An open-source alternative to iCloud and Google Photos;
Back up phone photos to your own computer and access computer files over your local network.
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Best
Maker
📌
Hi Product Hunt,
We built LynavoDrive around a simple frustration: shooting on a phone but working on a computer still means manually moving files or uploading everything to the cloud first.
LynavoDrive automatically backs up photos and videos to a folder on your own computer. The local workflow works over your LAN, keeps original files uncompressed, and includes pairing, sync history, and device controls.
We also opened the local core under AGPL-3.0 so anyone can inspect, build, and modify it.
We’d especially appreciate feedback on setup, transfer reliability, and what would make local-first storage feel easier than cloud-first.
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Backing up photos to my own computer sounds great, but I'd love to see automatic folder syncing between phone and PC, so new shots show up without me having to open the app each time.
Report
Maker
@esmatezuanjxfd Thanks — that’s a really useful suggestion. The ideal experience should be “set it once and forget it,” with new photos automatically backed up to a chosen folder on your computer.
We’re exploring background syncing, including controls such as Wi-Fi only, charging only, and selected folders. Mobile background restrictions—especially on iOS—are something we need to handle carefully.
Would you mainly want one-way automatic backup from your phone, or full two-way folder syncing? Also, which phone and desktop systems do you use?
Report
Maker
@esmatezuanjxfd Would you be willing to test the current one-way backup flow today? If you can back up 20 non-critical photos, reply with iOS or Android and Windows or macOS. I’ll help with setup, and your comparison with the automatic folder-sync workflow would be especially useful.
Report
A nice self-hosted option for keeping photos on your own hardware. One thing that would make this even better is adding automatic background sync that triggers whenever the phone joins your home WiFi, so you don't have to remember to open the app after every trip or event.
Report
Maker
@aksinerson87631 Thanks — that’s a great suggestion. The ideal experience is exactly what you described: arrive home, connect to a trusted Wi-Fi network, and have new photos sync automatically to your own hardware without needing to open the app.
We’re exploring this workflow now. The main challenge is making background sync reliable across iOS and Android while keeping battery usage low and ensuring it only runs on user-approved networks.
Would you prefer it to sync immediately after joining your home Wi-Fi, or only when the phone is also charging?
Report
Maker
@aksinerson87631 Would you be open to testing the current build today? The test is one 20-item backup over home Wi-Fi. Reply with your phone OS and Windows or macOS, and I’ll help with setup. Your notes on where the manual flow falls short of the automatic home-Wi-Fi experience would be very valuable.
Report
Backing up phone photos to my own computer sounds great, but it'd be even better with automatic upload in the background as soon as I get home and connect to my wifi. Right now having to manually start the transfer every time feels like a chore.
Report
Maker
@fcikada38266 Thanks — that’s a really helpful suggestion. You’re right: if the goal is effortless backup, having to manually start the transfer every time can feel like a chore.
Automatic background uploads when you arrive home and connect to a trusted Wi‑Fi network is something we’re evaluating. We want to make it reliable while keeping everything local and avoiding unexpected battery or network usage.
For now, transfers need to be started manually. Would you prefer:
Automatically uploading only new photos; or
Running a scheduled full backup?
Also, should this work only on selected trusted Wi‑Fi networks? Your feedback will help us prioritize this.
Report
Maker
@fcikada38266 Could you test the current manual-transfer build today? We’re looking for 10 hands-on testers. If you can back up 20 non-critical photos, reply with iOS or Android plus Windows or macOS and I’ll help you set it up. Your feedback will directly shape the trusted-Wi-Fi background workflow.
Report
Have you considered adding automatic background uploads that resume seamlessly when the phone reconnects to your home wifi? That way backups happen without me needing to remember to open the app whenever I leave and come back.
Report
Maker
@sraaf2l Great suggestion — we don’t support this yet, but automatic background uploads that resume when your phone reconnects to a trusted home Wi‑Fi network are definitely on our radar.
We’re especially thinking about Wi‑Fi-only rules, pause/resume reliability, battery usage, and clear backup status so it works quietly without surprises.
When you say “automatic backups,” would you want this for all new photos/videos, or only selected folders or albums? That would help us prioritize the right workflow.
Report
Maker
@sraaf2l Would you be open to testing the current build today? We’re looking for 10 hands-on testers. If you can install it and back up 20 non-critical photos, reply with your phone OS and whether you use Windows or macOS; I’ll help with setup. Your background-upload feedback is exactly what we want to validate.
Report
Finally set this up on my old laptop and it just works over wifi without fuss. Backing up my photo library feels good knowing nothing is leaving my house.
Report
Maker
@mustafabfag Love hearing this! Turning an old laptop into a simple, private photo backup is exactly the kind of setup we hoped to enable. Glad it worked smoothly over Wi‑Fi—and that your photos can stay at home. If you notice anything as your library grows, we’d love to hear your feedback!
Replies
Backing up photos to my own computer sounds great, but I'd love to see automatic folder syncing between phone and PC, so new shots show up without me having to open the app each time.
@esmatezuanjxfd Thanks — that’s a really useful suggestion. The ideal experience should be “set it once and forget it,” with new photos automatically backed up to a chosen folder on your computer.
We’re exploring background syncing, including controls such as Wi-Fi only, charging only, and selected folders. Mobile background restrictions—especially on iOS—are something we need to handle carefully.
Would you mainly want one-way automatic backup from your phone, or full two-way folder syncing? Also, which phone and desktop systems do you use?
@esmatezuanjxfd Would you be willing to test the current one-way backup flow today? If you can back up 20 non-critical photos, reply with iOS or Android and Windows or macOS. I’ll help with setup, and your comparison with the automatic folder-sync workflow would be especially useful.
A nice self-hosted option for keeping photos on your own hardware. One thing that would make this even better is adding automatic background sync that triggers whenever the phone joins your home WiFi, so you don't have to remember to open the app after every trip or event.
@aksinerson87631 Thanks — that’s a great suggestion. The ideal experience is exactly what you described: arrive home, connect to a trusted Wi-Fi network, and have new photos sync automatically to your own hardware without needing to open the app.
We’re exploring this workflow now. The main challenge is making background sync reliable across iOS and Android while keeping battery usage low and ensuring it only runs on user-approved networks.
Would you prefer it to sync immediately after joining your home Wi-Fi, or only when the phone is also charging?
@aksinerson87631 Would you be open to testing the current build today? The test is one 20-item backup over home Wi-Fi. Reply with your phone OS and Windows or macOS, and I’ll help with setup. Your notes on where the manual flow falls short of the automatic home-Wi-Fi experience would be very valuable.
Backing up phone photos to my own computer sounds great, but it'd be even better with automatic upload in the background as soon as I get home and connect to my wifi. Right now having to manually start the transfer every time feels like a chore.
@fcikada38266 Thanks — that’s a really helpful suggestion. You’re right: if the goal is effortless backup, having to manually start the transfer every time can feel like a chore.
Automatic background uploads when you arrive home and connect to a trusted Wi‑Fi network is something we’re evaluating. We want to make it reliable while keeping everything local and avoiding unexpected battery or network usage.
For now, transfers need to be started manually. Would you prefer:
Automatically uploading only new photos; or
Running a scheduled full backup?
Also, should this work only on selected trusted Wi‑Fi networks? Your feedback will help us prioritize this.
@fcikada38266 Could you test the current manual-transfer build today? We’re looking for 10 hands-on testers. If you can back up 20 non-critical photos, reply with iOS or Android plus Windows or macOS and I’ll help you set it up. Your feedback will directly shape the trusted-Wi-Fi background workflow.
Have you considered adding automatic background uploads that resume seamlessly when the phone reconnects to your home wifi? That way backups happen without me needing to remember to open the app whenever I leave and come back.
@sraaf2l Great suggestion — we don’t support this yet, but automatic background uploads that resume when your phone reconnects to a trusted home Wi‑Fi network are definitely on our radar.
We’re especially thinking about Wi‑Fi-only rules, pause/resume reliability, battery usage, and clear backup status so it works quietly without surprises.
When you say “automatic backups,” would you want this for all new photos/videos, or only selected folders or albums? That would help us prioritize the right workflow.
@sraaf2l Would you be open to testing the current build today? We’re looking for 10 hands-on testers. If you can install it and back up 20 non-critical photos, reply with your phone OS and whether you use Windows or macOS; I’ll help with setup. Your background-upload feedback is exactly what we want to validate.
Finally set this up on my old laptop and it just works over wifi without fuss. Backing up my photo library feels good knowing nothing is leaving my house.
@mustafabfag Love hearing this! Turning an old laptop into a simple, private photo backup is exactly the kind of setup we hoped to enable. Glad it worked smoothly over Wi‑Fi—and that your photos can stay at home. If you notice anything as your library grows, we’d love to hear your feedback!