Designing Syncboard for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows & Chrome
Copy and paste texts, links or anything across multiple devices.
In late 2019, I had an idea for a clipboard manager but couldn’t pursue it because I had another idea that seemed more promising to build. Now, revisiting that concept, I’ve decided to improve the idea, design it, and share it publicly.
The core concept of Syncboard revolves around creating a clipboard manager that allows users to synchronize content they’ve copied on one device and seamlessly paste it onto another.
For instance, users can move texts, links, numbers, addresses, or any content they’ve copied from Device A — Android and paste it onto Device B — MacBook, and vice versa, across any other devices connected to their account on the Syncboard app.
To achieve this, the focus was to build the same app but for different operating systems:
- Mobile App — iOS and Android App.
- Desktop App — Mac Menu Bar and Windows App.
- Keyboard App — iOS and Android.
- Chrome Extension.
Mobile App
The mobile app serves users on iOS and Android.
- iOS
- Andriod
Desktop App
The desktop app serves users on MacOS and Windows.
- Mac Menu Bar
- Windows
Keyboard App
Once users install the keyboard app, sign in, and accept the permission request, any text, links, numbers, or anything copied on their devices will automatically be stored and can be accessed through the app. This stored data can be used whenever they need to fill out a form, send a message, or want to paste it anywhere they wish.
Chrome Extension
The Chrome extension serves as a web version of Syncboard. Any content copied via the browser on which it was installed can be accessed on any other connected device.
Implementation
I planned to collaborate with some developers in my local tech communities to make it work. I weighed this Syncboard idea against others I had and ultimately pursued the one that later became Fidia a few months later.
If I had pursued the Syncboard idea in 2019/2020, I would have proposed building the main mobile app and the keyboard app with Flutter, the desktop app with Electron, and the Chrome extension with pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, using extension tutorial videos from Traversy Media or Wes Bos as a guide.
All the apps would have shared the same backend and databases so we would have used Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB.
Creating the Mac Menu Bar app would have been challenging since, at that time, I only knew that Objective-C and Swift were the languages we could use, and I didn’t have connections with anyone proficient in those languages. In this case, we would have developed it as a normal desktop app with Electron due to its capabilities for cross-platform development.
Landing Page
A one-page site for users to discover, download, and install Syncboard on their devices.
Business Model
I probably would have made the app free to use if it had been built when I had the idea. However, thinking about it now, a subscription model seems like a good fit for the app.
The free plan could have the capability to connect and sync clipboard data across two devices, while the pro plan could allow connections and synchronization across more devices. So, you could connect the app to your mobile phone and PC for free, but to connect more devices, you have to subscribe to the pro plan.
Including data retention in the pro plan is also nice. So, if you’re on the free plan, the app will save and store your clipboard content for 30 days and be erased afterwards. But if you don’t want your data to be erased, subscribing to the pro plan would provide extended data retention.
The proposed pricing for the pro plan could be $2 per month and $20 per year.
