Offline and sync
OpenTodo keeps a full copy of your tasks on each device. Everything you do happens on that copy first, so the app is fast and works the same with or without a connection. Your server keeps every device up to date and holds the backup.
On this page
Working offline#
On a train, on a plane, or in a basement with no signal, you can keep going: add tasks, complete them, edit notes, move cards on a board, comment. Your changes wait on the device and are sent as soon as there's a connection again. You don't have to do anything.
The installed app even starts without a connection. See Installing the app.
A few things need the server and say so when you're offline: changing your password, setting up passkeys or two-factor authentication, inviting people, importing files, and the full history of a task.
The sync status#
The status at the top right of the app tells you where things stand.
| Status | Means |
|---|---|
| Synced | Everything on this device is on the server, and the other way round |
| Syncing… | Sending or receiving changes right now |
| 3 pending | Changes are waiting to be sent; they'll go in a moment |
| Offline · 3 pending | No connection; 3 changes will be sent when it's back |
| Sync error | The server answered with a problem; hover over the status for details |
| Signed out | Your session ended; sign in again and waiting changes are sent |
| Locked | Your account uses encryption and this device needs your passphrase |
The count is the number of individual changes, not tasks: adding one task with a date and a label counts as several.
Live next to the status means this device gets other devices' changes within seconds. Without it, the app still checks regularly, just less often. Click the status at any time to sync now.
Several devices#
Use OpenTodo on as many devices as you like. A task you add on your phone appears on your laptop within a few seconds when both are online. A device that was off catches up the next time it opens.
When two devices change the same task#
You don't need to resolve conflicts. OpenTodo keeps track of each field of a task separately: the title, the date, the priority, and so on.
- If your phone changes the date and your laptop changes the priority, both changes are kept.
- If both change the same field, the change made last wins on every device.
- Notes are merged: if you type in the same note on two devices, both sets of edits end up in it.
- If one device deletes a task while another edits it, the task stays deleted. You can restore it from the Trash, edits included.
The same rules apply to people working together in a shared project.
Signing out#
Signing out (Settings → Session → Sign out) removes your tasks from that device. If you're online, waiting changes are sent first. Your data stays on the server, and signing in again downloads it.
Tips#
- On a shared computer, sign out when you're done.
- If a device has been offline for weeks, give it a minute after reconnecting to catch up before you start reorganising.
- Your data lives on your server, and you can download all of it at any time. See Import and export.
- How sync works under the hood is described in the sync protocol, for the curious.