ShareDing is an Android share target for linkding. It saves links from other apps to a local queue, then sends them to your linkding server. It requires Android 10 (API 29) or newer.
Releases · Quick start · Screenshots · Privacy · Contributing · License
Saving a link should not depend on whether your linkding server is reachable at that moment. It may be offline or accessible only when your phone joins your home network or VPN. ShareDing records the link on the phone first, so you can leave the Share menu immediately and let Android deliver it later. This project brings the sharing workflow of the iOS ShareDing app to Android, using Android's background work and network signals for delivery.
- Share an HTTP(S) link to ShareDing from a browser or another app, or enter it in the Add Bookmark form. You can save links before configuring the server.
- ShareDing removes known tracking parameters such as
utm_*,fbclid, andsion YouTube and Spotify links, then writes the bookmark to a Room database on the device before attempting a network request. The browser stays visible; a shortSaved to queueToast appears only after the local write succeeds. Invalid links and local save errors get a different message. - WorkManager runs sync when a network is available. ShareDing checks the configured linkding server itself, so a server reachable through LAN or VPN does not need public internet access.
- Before sending a link from a known URL shortener such as
t.co,bit.ly, orvk.cc, ShareDing asks the shortener where it leads and sends that address instead, noting the short link in the bookmark notes. It never opens the target site, so a blocked destination does not matter; if the shortener cannot be reached, the short link is sent as is. After linkding accepts the bookmark, ShareDing removes it from the queue. Connection and server errors leave it queued for another attempt. Retries use exponential backoff starting at 30 seconds; Android may run them later than the scheduled time.
While a server is set up and sync is not stopped, WorkManager also checks for queued links about every 30 minutes when a suitable network is available. This check reads the local queue and restores a missing sync job; it does not contact linkding or reset an existing retry delay. Android may postpone the check to save battery. It can run after the app process has been removed or the phone has rebooted, without opening ShareDing. A user force-stop pauses background work until the app is opened or used from the Share menu.
The queue survives app restarts and device reboots. Delivery is at least once: if linkding accepts a request but the response is lost, ShareDing may send the same URL again. Linkding updates an existing bookmark with that URL.
ShareDing keeps shared titles locally and lets linkding determine the page title. A shared title that is only the link, as browsers send for a long-pressed link, is ignored, including a link split by spaces as in Mastodon timelines. Titles entered in Add Bookmark are sent as one line with up to 512 characters; an empty title lets linkding fetch it. Background sync does not fetch bookmarked pages; Fetch page details remains available in the add form.
These screens were captured on an Android 16 emulator with an example link in the queue. No linkding server or API token was configured.
| Queue | Add Bookmark | Settings |
|---|---|---|
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Expanded bookmark details show the full title and URL.
- Install the app from Google Play, or install the APK using Obtainium or download it from Releases. See Install and update for details.
- In Settings, enter your HTTPS linkding server URL and API token, then tap Save settings at the bottom. Use Test Connection to check the server. If you previously configured an HTTP server URL, change it to HTTPS to resume sync; your queued bookmarks remain on the device.
- Open a browser's Share menu and select ShareDing, either in the app row or in the Direct Share row above it. It returns to the browser after a short confirmation without opening the main app screen. To add tags or a description, tap
+in Queue and enter the link manually; the paste button in the URL field inserts the first link from the clipboard. The full-screen form accepts a URL, title, description, and tags; Fetch page details fills an empty title and description from the page; tags stay as you enter them. - Check Queue for waiting, sending, or failed bookmarks and the last sync result and time. Tap a card to inspect and copy its full title, URL, and error. Failed entries have a Retry action; the Sync now button in Queue restarts sync immediately when a network is available and, with an empty queue, checks the server so the last sync result stays current. Removing an entry requires confirmation and restarts sync with the remaining links.
If sync hits a problem that retrying cannot fix, such as a rejected API token, ShareDing stops sync and shows a notification. Sync starts again when you save settings, tap Sync now, or tap Retry. Until then, and while no server is set up, saving a link shows the reason in the confirmation and in a notification, and no background work runs. Links that wait longer than a day also raise a notification. On Android 13 and newer it asks for the notification permission the first time you open the app; to change the answer later, use the system settings of the app. Without notifications, sync works the same and errors stay visible in Queue.
Settings also lets you set default tags and choose whether bookmarks are marked unread or archived. These defaults are applied when a link is sent, so changing them affects links already in the queue. Enter multiple tags with commas, for example reading, work notes, then tap Save settings. With a configured connection, existing linkding tags appear as suggestions while you type in Settings or a bookmark form. You can still enter new tags and save while the server is offline.
ShareDing connects to linkding and bookmarked pages directly. It has no proxy setting; if your server is reachable only through another route, use a VPN on your device. Versions before 0.2.1 had an optional HTTP proxy. It was removed because proxy credentials were sent without TLS, and updating deletes any saved proxy settings.
Settings shows an inline Test Connection result. The test uses the values typed in the fields and does not save them; tap Save settings to sync with a connection you have just tested. The API token is encrypted using a key held in Android Keystore. The privacy policy explains how the app handles bookmarks and the token.
ShareDing is written in Kotlin. Jetpack Compose provides the interface, Room stores the queue, and WorkManager handles background sync.
For automatic update checks, use Obtainium. Add https://github.com/juev/shareding as a source and install its latest stable APK. Enable Include prereleases only if you want test builds.
For manual installation, open Releases on your phone, download the latest APK, and confirm the installation. If Android asks for permission to install apps from this source, grant it to your browser or file manager. To update, download the newer APK and install it over the current version.
You can also install the downloaded APK over USB with adb install -r /path/to/downloaded.apk. All methods require Android 10 or newer. Release APKs use the same signing key, which Android requires for updates. Debug APKs use a different key. If you already installed a debug build, uninstall it before installing the release build. Uninstalling deletes its settings and local queue.
Install JDK 17 or newer, Android SDK Platform 36, and Build Tools 36.0.0. Set the SDK path with ANDROID_HOME or local.properties (sdk.dir=...).
./gradlew assembleDebug
./gradlew testDebugUnitTest
./gradlew lintDebug
./gradlew connectedDebugAndroidTestThe last command requires a running emulator or connected device. The debug APK is at app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk; install it with adb install -r app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk.
CI builds the app and runs unit tests and lint for pushes to main and pull requests. For a release, increment versionCode and update versionName in app/build.gradle.kts, add the matching changelog, commit and push to main, then push a v-prefixed tag matching versionName. The release workflow signs the APK with the existing release key, verifies its package, version, and certificate, and publishes it with a SHA-256 checksum. It also signs an AAB with a separate Play upload key and retains it as a workflow artifact for manual Play Console upload. You can run the workflow manually to check signing without publishing a release.
The workflow reads both signing keys and passwords from GitHub Actions repository secrets. For a local signed APK on macOS, run ./scripts/build-release-macos.sh; it reads the key from $HOME/.local/share/shareding/release.jks and its password from macOS Keychain (service org.evsyukov.shareding.release, account shareding). Set SHAREDING_RELEASE_KEYSTORE and SHAREDING_RELEASE_PASSWORD to use other locations. The signed APK is written to app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk. Back up the app-signing and Play upload keys and passwords securely.
The behavior contract is in the specification.
See CONTRIBUTING.md for bug reports, feature requests, and pull requests. Report suspected vulnerabilities privately using the security policy.
ShareDing is available under the MIT License.