-side. If that is not true, the file will fail the checksum test, and the
-resend will do a normal bf(--inplace) update to correct the mismatched data.
-Only files on the receiving side that are shorter than the corresponding
-file on the sending side (as well as new files) are transferred.
-Implies bf(--inplace), but does not conflict with bf(--sparse) (though the
-bf(--sparse) option will be auto-disabled if a resend of the already-existing
-data is required).
+side. Any files that are the same size or shorter on the receiving size
+are skipped. Files that do not yet exist on the receiving side are also
+sent, since they are considered to have 0 length. Implies bf(--inplace),
+but does not conflict with bf(--sparse) (since it is always extending a
+file's length).
+
+dit(bf(--append-verify)) This works just like the bf(--append) option, but
+the existing data on the receiving side is included in the full-file
+checksum verification step, which will cause a file to be resent if the
+final verification step fails (rsync uses a normal, non-appending
+bf(--inplace) transfer for the resend).
+
+Note: prior to rsync 3.0.0, the bf(--append) option worked like
+bf(--append-verify), so if you are interacting with an older rsync (or the
+transfer is using a protocol prior to 30), specifying either append option
+will initiate an bf(--append-verify) transfer.