BitMatch 0.2.11

Full details for every item are in CHANGELOG.md.

What you'll see

• Queue rows: card name, a plain state ("Keep the card", "Didn't verify", "Didn't copy", "Safe to erase"), finish time, backups and size; running rows show phase, file and rate and fill as they copy. Repeated attempts collapse to one row; Remove from queue always works.
• Finish names each backup by volume and folder, says what was verified for the mode, and Eject carries through to "Ejected · safe to remove" and "Removed". Notifications say "safe to erase" or "keep the card".
• Mac: tab strip stays in History, a bottom bar holds the one missing step and the Start/Check/Scan button, and the window follows its content without fighting resize, zoom or tiling.
• "Card" and "backup" everywhere instead of source and destination; the mode chooser is a row under the prompt; the two wells are equal.
• One motion system (settle spring, 200 ms ease, the safe-to-erase commit) and nothing moves on its own. Spacing, radius and text tokens; iOS light and Increase Contrast tints clear 4.5:1.
• iPhone and iPad keep Start, Pause, Resume and Cancel at the bottom; the source name has more room at large accessibility text.
• Fixed: queue row ⋯ menu and expand chevron ignored clicks in the rebuilt row.
• A paused queue now says "Review, skip, or remove the paused card first." instead of a silently disabled Start.

Safer copies, honest evidence

• Only backups proven to be on different physical drives count toward required copies.
• A backup that runs out of space pauses for the rest of the attempt; other backups finish, and it resumes next attempt.
• A file that fails verification is re-copied once and verified again; History records the recovery or the second failure.
• A file that still fails readback is renamed <name>.bitmatch-failed on the backup, bytes preserved; History says what happened to it.
• Fixed: cancelling a queued card during preparation could still let copying start.
• Older Quick transfers keep their "not verified" counts even when an old record used a verified label.
• Ignored AppleDouble metadata stays out of warnings and counts when everything selected verifies; PDFs tuck selected files behind a disclosure, CSV/JSON keep the full list.
• Better Standard retries for empty files on exFAT; other file changes still stop the transfer.
• Diagnostics handle overlapping writers, say which final backup check stopped a transfer (no footage names or paths), and count dropped events in exports.

Check

• Reads classic MHL 1.1 checksum files, checking contents without claiming to validate history or authenticity.
• Reads MD5-only and SHA-1-only classic MHL inventories; size-only and XXH64 stay unsupported.
• Rejects classic MHL records with conflicting modification dates for one file.

Faster and lighter

• History opens faster with large journals: collapsed rows defer their details and evidence is scanned once (50,000-row attach went from ~2 s to under 0.5 s). Clip-name search runs only when asked.
• PDF reports with many files or long filenames use less memory.
• Drive discovery, drive checks, camera hints and card readability checks run off the main thread with cancellation; late checks never replace your selection or pick a removed card.
• Selections are re-checked after mount changes (identity, name, capacity, readiness).
• Saved path comparisons stay consistent when files or symlinks come and go; safety checks recognise source-folder aliases before child folders exist.

Under the hood

• Tests pin the Dock badge (unresolved count, nothing when clean), idle Quit and queued-card removal.
• Ordinary test runs no longer touch real drives (real-volume checks are opt-in).
• History profiling covers model preparation and window attach on Mac plus an opt-in iPad probe.

BitMatch 0.2.10

A reliability update, with a few everyday improvements too.

• Fixed a crash with certain filenames, and made interrupted transfers and checksum histories safer.
• Better progress for large clips and queued cards, plus transfer status in the Mac menu bar.
• Queues keep moving when every selected file verified and only intentionally ignored Mac metadata was skipped.
• Cleaner PDFs, with better handling of long filenames, notes and page breaks.
• Move transfer settings between Mac, iPad and iPhone, and get clearer feedback when enabling notifications.
• More careful checks of saved reports and MHL histories, and better diagnostic exports. Older transfers with incomplete records may now ask for review.

Thanks to everyone reporting issues and helping test this stuff. If anything goes wrong, History → Export diagnostics gives us a useful starting point.

BitMatch 0.2.9

This update fixes memory use that could climb while BitMatch made an ASC MHL checksum history for a large backup, especially on exFAT. It still reads and checks the backup; it now lets go of each chunk as it finishes. I also fixed the same problem when Check reads XXH64 saved checksums.

We found both bugs while looking into a report of BitMatch using 55 GB of memory. They're real bugs, but I can't yet say which path caused that particular run without its diagnostics. Thanks to everyone reporting this stuff and helping me make BitMatch more dependable.

If a transfer stops, keep the source and use History → Export diagnostics… when you reopen BitMatch. The export doesn't include footage names or paths.

macOS download below. iPhone and iPad remain build-from-source for now.

BitMatch 0.2.8

A small update to make queued transfers, retries and checking older backups a little more dependable.

• BitMatch checks your selected folders again before a queued transfer starts. If a card or backup folder has been replaced, it asks you to reselect it.
• Different queued cards can no longer quietly target the same output folder.
• Retry details now show what was reused, copied, failed or is still pending for each backup. Earlier attempts stay in History.
• Fixed saved-checksum checks for nested card folders, filenames with spaces at the edges, and more ASC MHL files.
• Fixed Check mistaking macOS metadata companions on exFAT for damaged MHL records.
• Damaged or unsupported checksum records now get a clear explanation instead of silently checking only the readable part.

We also added a permanent compatibility test set and checked it with the official ASC tools. Thanks again to everyone sending reports and trying BitMatch with different cards and drives. It keeps making this thing better.

macOS download below. iPhone and iPad remain build-from-source for now.

BitMatch 0.2.7

A small update to make reports more useful and keep transfer setup simple.

• Clip previews in PDF reports. Turn on “Include clip thumbnails in PDFs” in Settings → Reports to add a small frame from the start of supported clips. Previews come from a verified backup; files that cannot be previewed still stay in the report. History can export PDFs with previews too.
• Cleaner, more compact reports. Less repeated text, previews beside filenames, and long notes flow across pages. Intentional metadata exclusions are listed separately from file errors.
• Optional operator and notes. Tucked under Advanced → Transfer details, remembered between cards and saved with each transfer's reports and ASC MHL.
• AppleDouble handling moved to Settings. “Ignore AppleDouble metadata files” is under General → File handling. It's on by default when no preference has been saved; existing choices and queued transfers keep their policy. Only recognized metadata companions are skipped, and reports record the exclusions. Other hidden files and camera sidecars are preserved.
• More useful History details. Recorded sizes, dates and copy/verification times are available in expanded rows. Missing measurements are left blank.

Tested locally across APFS, HFS+, exFAT, case-sensitive APFS and FAT32, including repeated transfers, renaming, project reports, cancellation and injected read/write failures. Mac, iPhone and iPad simulator tests passed.

Thanks to everyone reporting bugs and trying this with different cameras and drives. That testing is making BitMatch better. If something goes wrong, attach History → Export diagnostics to an issue. It doesn't include footage names or paths or send anything automatically.

The Mac download is signed and notarized.

BitMatch 0.2.6

You can now choose to leave recognized Mac metadata companion files out of a transfer.

• In Copy & Verify → Advanced, turn on Exclude AppleDouble companion files. Review the count and file list before starting.
• The setting is off by default. Ordinary files starting with ._, other sidecars and unrecognized metadata stay included.
• History and reports record what was excluded. Selected files are still checked, but a filtered transfer never marks the whole card safe to erase. Keep the source.
• Existing backup files and MHL histories remain protected from overwrite.

Tested locally across APFS, HFS+ and exFAT, including 54 two-destination transfer scenarios, all four verification modes, reports, MHL, cancellation and queued transfers. The engine, Mac and iPad simulator suites passed. These tests reproduce a Mac metadata conflict; they don't prove the exact cause of the report in #16.

If a transfer still fails: open History → Export diagnostics and attach the file to your issue with the exact error and the source/destination drive formats. Reopen BitMatch first if it closed. Diagnostics exclude footage names and paths; nothing is sent automatically.

Download the signed and notarized Mac DMG below, or use Check for Updates in BitMatch. iPhone and iPad remain available to build from source.

BitMatch 0.2.5

A reliability update for checking backups and investigating transfer problems.

• Fixed Check unexpectedly closing the app when a saved checksum report or MHL contains multiple files.
• Clearer missing/extra file lists when comparing folders. An extra file alone does not mean the copied files are damaged.
• Better diagnostics for comparison progress, errors and cancellation, without footage names or paths.
• Clearer explanations when an existing hidden Mac metadata file differs. Existing backups are still protected from overwrite.
• Folders on internal storage no longer offer Eject.

Tested locally with the full Mac suite, engine tests, Mac/iOS Release builds, and signed-app transfers, MHL, reports, cancellation and repeat checks across HFS+, exFAT and APFS. The Check crash is confirmed and fixed; the exact cause of the Sony transfer error in issue #8 is still unconfirmed.

If something still goes wrong: open History → Export diagnostics and attach the file to your issue, along with the exact error and whether you were using Copy & Verify or Check. If the app closes, reopen it first. The diagnostic file excludes footage names and paths; nothing is sent automatically.

Download the signed and notarized Mac DMG below, or use Check for Updates in BitMatch. iPhone and iPad remain available to build from source.

BitMatch 0.2.4

A reliability update for large-file verification.

• Fixed memory building up while checking large files. Temporary read buffers are now released after each chunk.
• Better diagnostics show which numbered file and destination were being checked, read progress and memory usage. No footage names or paths are included.
• Clearer verification diagnostics distinguish errors, mismatches and cancellation.

Tested with two 45 GB files verifying together, plus signed-app copy, cancellation, retry, ASC MHL and report checks. This fixes a reproduced memory problem; we're keeping issue #10 open until the reporter confirms it works on their setup. If a transfer stops again, reopen BitMatch, use History → Export diagnostics, and attach the file there.

Signed and notarized universal Mac app. Requires macOS 15.5 or newer.

BitMatch 0.2.3

A reliability update for transfers and reports.

• Fixed transfers sometimes stopping on small macOS metadata files, especially between exFAT drives. These files are still copied and checked; existing files are never overwritten.
• Fixed interrupted verification being treated as normal completion. Partial results remain available for review.
• Fixed reports counting the same source files more than once when copying to multiple backups.
• Master Report now keeps the transfer’s original safety verdict. A transfer that needs attention won’t later appear verified just because its individual files matched.
• Master Report also checks that a requested PDF report was saved and is intact before showing the transfer as verified.

The extra report checks apply to new reports. Older reports remain readable.

Tested across APFS, HFS+, exFAT, case-sensitive APFS and FAT32, including repeat transfers, project folders, camera labels, reports and injected failures. Quick mode remains a size-only copy, not a verified backup.

The exact cause of the cancellation reported in issue #10 is still unconfirmed. If it happens again, use History → Export diagnostics and attach the file to the issue. It excludes footage names and paths; nothing is sent automatically.

BitMatch 0.2.2 — transfer reliability and diagnostics

A small reliability update for verified transfers and handoff records.

• Fixed ASC MHL handoff records failing to save on exFAT drives after the files had copied and verified. Existing histories are preserved; an incomplete handoff is never reported as complete.
• Progress now shows the extra destination read needed to create ASC MHL records, so the transfer no longer looks finished while that work is still running.
• Unexpected transfer interruptions are recorded separately from intentional cancellation, with partial results retained for review.
• Fixed destination setup failing when the selected folder was accessible but a parent folder could not be listed.
• History now has Export diagnostics: a small record of recent transfer phases, progress, errors and cancellation origins that survives restarting the app. It excludes footage names and paths, and nothing is sent automatically.

These changes fix a reproduced exFAT handoff problem. The unexpected cancellation reported in GitHub issue #10 has not yet been reproduced, so that issue remains under investigation.