With the start of the new year, Synology is rolling out new software updates for their Bee lineup, including the BeeDrive and BeeStation.

The BeeStation's OS, BSM, is currently in the 1.2 beta version, coming with a brand new BeeProtect cloud-backup platform for the BeeStation device.

However, alongside this update, the desktop version of the BeeStation client, we are getting more new features and tricks that this device can do.

Version: 1.3.0-0437

(2025-01-02)

What's new

  • Added a photo transfer method for iCloud, allowing direct login to your iCloud account on BeeStation for desktop without downloading ZIP files.
  • Added support for transferring photos from cloud services (e.g., iCloud Photos or Google Photos) or other storage devices to BeePhotos while preserving their original album structures.

Fixed issues

  • Fixed an issue where photos taken before the year 1970 might fail to upload.
  • Fixed an issue where users could not select "Always keep on this computer" by right-clicking a file in File Explorer after enabling sync in BeeStation for the desktop's Settings > BeeFiles.
  • Fixed an issue where devices in the China region could fail to connect properly.
  • Enhanced connection stability with BeeStation.

macOS

  • Fixed an issue where installing BeeStation for desktop on Apple Silicon devices required Rosetta for translation.
  • Fixed an issue where macOS 15 could fail to generate preview thumbnails for photos of specific sizes.

Starting with the macOS-enhanced feature, the desktop client no longer requires the Rosetta platform, as it has been rewritten to be a native Apple Silicon app.

BeeStation for Desktop 1.3 is a native Apple Silicon app

Apart from that, we can see that Synology is trying to pull users away from the commercial cloud platforms, and back to on-premise and their own devices. With the 1.3 version of the desktop app, we now have support for both Apple iCloud and Google Photos direct download from the cloud to the BeeStation.

Select a specific BeeStation that we want the desktop client to work with
New transfer features are now offered. Google Photos and iCloud Photos

The process is simple. Selecting the cloud vendor will guide us to connect and authenticate to start a simple download process.

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NOTE: This is a one-way (cloud > BeeStation) transfer option that will pull all non-duplicate files retaining their structure (albums for example)

Authentication with Apple iCloud
While the release notes do not mention that this feature is in "beta" the dropdown menu does

Apart from the ZIP file transfer method that included feeding BeeStation a downloaded ZIP file from the cloud provider, the "connect with..." option will ask us to authenticate to grant access and start the download.

Once the handshake has been completed, the download will start
The log will show in detail what files (images and videos) have been downloaded or skipped
The macOS status menu icon will also present us with a notification message when the transfer has been completed

The process will take some time depending on the number of files, Internet speed, etc, but once it has been completed we will have the content accessible via the BeePhotos web app (part of the BeeStation interface).

Content visible inside iCloud Photos...
...same content visible inside the BeePhotos app

A nice added feature with the intention not to sync but to pull data from the public cloud locally onto the BeeStation. It would be wise not to repeat this process and the transfer will each time scan the whole content, find the duplicates, and then download only the missing files. Still, the fact that it will process the whole content over and over again, it would be best to do this as a one-time action and continue using the files on the BeeStation.

While on the subject, the BeeDrive update on the other hand did receive also iCloud only (for now) support, but unlike the BeeStation it can be automatic and it will periodically check for changes that have happened on the iCloud end and download the files missing.

Version: 1.4.1-13931
(2025-01-06)

Supports backing up iCloud Photos automatically and checking updates every hour.

BeeDrive for desktop release notes on the topic of iCloud Photos support

Maybe the same feature will arrive in the next update for BeeStation, maybe it won't but in any case a welcome addition never the less.