Sync devices

Pro

Sync keeps the same maps on your phone and your tablet. It works directly between the two devices over your Wi-Fi network. There is no account to sign in to, no server in the middle, and your maps never leave your network.

How it works

1. Open Settings → Sync devices on both devices. They find each other on the network.
2. On one device, tap the other. Both screens show six digits. If they match, confirm on both.
3. Maps are copied and merged in both directions. When the sync finishes, a report shows what changed.

The first time two devices sync, you see a preview of what will be copied before anything happens. After that, syncing starts as soon as both sides confirm the digits.

Sync runs when you ask, with both devices awake and the app open. It does not run in the background, and it does not update as you type. Keep both screens on until it finishes. The app stops them locking while it runs.

Edits on both sides are merged

Say you edit a map on your phone, forget to sync, and edit the same map on your tablet. Sync compares both versions against the last time the two devices agreed, and combines them topic by topic:

• Changes to different topics are all kept, with nothing to decide.
• If the same topic was changed on both, the more recent change wins and the report points it out.
• If a topic was deleted on one device and edited on the other, the delete wins and the report says so, in red.
• Notes edited on both devices are merged line by line. If the same lines changed, both versions are kept in the note so you can pick.

Every sync can be undone

Each map a sync changed can be put back from the report with Undo this map. A map deleted on the other device arrives in your Trash, where it stays for the rest of its 30 days.

What is synced

Maps, folders, stars, custom themes and pictures all sync. Pictures are only sent when they change, so a second sync of the same map sends no images at all.

You can sync the whole library, one folder, or one map. A narrower sync never deletes anything outside what you picked.

Settings are not synced. A 13-inch tablet and a 6-inch phone usually want different text sizes.

Pairing

The six digits prove that the two devices are talking to each other and not to something else on the network. You are asked to compare them every time you sync. There is no list of paired devices to manage.

You can also pair by scanning a QR code shown on the other device, or by typing its address. The address is shown on the Sync screen under This device.

When it will not connect

• Both devices have to be on the same Wi-Fi network.
• Some guest and hotel networks stop devices seeing each other. When that happens, the app tells you so rather than searching forever.
• On iPhone and iPad, Smart Mind needs Local Network access. If it was turned off, the Sync screen says so and takes you to the right setting.

Other ways to move a map

Sync is for your own devices on the same network. To move maps anywhere else, including to a device running a free copy, use a Smart Mind backup file. Importing one is always free. See Import, export and back up.

Related

• Sync your devices: the full walk-through
• FAQ: common questions about sync