
Note
Once enabled, document sync is automatic. There is no separate “automatic” switch — the per-device toggles below shape how much it does automatically.
Per-Device Settings¶
While document sync is enabled, a Document sync section appears in Sync settings with the following per-device options. These settings are local to each device and are not themselves synced.
- Download automatically
- Automatically download new and updated documents from the cloud to this device.
- Upload automatically
- Automatically upload documents installed on this device to the cloud. Turn this off on a device that should receive the cloud library but never push its own documents (for example a device used to test throwaway modules).
- Apply removals automatically
- Automatically remove documents from this device when they are removed on another device.
- Sync documents on Wi-Fi only
- Automatic document transfers wait for an unmetered (Wi-Fi) connection. Manual actions always proceed regardless of this setting.
- Synced documents
- Opens the management view (see below).
Note
All three “automatic” toggles default to on, so out of the box a device syncs everything in both directions. Turning a toggle off only affects automatic behaviour — you can always perform the corresponding action manually from the management view.
Managing Synced Documents¶
Tap Synced documents in Sync settings to open the management view — a unified list of the documents installed on this device together with those stored in the cloud. Each row shows the document’s type icon, name, version, size, and a status line such as:
- Synced — present on this device and in the cloud, up to date.
- On this device only — installed here but not yet in the cloud.
- In cloud only — available in the cloud but not installed here.
- Update available — a newer version is in the cloud.
- Blocked on this device — excluded from syncing to this device.
- Won’t sync to cloud — a device-only document you’ve chosen not to upload.
- Removed from cloud — a document that was removed elsewhere (shown only when Show removed documents is enabled).
Filtering¶
Use the search box and the two spinners at the top to narrow the list by name, status (All, Installed, In cloud, Updates, Blocked, Only on this device, Removed) and document category (Bibles, commentaries, etc.).
Per-Document Actions¶
Tap a document to open its menu. Only the actions relevant to that document are shown:
- Download
- Download and install this document from the cloud (available for cloud-only documents or when an update is available).
- Push to cloud
- Upload this device’s copy to the cloud (available when the document is on this device only, or is newer here than in the cloud).
- Remove
- Remove the document from the cloud. With document sync on, this removes it from all your devices (including this one). With document sync off, it removes only the cloud copy and keeps the local one. AndBible never removes a document if it would leave you without a Bible.
- Block / Do not sync to cloud
- For a cloud-backed document, Block stops it from downloading to this device. For a device-only document, Do not sync to cloud stops it from being uploaded. Both use the same per-device block list; the wording just adapts to the situation. Use Unblock / Sync to cloud to reverse it.
Manual actions always work, regardless of the automatic toggles — they are explicit choices you are making.
Selecting Multiple Documents¶
Long-press a row to enter selection mode, then tick several documents to act on them together (download, upload, remove, block, and so on). An action is offered whenever at least one selected document supports it, and is applied only to the documents it applies to.
Sync Now¶
The Sync now option (in the overflow menu) runs a full manual sync immediately. It first previews what will be transferred and lets you choose which directions to run — Download, Upload, Delete — each showing how many documents (and how much data) are involved. A manual sync ignores the automatic toggles and the Wi-Fi-only setting.
Removed Documents¶
When a document is removed from the cloud, AndBible leaves a small marker (a “tombstone”) behind so that your other devices know to remove it too, rather than uploading it again.
By default these removed documents are hidden. Enable Show removed documents in the management view’s overflow menu to see them. For a removed document you can:
- Restore to cloud
- Re-upload the document to the cloud from a device that still has it installed.
- Remove from cloud history
- Permanently delete the removal marker. Note that if the document is still installed on another device, that device may upload it back to the cloud on its next sync — the marker is what prevents that.
Note
Because removing a document from the cloud deletes the stored copy (only the marker remains), a removed document can be brought back only by restoring it from a device that still has it installed — not by re-downloading it from the cloud.
Re-scan from Cloud¶
If the management view ever seems out of date, use Re-scan from cloud in the overflow menu. This discards AndBible’s local listing cache and fetches a fresh, authoritative list of everything in the cloud.
Cloud Storage Used¶
The space taken up by your synced document archives is included in the cloud-storage figure shown in Sync settings, alongside the space used by your synced bookmarks and workspaces. Because whole documents are stored, this can grow significantly with a large library.
Signing Out¶
Signing out of cloud sync (see Cloud Sync) stops any document transfer in progress and clears this device’s document-sync settings, block list, and cached listing. Your installed documents themselves are not deleted from the device. Setting up sync again starts fresh — which is correct, as it may be a different cloud account.
Note
AndBible developers are not responsible for any data loss or damage that may occur during the synchronization process. Regular backups are recommended.