Sync and Recovery

Sundown saves captures on the device first, then uses sync to move saved transcripts and generated day views between your devices.

The rule

Capture does not wait on sync. If connectivity fails, Sundown keeps the capture locally and retries later.

With Sundown Cloud, the phone uploads captured material and refreshes the shared day view other devices read back. With GitHub export, Sundown can also write readable export copies after cloud sync.

What recovery means

• A temporary failure does not delete the note.
• One failed item does not block later captures.
• Watch-to-phone handoff retries after temporary connectivity problems.
• If transcription or day-view writing needs another pass, the capture stays saved locally and appears as retryable instead of lost.

What to expect

If sync is healthy, your devices stay in step. If sync is delayed, Sundown explains the delay without making you re-record anything.

A just-recorded capture may appear locally before the shared day view refresh finishes. Once upload succeeds, Sundown refreshes the shared day view so the same day appears on your other devices.

Seeing which device recorded a capture

Capture rows show whether a recording came from the phone or watch. If your Sundown account has more than one registered device, rows can also show a small device badge so you can tell which device recorded it.

• The badge shows your chosen device marker first, then the device type.
• A watch uses the same number as its parent phone.
• You can rename devices, change the marker, or archive old hardware from Settings > My devices.
• Archived devices still appear on older captures so your history stays readable.

Manual catch-up

On iPhone, pull to refresh from Timeline, Record, or Reminders when you want to force a catch-up pass. Sundown requests pending watch handoffs, pushes local work, downloads shared updates, and reloads the tab you are viewing.

The top-right orange cloud button gives you the same manual sync path. When the app is caught up, it shows a cloud with a checkmark. If there are pending changes or a sync problem, tapping the button opens a status panel with retry actions.

First cloud sync

When you sign in on a device with existing Sundown Cloud content, onboarding may show an initial sync screen while your first data pull runs. Fresh accounts, offline-only setup, and empty cloud accounts continue through onboarding without that gate.

If the first sync fails because the server is unavailable or connectivity is poor, you can enter the app and use local capture. Sundown remembers that first sync still needs to finish and retries later.

Choosing a backup mode

If you are deciding between Sundown Cloud and on-device-only use, see Choosing Your Backup Mode.