iCloud Sync

Kan Do syncs through your own iCloud account. Every device signed in to the same Apple Account with iCloud Drive turned on sees the same spaces, projects, columns, tasks, notes, tags, and attachments. There is no Kan Do account, no Kan Do server, and nobody but you can read the data.

#Turning sync on

1. Open Settings ▸ Sync.
2. Turn on iCloud Sync.
3. Quit and reopen Kan Do. The switch takes effect after a restart.

Do the same on each device. The first download can take a little while if you have many attachments; the sidebar fills in as it arrives.

#What syncs

• Spaces, projects, columns, dividers, and their order
• Tasks with every field: title, subtitle, notes, dates, priority, flag, repeat, tags, links, location, subtasks, history dates
• Cover images and attachments
• Tags and their nesting
• Custom smart lists (through iCloud key-value storage, separately from the task database)
• Per-project cover image style
• Manual sort order in lists and columns

#What stays on each device

• Typography, theme, and most of Settings ▸ Appearance
• Kanban vs. List choice per project
• Sort By and Filter by Tag choices
• Task Completion choice (app-wide and per project)
• Widget configuration
• Folded state of tags and sections in the sidebar

That's deliberate: your Mac and your iPhone usually want different sizes and layouts.

#How fast is it

Kan Do saves changes locally the instant you make them, then hands them to iCloud. Apple schedules the actual upload and download, which is normally seconds while the app is open. While Kan Do is running it also keeps actively checking for changes from your other devices, so a card moved on the Mac appears on the iPad without you doing anything.

Reminders react quickly too: snoozing or completing on one device quiets the alert on your others within seconds of the change syncing.

#The Sync status screen

Settings ▸ Sync ▸ Status shows:

#Sync Now

Sync Now saves any pending edits immediately and asks iCloud to run. Apple still controls the timing of the upload and download, and Last Sent and Last Received update only after iCloud confirms them. Use it when you're about to close a laptop and want to be sure everything went out.

#Conflicts

If the same note is edited on two devices before they sync, the editor shows Note Changed Elsewhere and lets you Keep This Version or keep both. If two devices complete the same repeating task while offline, both create the next occurrence; Kan Do keeps one and removes the spare after the next sync. If a sync ever leaves duplicate copies of items on a device, the sidebar shows a banner and Settings ▸ Sync offers Merge Duplicate Copies. See Backups and Recovery.

#Turning sync off

Turn off iCloud Sync and restart. The device keeps its local copy and stops sending or receiving. The data already in iCloud stays there for your other devices.

#Apple TV and Apple Watch

The Apple TV app is read-only and shows whatever has synced to that Apple TV. It needs to be signed in to the same iCloud account, and on first launch it shows "Waiting for iCloud…" until the download finishes. Tasks added on the Apple Watch land in the watch's own store and sync through iCloud the same way.

#The AI connector

Tasks created or edited through the MCP connector on the Mac sync through iCloud right away while Kan Do is running.

#If something doesn't sync

1. Check both devices are signed in to the same Apple Account and that iCloud Drive is on in the system settings.
2. Check iCloud Sync is on in Kan Do's Settings ▸ Sync on both devices, and that you restarted after turning it on.
3. Look at Status. A Sync Problem row explains what iCloud reported.
4. Tap Sync Now on the device that has the change.
5. If tasks are missing content on other devices, see Backups and Recovery for Re-upload All Data and Re-download from iCloud.