Using SyncAdapter when an AccountAuthenticator is not required

Question

I am working on an android app and I want to make use of my own custom sync adapter to sync data within my app and Google drive or Dropbox.

It looks like the SyncAdapter is the best method to use as Android decides when the best time to sync is, i.e. when other syncs are in progress for better battery performance etc.

However, from what I have read, the SyncAdapter requires an Account Authenticator so the user can add an account from the Android Settings > Add Account screen.

I'm not sure what the best way to implement this would be as there would be no point making the user register an account with my server to authenticate with, to require to authenticate with Google Drive/dropbox anyway. Is there a way to make a dummy account that can be used for the sync adapter, is some sort of authentication required, should I just fake a username and password the the account authenticator can use so that it can create the account and make use of a sync adapter.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Answer 1

The Creating a Sync Adapter training does exactly that - creates a dummy account just for use with your SyncAdapter.