Add Incremental Sync for Android Device Profiles

This is part 2 of a 2 part request:

Part 1: Add Saved Android Export Profiles

📋 Summary

Add an advanced Android device profile system that can sync only new, changed, or missing games and media to a connected Android device.


❗ Problem

Android exports currently work more like one-time packages. Even if a user has already exported to the same Android device before, future exports may require rebuilding or re-copying more data than necessary.

This is especially frustrating for users with large libraries or multiple Android devices, where each device may use different platforms, media selections, and storage limits.


💡 Proposal

Add Android device profiles that can be linked to a specific Android device or export location.

Each profile could define:

  • Included platforms

  • Favorites-only options

  • Archive extraction options

  • Additional version options

  • Media types to sync

  • Destination device or folder

  • Last sync date

  • Last known exported content

When the device or export location is connected, LaunchBox could compare the saved profile against the current library and sync only what has changed.

This could include:

  • New games added to included platforms

  • Removed games that should no longer be present

  • Updated metadata

  • New or changed media

  • Missing files from a previous sync


🧩 Use Cases

  • Keep an NVIDIA Shield TV updated without rebuilding the full export

  • Sync a smaller handheld profile with only selected platforms and media

  • Add new games on desktop, then quickly push only those changes to Android

  • Repair an Android export by replacing missing media or metadata

  • Maintain different Android devices from one LaunchBox library


📦 Benefits

  • Makes Android exports much faster after the first sync

  • Reduces unnecessary file copying

  • Improves support for users with multiple Android devices

  • Makes Android integration feel more like device management than manual exporting

  • Builds naturally on saved Android export profiles


⚠️ Considerations

This should be treated as a follow-up to saved Android export profiles rather than the first version. The initial profile system should establish reusable export settings, while this request adds device-aware incremental sync behavior on top of that.

Care should be taken around deleted games, renamed files, changed media, and disconnected or moved export folders so users can review sync changes before they are applied.

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Upvoters
Status

Open To Community

Board
Custom icon

LaunchBox for Android

Date

About 7 hours ago

Author

AstroBob

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