Sync Groups¶

Sync groups allow you to keep podcast subscriptions synchronized across multiple devices. When devices are in the same sync group, adding or removing a subscription on one device automatically applies the change to all other devices in the group.

How it works¶

By default, each device has its own independent set of subscriptions. This is how the gpodder.net protocol works — each client registers with a unique device ID.

To sync subscriptions across devices, you group them into a sync group. When you subscribe to a podcast on any device in the group, rpodder automatically propagates the subscription to all other devices in the same group.

Managing sync groups (Web UI)¶

Go to the Devices page
The Sync Groups section shows your current groups and unsynced devices
Click the + button next to an unsynced device
Select the device (or existing group) to sync with
Click Sync to create or extend the group

To remove a device from a group, click the × button next to its name in the group.

Managing sync groups (API)¶

Get current sync status¶

curl -u user:pass https://rpodder.example.com/api/2/sync-devices/USERNAME.json

Response:

{
  "synchronized": [["phone", "laptop"]],
  "not-synchronized": ["tablet"]
}

Create a sync group¶

curl -u user:pass -X POST \
  https://rpodder.example.com/api/2/sync-devices/USERNAME.json \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"synchronize": [["phone", "laptop", "tablet"]]}'

You can create multiple groups at once:

{"synchronize": [["phone", "laptop"], ["tablet", "desktop"]]}

Remove a device from its group¶

curl -u user:pass -X POST \
  https://rpodder.example.com/api/2/sync-devices/USERNAME.json \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"synchronize": [], "stop-synchronize": ["tablet"]}'

Important notes¶

A sync group requires at least 2 devices. Attempting to create a group with a single device is a no-op.
Removing a device from a 2-device group effectively dissolves the group.
When creating a sync group, existing subscriptions are automatically merged — each device receives all subscriptions from every other device in the group.
After merging, any new subscription changes are propagated in real-time.
Episode actions (play position, etc.) are synced independently via the episode actions API — they are not affected by sync groups.