Looking for some sort of desktop / android integration. I know there’s a few options available, but they’re all spins of KDE Connect I believe.
Which of these 3 should I try installing, if any? Hoping to not fork up my system just from trying some random install.
We had some interest in this earlier in the year. But I think it lost some steam (@fossfreedom - correct me if I am wrong).
I also know that Ubuntu (proper) was looking at the gconnect variety, but decided to hold off as the author is doing a rewrite.
Correct. Its still something on my radar.
For the moment the only real viable solution is the KDE Application Indicator which is known to work just fine on UB.
Ack, its function was far from “just fine” for me. It’s been a while though so I’ll retry it.
I’d stick with g or m connect. If i remember, when i was testing them out, they didn’t come with all the kde dependency bloat that kde does.
although, that being said, both m and g connect are scaled down variants/spinoffs/forks of kde connect…so expect some functionality lose.
Reviving an old topic, but on UB 19.10 I can’t get Gnome Shell Extensions to work, therefore, GSConnect won’t work.
Steps:
sudo apt-get install chrome-gnome-shell
Install https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/gnome-shell-integration
Restart Firefox, go to the Addon settings, you will see an error, pointing to install python-requests.
sudo apt-get install python-requests
Restart Firefox, go to the Addon settings, the same error is shown without pointing to install python-requests.
Unable to locate GNOME Shell settings or version. Make sure it is installed and running.
Is there a better way to easily share files/links/text to/from Android via local WiFi (instead of obvious cloud solutions)?
On Windows 10 I used Easyjoin. You need to launch the app on both devices first for it to work. For Linux there is no native version…
gnome shell extensions are written only for GNOME Shell. No other desktop environment such as Budgie, XFCE etc etc can use gnome-shell extensions.
KDE Connect is the recommended phone sharing solution for SMS, files etc etc - despite its name it has very little KDE requirements.
For 20.04 we are shipping by default go-mtpfs - so your phone when connected via USB automatically appear in Nemo Computer:// section so you can copy files back/forth.
Actually my Pixel (1) phone already shows up automatically in Nemo. I didn’t have to install anything 
I can browse files and copy easily via cable this way.
KDEConnect I was afraid it would install a whole lot of KDE dependencies?
Well… if I follow the first steps of the instructions here:
https://community.kde.org/KDEConnect#Installation_and_Usage
a whole lot of stuff will get installed at the first step, after enabling sources.
Is there a more “clean” way?
No need for a full device sync. Simply sending files easily to Android or from Android.
Aside mentioned previously we ship with go-mtpfs … so assuming you haven’t got a weird android setup just using nemo is enough to copy files back and forth.
Sorry I should have mentioned, looking for a way to wirelessly copy files or share links/text.
USB works indeed but I don’t always have a cable nearby.
I know Android apps allow you to create a little FTP server via Wifi but I was looking for something more user friendly.
Ah. Understand.
Sorry I dont know of any kdeconnect variant that has its kde specifics stripped out.
Would be an interesting summer project…
I believe this is the best option, unfortunately the developer switched to iOS and no longer maintains it. I will try it later today, perhaps it is still dependent on everything kde-connect depends on:
The indicator is a wrapper around kdeconnect. So you still need kdeconnect to make things work.
I am guessing here that mconnect might be a substitute for kdeconnect itself since it uses the same kdeconnect api.
So again … with a tweak and a tuck, the indicator could be used with mconnect … probably not every capability … so still an interesting mini summer project for someone adventurous
… speculation … wondering if usb over IP will help here … I.e make go-mtpfs think its connected to the usb android device … but actually connected via IP
Looks a bit finicky to setup … if you have a spare afternoon might be worth a play
May sound like a bulldozer to move a grain of sand but… syncthing works on almost any platform out there.
I didn’t spot though how it would sync between android and a PC over a wireless connection.
Would really have the use of it too. I’m using GSConnect on Gnome Shell.
When I’m laying on the couch as a lazy moron with the keyboard/mouse out of arm’s reach and I don’t want to wake up the cat, I can use my phone to play/pause/rewind my videos or as mouse replacement for simple stuff.
It’s also great for seeing phone notifications on the PC screen or to transfer a couple of files wirelessly.
As soon as devices known to syncthing are online they can see each other, be it through ethernet, wifi or even data connection ( not sure about that ).
Syncthing is a must - quite surprising it’s not more popular as a replacement for ggle-drive, drp-box and the likes.
Maybe the first settings steps are a bit tough, but once done it’s reliable for years ( in my experience, at home, at work ).
Hmmm… sounds interesting! Definitely playtime.
