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feat(sync): disable automatic sync by default #184

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Merged
ErikBjare merged 2 commits into from
Jul 12, 2026
Merged

feat(sync): disable automatic sync by default #184

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55fb5e9
feat(sync): disable automatic sync by default
TimeToBuildBob Jul 12, 2026
1d8d23a
fix(sync): cancel stale AlarmManager alarm when sync is disabled
TimeToBuildBob Jul 12, 2026
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10 changes: 10 additions & 0 deletions mobile/src/main/java/net/activitywatch/android/AWPreferences.kt
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -36,4 +36,14 @@ class AWPreferences(context: Context) {
fun setHostnameMigrated() {
sharedPreferences.edit().putBoolean("hasMigratedHostname", true).apply()
}

// Sync is off by default; user must explicitly enable it once a sync directory
// is configured (e.g. via Storage Access Framework).
fun isSyncEnabled(): Boolean {
return sharedPreferences.getBoolean("syncEnabled", false)
}

fun setSyncEnabled(enabled: Boolean) {
sharedPreferences.edit().putBoolean("syncEnabled", enabled).apply()
}
}
10 changes: 8 additions & 2 deletions mobile/src/main/java/net/activitywatch/android/BackgroundService.kt
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Expand Up @@ -85,8 +85,14 @@ class BackgroundService : Service() {
}
}

// Start the sync scheduler
syncScheduler.start()
// Start the sync scheduler only when the user has enabled sync.
// Default is off — the sync directory is not accessible to other apps
// (Android scoped storage), so auto-sync would silently no-op for most users.
if (prefs.isSyncEnabled()) {
syncScheduler.start()
} else {
Log.i(TAG, "Sync is disabled (default). Enable it in settings to start syncing.")
}

// Schedule event parsing
scheduleEventParsing()
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5 changes: 5 additions & 0 deletions mobile/src/main/java/net/activitywatch/android/SyncAlarmReceiver.kt
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Expand Up @@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ class SyncAlarmReceiver : BroadcastReceiver() {

when (intent.action) {
"net.activitywatch.android.SYNC_ALARM" -> {
if (!AWPreferences(context).isSyncEnabled()) {
Log.i(TAG, "Sync is disabled; cancelling stale alarm")
SyncScheduler.cancelAlarm(context)
return
}
Comment on lines +19 to +23

@greptile-apps greptile-apps Bot Jul 12, 2026

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P1 Disabled Sync Leaves Alarm Armed

When an older build or a previous enabled session has already registered the repeating wakeup alarm, this branch skips the sync work but leaves that alarm active. Because SyncScheduler.stop() does not cancel the AlarmManager fallback, the app can keep waking every 15 minutes and logging this path even though sync is now disabled.

@TimeToBuildBob TimeToBuildBob Jul 12, 2026

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Fixed in 1d8d23a: added SyncScheduler.cancelAlarm(context) to the disabled-sync branch in SyncAlarmReceiver. When the alarm fires but sync is off, we now cancel the AlarmManager wakeup via FLAG_NO_CREATE PendingIntent retrieval + am.cancel(), so no further 15-minute wakeups occur. The cancel logic lives in a new SyncScheduler.companion object to keep the PendingIntent construction in one place.

Log.i(TAG, "Performing scheduled sync...")
val pendingResult = goAsync()
// Create SyncInterface and perform sync on IO dispatcher to avoid
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20 changes: 20 additions & 0 deletions mobile/src/main/java/net/activitywatch/android/SyncScheduler.kt
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Expand Up @@ -105,4 +105,24 @@ class SyncScheduler(private val context: Context) {
}
}
}

companion object {
// Called by SyncAlarmReceiver when sync is disabled, to cancel a stale alarm left
// from a previous enable session or an older build that registered it before the pref existed.
fun cancelAlarm(context: Context) {
val am = context.getSystemService(Context.ALARM_SERVICE) as AlarmManager
val intent = Intent(ACTION_SYNC_ALARM).setPackage(context.packageName)
val pi = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(
context,
0,
intent,
PendingIntent.FLAG_NO_CREATE or PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE
)
if (pi != null) {
am.cancel(pi)
pi.cancel()
Log.i(TAG, "Cancelled stale AlarmManager sync alarm (sync disabled)")
}
}
}
}
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