Have you ever wanted your own personal cloud streaming service or to setup a home media server but didn't want to bother with all the technical issues or hassle? Well, you need to check out younity.

It lets you access all your files - including music, videos, photos, and documents - from anywhere and on any device, because it’s able to stream stuff stored on your computer to your smartphone or tablet or TV. younity creates this connection to let you access your files, but it doesn't take up any space on your mobile devices.

You can even use younity to post photos from your computer to Instagram or stream videos from your computer to your HDTV. But best part about younity is that it's totally simple to setup and use. Here's what we mean...

younity: How much does it cost?

younity is free to download and use. It sounds like younity plans to eventually offer a premium version, however.

younity: How does it work?

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Younity

younity must be installed on all the devices you use - or at least two of the ones you want to use for accessing files from anywhere. You start by installing it on your computers, then let it discover all your files on those machines, and when that’s done, you should download the app on all your mobile devices.

This setup will let you to stream and playback files from your computer to your mobile devices. And don’t worry if you use multiple platforms, such as a Mac laptop or Windows desktop. It will still work. younity understands both those operating systems and will automatically find all the documents, music, photos, and videos on your computer.

You don’t even have to make a specific folder for younity, because it stores files where you put them and syncs any changes to those files in real-time. younity organises all of your files across all your devices into a browsable menu.

In order for your phone or tablet to connect to your computer, your computer has to be on and connected to the internet. That last bit is important: your computer can be sleeping, but it has to be on and connected.

younity: What are some key features?

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Younity

younity lets you share files of any size.

So, if you have a 4K video, you can rest assure that high-res files will still stream instantly. Also, younity has integrated with several media services, including iTunes, Apple Photos, and Lightroom, streamlining the ability to access and share your playlists, photos, and libraries, respectively.

Keep in mind younity cannot be used to remotely control your computer or applications.

It simply shares all the files you have on that computer, across all your devices. But you can use it to download files to local storage. younity streams your stuff by default but permits you to grab files for offline access. Just click the download button in the lower left of most screens to select files to download.

As we mentioned, younity enables you to access all your stuff, so just a few things you can do is:

  • Access all your music from anywhere.
  • Share iTunes playlists.
  • Merge two Apple iTunes accounts.
  • Stream any movie stored on your computer to your mobile device.
  • Access your whole movie collection when you’re traveling.
  • Share high-resolution files like photos, music, and videos with friends and family
  • Play your GoPro videos when you’re out and about.

One of our favorite features is sharing. Younity lets you share files of any size, such as audio and video files, with friends who use younity as well as friends on Facebook or by email, but your friends cannot download or share your files with others. To share a file, click the download/share icon in the bottom left corner of most screens, then select ‘Share’, and find file you’d like to share.

When sharing by Facebook, the recipient doesn't need to download younity, as they’ll securely see your shared file within their browser on a computer. If they use their phone, they need to install the younity app.

Oh, and finally, younity has a universal search function so you can find anything, across any device.

younity: Can you use it to stream to your TV?

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Younity

Yup - as long as you have Apple TV. Just start playing a video in the younity app, then pull up the Apple menu from the bottom of your iPhone, and click AirPlay. You can then select the device you want to stream video to, such as Apple TV. You'll have to make sure you're on the same network as your Apple TV in order to stream.

A few ways younity is handy with an Apple TV is:

a) You can stream your media stored on your computer to ANY Apple TV. So the next time you’re at your friends house with nothing to watch, if they have an Apple TV you can use younity to stream any of your movies right to their TV.

b) If you have media stored on a couple different computers, you can easily access all of them at once with the younity app.

c) With younity you can also use your Apple TV for all your media, even if it is not in iTunes.

younity: Can you use it to post photos to Instagram?

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Younity

Yup. Select a photo in the younity app, then pull up the Apple menu from the bottom of your iPhone, and click Instagram. You'll then be able to open the photo in Instagram and can post as usual.

younity: How do you install younity to your computer?

  • Use this download link: http://www.getyounity.com/download.php
  • To install younity on your machine, double click the application icon
  • You will then be guided through the installation process
  • Once you have completed the install process, download the app

younity: Which operating systems does it support?

younity supports iOS 8 and above, Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks and above, and Windows XP and above. There is no support for Android at this time.

younity: Is it secure?

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Younity

younity says all transfers between your devices and on WAN are done over SSL - the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser and ensures that all data remains private.