As we dive into the latest updates from our team, it's clear that progress is being made across multiple areas. From mobile development to new team members, backend improvements, research partnerships, and even support automation, we're laying down important groundwork for the next stage of Filen. Let's take a closer look at what we've been up to.

Closed Mobile App Beta Now Live

The mobile beta officially launched this month on both Android and iOS platforms. With both platforms now live, the first wave of testers is already providing valuable feedback. We're closely monitoring bug reports and usage patterns, and our team is pushing fixes rapidly. This fast-paced feedback loop is exactly what we wanted: swift, iterative, and user-driven.

As we continue to refine the mobile app, our goal is to ensure "parity" between Android and iOS, while still following each platform's native guidelines to provide the best possible user experience. This beta represents a major step toward a modern, unified mobile experience powered by the Rust SDK under the hood – not just a facelift, but the foundation for a mobile ecosystem that will evolve quickly once we reach full release.

ZoomSockets: Preparing API 4.0 for the Future

One exciting concept we're experimenting with is something we internally call "ZoomSockets." It's our nickname for a potential major change that could arrive with API 4.0. Up until now, our API has been based on traditional HTTP request and response cycles. ZoomSockets replace this with persistent, bidirectional WebSocket connections, allowing us to keep one connection open and stream data back and forth without the extra HTTP layer. This results in much lower overhead, reduced CPU usage, and a smoother experience for users across the globe.

CLI in Rust: Performance, Simplicity, and Stability

We're planning to move our CLI away from the old TypeScript SDK and onto the Rust SDK. The goal is a simpler, faster CLI that starts quicker, runs with fewer resources, and is less prone to bugs – all while shrinking the final executable size from over 100 MiB to under 10 MiB. For power users who rely on CLI automation for syncing, backups, or integration into scripts, this will be a noticeable quality of life improvement.

Rust SDK Cleanup and Improvements

Our backend developer recently completed mobile file and document provider extensions using the Rust SDK. His focus now is on preparing the Rust SDK so that it can support the next set of clients that will be developed on top of it, including the web app and desktop app. This cleanup and improvement phase covers stability, performance, API surface, and developer resources such as guides and examples.

Once this groundwork is in place, work on the new sync engine will begin. The final CLI migration to the Rust SDK and the sync engine development will happen in parallel.

Planned Features

Some exciting features are on the horizon:

  • All selective sync rules will be transparent through our filenignore file (no more hidden filtering of specific files), with every rule able to be overwritten by the user.
  • Use version history to decide whether a file should be overwritten, making data loss in two-way sync practically impossible.
  • Use system or local folder trash rather than deleting items outright.
  • General efficiency and speed improvements in how directories are enumerated and compared.
  • Use WebSockets to subscribe to server-side updates rather than repeated queries.
  • Clear warnings when a file is not synced for any reason, such as case conflicts.

Potential Features

We're also exploring potential features like virtual files and a cloud sync engine approach, similar to how OneDrive or iCloud show placeholders for files that are not fully downloaded yet. This would allow you to see and manage all your files without using local storage until you actually open them.

A New Dedicated Mobile Developer Joins the Team

We're thrilled to welcome a new dedicated mobile developer to our team! Contracts have been signed, and onboarding starts on September 1st. Our new teammate brings deep expertise in React, React Native, Swift, Kotlin, and mobile development in general – exactly what we needed to take our mobile apps to the next level.

Get Involved

We're always looking for feedback from the community! Please share your ideas in our soon-posted dedicated Reddit thread so we can gather input and feedback.