Syncios is free yet powerful iOS manager which can transfer transfer files between computers and iOS devices, whether they are media items, photos, ebooks, apps, contacts, notes, bookmarks or messages.
Installation
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.
Use
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.
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.
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.
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.
