# Recordings aren't syncing between devices

> Why a recording made on one device hasn't appeared on another: account mismatches, pending uploads, and network issues.

Updated: 2026-08-16 · Canonical: https://usecanto.com/help/troubleshooting/sync-across-devices/

Your account in the cloud is the source of truth — every device signed into the same account shows the same library. A recording that hasn't appeared on another device either hasn't finished uploading from the device that made it, or the two devices aren't actually on the same account.

## Checklist

1. **Are both devices on the same account?** Open settings on each device and compare the signed-in email. The classic trap is signing in with Google on one device and Apple on the other — those can be two separate accounts with two separate libraries, especially if the Apple sign-in hides your email behind a private relay address. See [Which sign-in methods does Canto support?](https://usecanto.com/help/account/sign-in-methods/)
2. **Has the recording finished uploading?** A recording syncs only after it uploads and processes. On the device that made it, check the status pill: **Recording**, **Uploading**, or **Processing** means it hasn't reached the cloud yet, so no other device can see it. **Ready** means it's in your account and visible everywhere.
3. **Does the recording device have a connection?** Uploads need a network. A recording made offline waits safely on the device and uploads when a connection returns — open the app and leave it in the foreground for a minute to let it finish.

## How long should syncing take?

Once a recording shows **Ready** on the device that made it, it's already in the cloud — other devices pick it up within moments of opening the app or refreshing the page. The wait you notice is almost always the upload and transcription on the originating device, not the sync itself; a long recording on a slow connection takes correspondingly longer. Recordings made in the background on mobile upload once the recording is finished — see [Record in the background](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/background-recording/).

## The recording is Ready but still not showing elsewhere

1. Confirm the account emails match exactly on both devices (step 1 — this is the cause in most cases).
2. On the web, reload the page; on mobile, close and reopen the app.
3. Check whether you're looking inside a space or filter on one device and the whole library on the other — the recording may be filed somewhere you're not looking. See [Organize with spaces](https://usecanto.com/help/organize/spaces/).
4. If the accounts match and the recording is **Ready** but still missing on the other device, [contact support](https://usecanto.com/help/troubleshooting/contact-support/) with the recording's title and date.

## Do edits sync too?

Yes. Notes, renamed speakers, titles, and transcript edits live in your account, not on the device, so a change made anywhere shows up everywhere the account is signed in.

## A word of caution about signing out

Signing out removes local recordings from that device. Anything already uploaded is safe and comes back when you sign in again — but a recording that hasn't finished uploading is deleted with the sign-out, and the app warns you first. Never sign out to "fix" syncing while a recording is still uploading.

Related articles:

- [Which sign-in methods does Canto support?](https://usecanto.com/help/account/sign-in-methods/)
- [What's different on iOS, Android, and web?](https://usecanto.com/help/getting-started/canto-on-ios-android-web/)
- [My transcription is stuck or failed](https://usecanto.com/help/troubleshooting/transcription-stuck/)