iCloud Sync

Table of Contents

1. Sync Basics
2. Drafts Pro Sharing
3. About iCloud Drive
4. Troubleshooting Sync
5. Previous Versions of Drafts

Sync Basics

Drafts syncs across all iOS and macOS devices and backs up data to iCloud. Sync requires the same iCloud account be signed in on all devices and iCloud Drive be active. Information synchronized to iCloud include:

• Drafts
• Draft version history
• Actions and action groups
• Logs of actions performed
• Workspaces
• Settings and configuration options, including editor options
• Credentials for services used in actions
• Drafts Pro subscription status

If an iCloud account is available when Drafts is installed, sync is enabled automatically. Even if you only have Drafts installed on a single device, it is highly recommended you leave iCloud sync active to protect your data so it could be restored in a new installation.

Drafts Pro Sharing

Drafts Pro subscriptions can be purchased on either iOS or Mac, but the App Stores on these platforms do not share purchases directly…so “Restore Purchases” will not work on a Mac, if you purchased your subscription on iOS or vice versa.

Pro subscriptions will automatically be shared across platforms, however, if you are using the same iCloud account. If you are using the same iCloud account and your Pro subscription is not automatically recognized, please contact support.

About iCloud Drive

Drafts syncs using CloudKit, the same iCloud technology that lies beneath iCloud Drive, Notes, and other Apple services. It does not sync via files. Drafts can export and import to files in iCloud Drive, but content in Drafts is not directly visible in iCloud Drive.

Troubleshooting Sync

To troubleshoot sync in Drafts, check the following:

• Are all devices logged into the same iCloud / Apple ID account? (in iOS Settings, or System Preference on Mac).
• Is iCloud Drive enabled on all devices?
• Does Drafts have permission to use iCloud Drive (in options for iCloud Drive)?
• Are you updated to the current version of Drafts from the App Store?
• In Drafts Settings/Preferences, in the iCloud Sync screen, is “Enable iCloud” active on all devices?

If all that looks right and Drafts is still not syncing, try to reboot all devices. It’s rare, but occasionally iCloud seems to stall on a device, and this typically resolves that case.

If the “Enable iCloud” control is greyed out and cannot be enabled, that means the system is telling Drafts iCloud is not available for use. Review the steps above to insure iCloud Drive is active and available for Drafts to use.

If after rebooting, Drafts is still not syncing, please do the following:

• Go back to Drafts Settings (Preferences on Mac) > iCloud Sync.
• Enable Logging.
• Let logging run for a few minutes to accumulated some data.
• Go back to Drafts Settings > iCloud Sync and send the logs to support.

That should give us additional details needed to troubleshoot.

Previous Versions of Drafts

Drafts 5 and greater introduced new storage capabilities (like tagging) that are not compatible with previous versions of Drafts. To sync across the Mac and iOS versions of Drafts, all platforms must be running version 5 or greater of Drafts.

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