I tried many sync solutions, however due to mobile usage I am limited between:
OBS Sync
iCloud
With Sync, many settings and configurations are not synced. I often had to install and configure plugins on 3 devices (?!), so I switched to iCloud, generally it’s good but deems to be very unreliable.
As you see on the above screenshot, many files are stuck uploading (I only noticed this because, thank god I use git and noticed it had over 50 files that were marked for deletion. It’s been 1 day, and they are still “Waiting to Update/Upload”.
This is probably not Obsidian related, but hopefully, there is some advice regarding proper syncing. Is there another sync solution I can try that works on iOS? Or is there a fix for these iCloud issues?
iCloud Drive, in general, is terrible, at least in my experience. While most apps that rely on iCloud to sync work flawlessly, some do not (and get stuck exactly how you showed). For this, I prefer syncing with something else if you’re not paying for Obsidian Sync (like Dropbox and OneDrive). I haven’t had a good experience with Google Drive myself, but OneDrive works flawlessly.
I use git but just locally (in iCloud), with a folder that’s not inside my Obsidian root folder. It works perfectly, it’s also how I noticed iCloud was failing me. I don’t sync to GitHub because well, I have sensitive data (for the same reason you do not put your .env file on github, even if it’s a private repo) that I do not want to upload to cloud (iCloud is encrypted with ADP) - it’s there for version control, not really backup.
While using iCloud I still pay for Sync, I just stopped using it because it performs badly with syncing config. “Recently Opened” for example, is never synced, as well as a lot of plugin config.
Was kinda hoping for some trick to fix iCloud, in general, it does the job but this issue has been a PITA.
Maybe ask a bot online how to prod iCloud into action.
There was a similar thread lately. If you install A-Shell on iOS, you can probably cd into the iCloud folder and recursively touch the files to wake them up, or check iOS iCloud settings.
Ah, no the issue is happening on my Macbook Pro. Renaming a folder helped, but I don’t think this is a long term solution. I can’t keep babysitting if my files are OK.
What about the OBS Sync issues? Why is it not syncing certain configs, you’d expect a baked-in solution to be… syncing. If it just did that, I would be fine using that… Is this a (hidden) setting I do not know about?
Another issue with Sync; it “touches” all my files, so for example, sync bumps ANY file it syncs metadata causing my “Edited on this day” to become very cluttered, messing up “last edited” dates.
Really? Ugh. That would be insane. All mtime values brought up to date to the last sync’s time stamp? No…
You need to check some settings. I can’t believe it’s designed like that. That’d be really wrong.
Help posts are infrequently checked, but those to do with basic functionality can alert staff (I am just a basic user, for instance), otherwise must look around in Bug reports for similar problems or file Bug reports, etc.
As I don’t have Sync, I cannot check what’s in there. I heard of updates in the last year…but not interested in it as I don’t have it.
It does this with ANY file that has to be synced. E.g. you make changes on your desktop devices, if you open OBS on mobile a few days after, ALL mtimes are adjusted to the time of sync, which I considering “breaking” my vault.
Repro
Open Sync enabled vault
Copy original data into this (metadata is still fine)
Sync is doing it’s thing, altering all mtimes to the time of sync
As mentioned the top linked topic, I am on iCloud currently, as iOS user I either need iCloud or OBS Sync. I had problems with Sync before, so I figure i’d try it again. This bug literally means I can not migrate my vault to OBS Sync without losing all my mtimes…
I’ve used Obsidian Sync for a couple of my vaults for a year or two now, and I haven’t had any unexpected changes to my files’ mtimes. I know this because I have a “Recently Modified” dataview pane on my dashboard and it’s correctly showing which files I’ve manually modified going back months.
I see a couple of differences between our setups. First, I primarily run Linux and sometimes Windows, not MacOS. Second, I don’t use any other syncing service on the folders that I use with Obsidian Sync. If I understand you right, you’re using both Obsidian Sync and iCloud on the same vault. I’ve found that when I do that, for example with Dropbox or OneDrive, the service will often clobber the Obsidian files in unpredictable ways. I suspect that’s what you’re seeing with Sync and iCloud together.
So I suggest trying a test repo with just Obsidian Sync, no iCloud, and see if the file mtimes behave themselves. If that seems consistent, then you might try it with your main vault.
No no, both are isolated. You can just copy the whole vault into a non-iCloud folder and let obs sync do it’s thing and see all your dataview tables change as it syncs and touches the mtimes. If I copy the files into the folder when Obsidian is closed, all mtimes are still in tact.
Generally it’s also not recommended to use two sync services, I never did this, it’s also documented if you use iCloud not to use Sync or visa versa.
Hello. I read this thread. Generally, Obsidian Sync tries to maintain the files metadata. It is a best effort approach because filesystem metadata support different accross OSes.
Regarding your specific problem, It’s hard to tell since you did not follow the bug report template nor the troubleshooting steps.
Perhaps, it’s a plugin who is forcing the mtime to be modified.
Kindly, open a new thread in bug reports after you have tested in vault with restricted mode on, and follow the bug report template. Thanks!
I spent 3 working days on fighting with Sync and iCloud before even posting here, and am a long time Obsidian user. I did plenty of research and reading.
Yes, I didn’t strictly follow format but there is enough context in the report including repro steps, it’s not that complicated. Maybe if I ever get back to using sync and find the time again, I will rewrite the bug report. Anyway thanks.
Have you tried your experiments on modified time with restricted mode on?
Because perhaps you are using a plugin that reads the mtime from the filesystem and writes it on the note. That very plugin will cause the mtime to be incorrect.
I’m making a Video on Self Hosting a Sync Server and Seamlessly Syncing across PC and iOS Devices. Will share a link once I have completed the video. Production is taking a little longer than expected
Ok good news, I have completed my Self Hosted Sync Solution for Obsidian
Requires $5 Mobius Sync Pro App for iOS + a device to host your Obsidian files (could be a server, pc, mac or spare computer)
For me I run a Proxmox LCX running Syncthing as my Obsidian Vault Sync Folder then all my remote devices connect to the server and sync for free (after 1 off purchase of Mobius Sync Pro)
Ongoing costs are running my mini pc server.
It may be because of the “Update time on edit” plugin. However this plugin is also critical to my workflow. Are you saying using this plugin in combination with OBS Sync is a no-go?
For now, iCloud is doing it’s job. Also thinking about selfhosting a git remote (just in case the git folder in iCloud ever breaks, for some weird iCloud reasons)
