With new sharing features and a redesigned user experience, version 1.4 brings cloud-free sync to a wider audience

BitTorrent Sync began as a technology experiment; a way to see how a distributed, peer-to-peer model can change the way we sync and share files. Sync takes central servers and the cloud out of the equation and brings security, speed and user control to the table. No cloud means faster transfer speeds and that no third parties ever have your data; your data belongs to you.

Since the initial Alpha launch of Sync a little over a year ago, we’ve now hit over 10 million total user installs and have transferred over 80 Petabytes of data. Anecdotally, that equals the storage capacity of 2.5 million 32GB iPhones!

Today, we’re unveiling version 1.4 of Sync, a major update that fundamentally changes the way users interact with the application, making it easier to share things with others.

Whether you’re a professional photographer looking for a better way to share large images with a client, a researcher trying to send big files to colleagues, or someone sharing vacation videos with friends and family, Sync was built to make the way we manage our files better.

Sync and share large files – the bigger, the better

If you’re sharing files with a group, wedding photos for instance, there aren’t a lot of good options in the market. Cloud-based solutions slow the speed of transfer, amongst other issues, and shipping around burnt DVDs is inconvenient. Both of those options also get expensive fast.

Sync works magic here. Try it: put a folder of photos into a Sync folder and watch it start syncing with your group in seconds.

With Sync 1.4, we’ve built a workflow it to the application that makes it easy to share. The big feature with this update is the introduction of links. It’s simple sharing, without needing to set up an account.

There’s two ways to send a link, via email or copying it to your clipboard (so you can send using any communications tool of your choice).

All receivers have to do is click the link and Sync walks them through the remaining steps.

For those of you familiar with Sync 1.3 and earlier, an option to give access to folders via Keys (formerly called Secrets) is still available.

As you’ve seen, we’ve also rolled out a completely redesigned interface for Sync 1.4, a big step in efforts to create the best user experience.

The folder list is customizable, to show the status and information that you desire.