Sync and offline
How your library stays in sync across devices, what works offline, and how the device limit works.
SONGUIDE is built local first. Your library lives on your device, and every change is saved there instantly, then synced to your account in the background. There is no save button and no sync button. This guide explains how that works, what offline really means, and how the device limit behaves.
How sync works
While you are online, changes upload automatically and reach your other devices moments later. While you are offline, changes wait on the device and upload on their own once you are back online. Edits, new songs, setlists, deletions, everything follows the same rule.
You can check sync at any time under Settings > Sync and Storage. The screen shows whether the device is online, when it last synced, and how many changes are waiting. It also has a Sync now button that triggers a sync immediately, which is handy right before going offline on purpose.
A small cloud icon in the corner of the app keeps you informed without opening Settings:
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| No icon | You are online and everything is synced. |
| Grey cloud | You are offline. Your library keeps working and changes are saved on this device. |
| Amber cloud | You are offline and changes are waiting to sync. They upload automatically once you are back online. |
| Cloud with checkmark | Your changes just finished syncing after you came back online. |
Working offline
On iOS and Android, your whole library works without an internet connection. You can view and edit songs, build setlists, transpose, set a capo, and perform. Everything you change is saved on the device and syncs when you are back online.
In the browser, treat SONGUIDE as online only. Browsers can clear locally stored data at any time, so the web app cannot make the same offline promise as the installed app. For rehearsals or gigs without reliable internet, use the iOS or Android app.
A few things always need a connection:
- Signing in or creating an account
- The first sync after signing in on a device
- Changing your email or password, and deleting your account
- Purchases and subscription changes
If you edit the same field of the same song on two devices, the change that syncs last wins. Deleting a song on one device also wins over offline edits to that song on another.
Signing out while offline discards changes that have not synced yet. The app warns you before this happens. If you have unsynced changes, reconnect and let them upload first.
The device limit
You can be signed in on up to 5 devices at the same time. The limit counts sign ins, not hardware: the installed app and a browser on the same computer are two sign ins, and so are two different browsers.
When you sign in on a new device while already at the limit, the app shows Device limit reached with a list of your current devices. Pick one to sign out of, and the new sign in continues. SONGUIDE never picks a device for you. However, a device you have not used for a long time is signed out automatically, so its slot frees up on its own.
You can manage your devices at any time under Settings > Account > Sessions. The list shows every device you are signed in on, with the current one marked. From there you can sign out any other device, and it takes effect within seconds. There is also an option to sign out of all devices at once.
A device you no longer have can always be signed out from the Sessions list. Uninstalling the app alone does not free the slot right away.
If a device will not sync
It should never come to this, but if a device seems stuck or out of date, work through these steps in order:
- Check Settings > Sync and Storage. Offline means this device has no working internet connection. Sync problem means the connection is fine but syncing is currently failing, which is usually temporary and resolves on its own.
- Try Sync now, then update SONGUIDE and restart the app if the problem stays.
- If the app asks you to sign in again, do so. Changes saved offline survive this and finish syncing afterwards.
- If this device shows outdated or broken content while others are fine, use Re-download library under Sync and Storage to replace the local copy with a fresh download. The app asks to sync pending changes first so nothing is lost.
- Still stuck? Contact contact@songuide.com.
Next steps
- Getting started covers the basics of the library, folders, and setlists.
- Import and export shows how to back up your songs as files.