Diagnose the Problem
Before applying a fix, identify what type of sync failure you are experiencing. Open the Profile tab and check the sync status indicator. It shows one of several states:
- Synced (green checkmark) -- everything is up to date. No action needed.
- Syncing (spinning icon) -- a sync operation is in progress. Wait for it to complete.
- Sync failed (red exclamation) -- the last sync attempt failed. Tap the indicator for details.
- Offline (gray cloud) -- no internet connection. Sync will resume automatically when you reconnect.
The error detail screen tells you the specific reason for the failure: network timeout, authentication error, or storage limit exceeded. Each has a different resolution path described below.
Network Issues
Network problems are the most common cause of sync failures. Symptoms include sync getting stuck on Syncing indefinitely, or failing with a timeout error.
Try these fixes in order:
- Toggle Wi-Fi off and on in your device Settings
- Switch between Wi-Fi and cellular data to test both connections
- Move closer to your Wi-Fi router if signal strength is weak
- Restart the app by closing it completely and reopening
If you are on a corporate or university network, the firewall may be blocking 12scribe's API servers. Try syncing on a different network (such as a mobile hotspot) to confirm whether the network is the issue.
Authentication Issues
If the sync error message mentions authentication, your session has expired. This happens when you have not opened the app for an extended period or when your account credentials have changed.
To fix authentication errors:
- Go to the Profile tab
- Tap Sign Out
- Sign back in with your Apple ID or email
- Sync will restart automatically after sign-in
If you changed your password on another device, you need to sign in with the new password. The old session token is invalidated and cannot be refreshed.
In rare cases, Apple Sign-In tokens expire and need to be refreshed. Signing out and back in with Apple handles this automatically.
Storage Limits
Pro users who sync audio files to the cloud may hit their storage limit. When storage is full, metadata sync (projects, markers, transcription text) continues to work, but new audio file uploads are blocked.
Check your storage usage on the quota dashboard in the Profile tab. If the storage bar is at 100%, you need to free space before audio sync can resume.
To free storage:
- Delete old projects you no longer need
- Remove audio files from the cloud while keeping metadata (available in project settings)
- Export projects to a local backup before deleting them from the cloud
Force Re-sync
If none of the above resolves your issue, you can force a complete re-sync. This tells the app to re-upload all metadata and re-download any missing data from the server.
To force re-sync:
- Open Settings
- Scroll to Advanced
- Tap Force Re-sync
- Confirm the action
A force re-sync can take several minutes depending on how many projects you have. The app remains usable during the process -- recordings and playback are not interrupted. The sync status indicator shows progress as each project is processed.