Syncios Review – iOS Data Transfer App with Bonus Tools

good
key review info
application features
  • Transfer files between PCs and iPad, iPod, iPhone
  • (16 more, see all...)

Owning an iPad, iPod or iPhone means to rely on an effective and simple-to-use software solution for data transfer, whether you want to copy captured photos to the computer or create and upload a music playlist to the device.

Apple products require iTunes to make this happen, and some users find this application difficult to handle. In this case they can shift their attention to third-party tools designed to simplify this task, although most of them still need iTunes installed.

For this review we're investigating Syncios. This is an intuitive utility that sports a clear-cut and elegant interface which permits users to seamlessly transfer files between computers and iOS devices, whether they are media items, photos, ebooks, apps, contacts, notes, bookmarks or messages.

Installation and interface

The setup procedure does not take a long time to finish. However, since it is ad-supported, users should know that Syncios offers to download and install a third-party component which it doesn't actually need to run. This can be excluded by switching to custom install mode and clearing the checkbox before proceeding to the next wizard stage. Plus, as previously mentioned, iTunes must be installed on the computer.

Once the iOS device is plugged into the PC, Syncios loads its contents in different groups, such as "Information" and "Apps." The first panel reveals device details like product type, serial number, jailbreak status, device color, region info, purchased date, estimated expiration date, iOS version, battery status, and phone number.

Users may also find out the data and system capacity, together with total space occupied by each category type. The device name can be edited and in-depth information with technical details can be further studied in a text document.

View and transfer media, text and apps

The "Media" group shows the name, artist, album, time, size and path for each item, and it covers music, videos, ringtones, podcasts, TV shows, audiobooks, music videos, voice memos, iTunes U, and playlists. The thumbnails of the photographs are shown in the main window, and users can explore the iCloud photo stream and camera roll, along with the video and photo libraries.

It is possible to import files into the iOS device or export them to the workstation, delete items, put together new playlists and photo albums, as well as preview media in a small, built-in media player.

Plug in your iOS device to transfer files
Plug in your iOS device to transfer files

When it comes to iOS apps, Syncios displays the name, software version and size for each object, giving users the possibility to uninstall or back up any program, open its document to study technical information, as well as to install new apps.

The last category called "Information" loads contacts, notes, bookmarks, call history and messages from the iOS device. Users can edit contact data in regard to the first and last name, company, department, postal code, birthday, phone number and picture, locate and delete duplicates, back up information to the computer for safekeeping, delete contacts and notes and create new ones, as well as transfer bookmarks, call history and messages.

Download online videos and resources, explore the toolkit

Syncios integrates a useful feature that supplies users with the ability to download videos from online sources, such as YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and LiveLeak, and save them to the local disk. One or more URLs can be submitted for downloading, and it is possible to select the preferred quality if there are multiple streams available. Online resources with an application library, wallpapers and ringtones may also be explored for downloading any items to import into the iOS devices.

Convert audio and video for iOS device playback, create ringtones, reboot the device, and more
Convert audio and video for iOS device playback, create ringtones, reboot the device, and more

Moreover, the tool puts a wide range of handy functions at users' disposal. They can create call or SMS ringtones, manage iTunes backups, navigate the device file system, as well as prepare audio and video for playback on the device by converting files to MP3, M4A, M4R, CAF, MP4, M4V and MOV format and immediately transfer data to the device after the conversion is done. It is also possible to access the iTunes and media library, organize the photo stream in the iCloud, restart the device if its on/off button has problems, clear the application cache, as well as investigate real-time system log details and crash log files.

Program preferences

Syncios can be set to be automatically launched when the Apple device is plugged into the PC. It is possible to disable confirmation dialog for deleting files, open the application's log file and cached files without leaving the interface, modify the default output location for audio and video conversion (from the toolkit), as well as change export directories for media, photos, ebooks, apps, the file system and information files (e.g. messages, contacts, call history).


The Good

The utility is compatible with all Windows editions from XP to 8.1 (32- and 64-bit architecture types). It uses low CPU and reasonable RAM, supports multiple UI languages, and includes complete help documentation for inexperienced users.

The interface is elegant and highly intuitive, making it an easy job to transfer music, videos, ringtones, audiobooks, photos, ebooks, contacts, call history, messages and other data, as well as to remove apps and install new ones.

Users can download media from online sources and save the files to the disk, explore an online library with applications, wallpaper and ringtones compatible with the iOS device for import, as well as resort to an extensive list of quick-fix tools: create ringtones, convert audio and video, reboot the iOS device, clear app cache, and more.

The Bad

It froze several times while we were navigating the interface (e.g. opening an app's document), forcing us to terminate its process and restart the program. It also crashed a couple of times (e.g. loading messages).

It took an extremely long time to load call history in our tests.

The Truth

Taking everything into account, Syncios has the makings of a modern, intuitive, straightforward and easy-to-use software application for transferring files between computers and iPhone, iPod or iPad devices. However, our tests have shown that it has a lot of stability issues that it needs to resolve, which undermine the reliability factor.

user interface 5
features 4
ease of use 5
pricing / value 5


final rating 3
Editor's review
good
 

Syncios (9 Images)

Plug in your iOS device to transfer filesView and transfer media filesView and transfer photosView, uninstall and add new iOS appsView and transfer contacts
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