Pics.io is using a cloud repository (Google Drive/Amazon S3) to store all your files. You may upload your photos, videos, and other assets to a folder/S3 bucket connected to your Pics.io account. Pics.io system works only with files stored in this folder/S3 bucket, and we never touch other files or folders outside the connected repository. When you upload any files or make some changes to them directly in your Google Drive or Amazon S3, it is necessary to make sync for these updates to be displayed in your Pics.io account.
How does sync work?
It is possible to organize your assets in folders in the way you like inside your cloud storage. After the sync takes place, the system pulls all the files and folders from your Google Drive/Amazon S3 with all the changes you may have made there. It will make Pics.io keep the structure you have created in your storage.
And vice versa, the changes made in your collections and digital assets in Pics.io are automatically pushed to the working folder or S3 bucket.
All the metadata from standardized EXIF/IPTC fields and individual custom fields are replicated and safely stored within your original files located on the cloud storage. The title of your asset, its description, all kinds of marks such as color, star rating, flags, and other information from your custom fields you may have entered in Pics.io - all this information will remain available even after you download your asset and work with it outside Pics.io, e.g. in Lightroom or in a similar service.
Once you press the 'Sync now' button, the Pics.io system is trying to catch all the information updated in your storage connected to the app. During the data syncing process, it is not possible to make changes to those files in your Pics.io library. After the sync has been completed, you will receive the corresponding email and notification in Pics.io UI.
If you delete some assets inside Pics.io, these files are not really deleted on the storage side. Pics.io simply moves them to the trash folder of your storage provider, from where you can easily restore them or completely delete them if necessary. Read more about deleting files from Pics.io.
We have two ways of sync performed in Pics.io: manual (full & partial) and auto-sync (currently, available for Google Drive storage only).
How to run a partial sync?
Dealing with big libraries, you might not require syncing a whole library running the full sync. In such a case, you can perform the partial sync of particular collections.
For that, just select a collection you'd like to update and click 3 vertical dots to the right to open the dropdown menu of the selected collection.
The 'Run sync' button will pull updates from the corresponding folder on the storage side.
NB! Alternatively, you are welcome to try our own Pics.io storage based on the Amazon S3 cloud storage platform.
How to run a full sync?
In your Pics.io account mouse over the “Settings” icon on the right-side panel and click on the “Sync” button. Here you will be able to check when the latest sync happened and if necessary do manual sync by clicking on the “Sync now” button.
If your library has over one million assets, achieving a full sync can be challenging leading to incomplete updates.
NB! A full sync can be started only by users with the library's root collection access.
What is Auto-sync? How often does it happen?
Users who work on top of Google Drive storage can benefit from auto-sync functionality. Auto-sync means that synchronization between your Pics.io account and Google Drive happens automatically without your presence at regular intervals. These intervals depend on your billing plan. Check the peculiarities of the auto-sync feature for different packages below:
Solo:
auto-sync: not available;
manual sync interval: 15 min;
Micro:
auto-sync interval: 30 min;
manual sync interval: anytime;
Small:
auto-sync interval: 15 min;
manual sync interval: anytime;
Medium (legacy subscription plan):
auto-sync interval: 5 min;manual sync interval: anytime;
Trial:
auto-sync interval: 5 min;
manual sync interval: anytime;
If you want auto-sync to happen faster than it does now, you may upgrade your billing plan anytime.
Why is the sync not working?
Sometimes, you may face the following warning message along with receiving an email with the 'Some issues during Sync' subject while trying to run the sync.
If the system detects a big discrepancy in the number of files in your storage folder/bucket and inside Pics.io, the sync won't come through and will be considered destructive. It means that the data you still see in Pics.io is no longer located in corresponding folders on the storage side and in order to prevent the data loss, the highly destructive actions require additional confirmation. That's why you'll be asked to confirm your intentions to update your library. Please mind that once the destructive sync is confirmed, the data will be moved to trash on your storage provider side.
I'm using Amazon S3 storage. How does sync work with it?
By default, only manual sync is available for teams who use Amazon S3 as a storage option. However, the development team is currently implementing auto-sync for S3, and it's already accessible in beta mode. The frequency of sync intervals can be customized according to the library size, allowing for flexible adjustments. If you're interested to have the auto-sync for your S3-based Pics.io library, drop us a line at support@pics.io or just open a new chat with us.
Here comes the time limitations of manual sync for different billing plans:
Solo - every 15 minutes
Micro, Small, Medium, Enterprise - anytime
Trial period - anytime
When should I make manual sync?
In many cases, you may take advantage of auto-sync depending on your billing plan. Only users subscribed to the Solo plan have some limitations in performing manual sync. Still, if you make some changes in your Google Drive working folder and need them to be displayed in your Pics.io account right now, it is necessary to perform a manual sync. After that, all the updates will be shown in your Pics.io account.
NB! Moving assets between folders in Google Drive requires manual sync after it. Auto-sync does not process assets in this case, thus we recommend uploading assets via the Pics.io interface or directly into the Pics.io folder in the GD.
In Pics.io I don't see some files/folders which are located in the connected storage. What should I do?
If some assets uploaded/added through Google Drive/Amazon S3 don't appear in your Pics.io library, you can always make a full manual synchronization. Alternatively, it's possible to sync separate folders up to two levels. Just mouse over the collection name where files are missing - click on three vertical dots -> 'Run sync'. Once syncing is finished, you should see the assets in Pics.io. If the files or folders don't appear, please double-check the sharing permissions on your storage. Feel free to contact support@pics.io if you need any help.
NB! In case you do not see files uploaded via the Google Drive interface appearing in Pics.io UI, check for a folder with an identical name on the Google Drive side. Pics.io, unlike Google Drive, sorts folders by names, not ID numbers. The necessity to have different names for folders on the storage end is derived from the fact that Pics.io cannot sync 2 folders with the same name, consequently, the duplicated folder will not be displayed in a tree of collections as well.