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Local Sync

Local Sync keeps your own devices - for example your Mac and your iPhone - in step over your local Wi-Fi network, so an item you add on one device shows up on the other. No cloud server is ever involved.

Local network only, unlocked only

Local Sync works only when your devices are connected to the same local Wi-Fi / LAN network and both are unlocked (the app open and signed in). Nothing is ever sent to the internet or stored on LockYit's servers, and all traffic between devices is end-to-end encrypted (RSA-2048 + AES-256-GCM). Your master password and keys are never transmitted.

Setting up sync between your own devices​

You pair your devices once. After that, they recognise each other automatically whenever they're on the same network and unlocked.

  1. Make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi / local network and have the LockYit app open and unlocked.
  2. On both devices, open the Local Sync screen and turn it on with Enable Local Sync.
  3. In the My Devices section, tap Pair (the + button in the section header). The devices find each other automatically on the network.
  4. On one device, choose the other from the discovered list and start pairing.
  5. A 6-digit code appears on the first device - enter it on the second to confirm. The code only verifies the pairing locally; it is never sent over the network.

Once paired, the devices appear in each other's My Devices list. Because sync is between your own devices, both must be signed in to the same LockYit account.

Setting up multiple devices​

You can sync as many of your own devices as you like - for example a phone, a tablet, and a laptop - so the same vault is available everywhere. They all sign in to the same LockYit account.

You don't have to pair every device with every other device. Each pairing connects two devices directly, but your vault converges across all of them: a change can travel through a device that's paired with both. So to add a third device, just pair it with one device you've already set up.

  1. Set up the first two devices as above (for example, Phone ↔ Laptop).
  2. On the third device (the Tablet), open Local Sync, turn it on, and tap Pair.
  3. Pick one of your already-paired devices (say the Laptop) and confirm with the 6-digit code.

That's it - the tablet now syncs with the laptop, and a change made on the phone reaches the tablet through the laptop the next time each pair syncs.

All three devices stay in step: an item you add on the phone appears on the tablet and the laptop, and vice-versa. Each device shows in the others' My Devices list with its own online/offline status and short #CODE.

Pairing is one-to-one, syncing is everyone

Each pairing connects two devices, but the whole vault converges across all of them. Pairing every device with every other (a full mesh) is optional - it just adds resilience, so a change still reaches a device even when the in-between device is offline. With a chain, the relay device needs to come online for changes to pass through it.

How syncing works​

  • Instant on change - adding, editing, or deleting an item syncs to your online paired devices right away.
  • On reconnect / unlock - when a paired device comes back online, or you unlock the app, it syncs immediately.
  • Adaptive background check - a periodic safety-net catches anything missed. While there has been recent activity the check runs more frequently; once the session has been idle for a few minutes it relaxes to save battery and reduce background traffic.
  • Pull to refresh - pull down on the Local Sync screen to run a full, two-way manual sync with every online paired device and every online sharing contact: your pending changes are pushed out, and each contact pushes its changes back to you. Because it's a manual sync, it goes through even for a device or contact you've set to Auto Sync off.

You can toggle Auto Sync per device, or sync manually:

  • Sync (the Sync button in the My Devices header) syncs with all your paired devices at once.
  • On a single device's tile, tap the Sync icon to sync just that device, or open the tile's menu (⋮) for Full Sync, Repair, and Remove Device. Full Sync forces a complete re-check when two devices look out of step. Repair re-runs pairing with a device that's online (handy after a reinstall).

The "This Device" card​

At the top of the screen, the This Device card shows this device's name and short code, a status line (Ready to sync or Cannot sync), and a Disable Local Sync action to turn the feature off on this device.

The device list​

Each device shows:

  • An online / offline indicator that updates live. A device shows offline whenever it's off the network or locked.
  • A short #CODE (four characters, e.g. #A3F1) derived from the device. This is handy when two devices share the same name - the code is unique to each installation and stays the same everywhere it's shown.
  • An Auto Sync toggle and a menu (⋮) with Full Sync, Repair, and Remove Device.

Stopping sync between devices​

You can stop syncing at two levels, depending on whether you want a pause or a clean break.

Pause syncing (keep the pairing)​

To stop syncing temporarily without losing the pairing:

  • One device at a time - turn off the Auto Sync toggle on that device's tile. The pairing stays, but changes won't flow automatically in either direction: with Auto Sync off for a device, that device's contents and yours stay independent until you sync. This holds even if the other device still has Auto Sync on for you - automatic syncs it starts are declined. You can still trigger a one-off sync from the tile (a manual sync always goes through), and turn Auto Sync back on any time.
  • This whole device - tap Disable Local Sync on the This Device card. This turns the feature off on this device; it goes offline to your other devices until you enable Local Sync again.

Remove a pairing (a clean break)​

To permanently disconnect two specific devices, open the device's menu (⋮) and choose Remove Device. The pairing is deleted and the two devices no longer sync. For a clean break, do Remove Device on both sides.

Removing a pairing does not delete any items - each device keeps the vault it already has. To sync them again later, pair them again with Pair and the 6-digit code.

Removing one device doesn't break the rest

If you have several paired devices, removing one pairing only affects those two devices. The others stay paired and keep syncing with each other.

Using a device on its own (standalone)​

You don't have to use Local Sync at all. If you simply never enable it (or you Disable Local Sync), the device works completely on its own - your vault lives only on that one device and is never shared with anything else.

Standalone means no second copy - back up regularly

With no sync, this device holds the only copy of your vault. If the app is uninstalled, the device is lost, reset, or fails, that data is gone and cannot be recovered - LockYit keeps nothing in the cloud.

Protect yourself by taking regular local backups and storing them safely outside the app - for example on a separate drive or another device you control. A backup left only on the same device disappears with it. See Backup & Restore for how to create and restore backups.

Troubleshooting​

If two devices aren't syncing, check these in order - most problems are one of the first few.

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Linux: allow discovery through the firewall​

On Linux, device discovery uses mDNS (the same "Bonjour"/zero-configuration technology Apple and Android devices use to find each other). Most Linux distributions ship with a firewall that blocks mDNS by default, so your devices never see one another even when everything else is set up correctly.

If your Linux device can't find - or can't be found by - your other devices, open the firewall for local sync. You need to allow two things:

  • mDNS discovery - UDP port 5353
  • The sync connection - TCP ports 18440-18450
Do this on the Linux device

These commands change the Linux machine's firewall. Your phone or tablet doesn't need any of this - only the Linux device. If you have more than one Linux device, run them on each one.

Fedora, Red Hat, Rocky, AlmaLinux, openSUSE (firewalld):

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=mdns
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=18440-18450/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint (ufw), if the firewall is enabled:

sudo ufw allow 5353/udp
sudo ufw allow 18440:18450/tcp

You also need the Avahi mDNS service installed and running. The LockYit .deb and .rpm packages set this up automatically. If you installed the AppImage or Flatpak, install and enable it yourself:

sudo dnf install -y avahi nss-mdns          # Fedora / Red Hat / Rocky
# sudo apt install -y avahi-daemon libnss-mdns   # Ubuntu / Debian
sudo systemctl enable --now avahi-daemon
Snap installs

If you installed LockYit from the Snap Store, also grant it permission to use mDNS once:

sudo snap connect lockyit:avahi-control

After opening the firewall, reopen LockYit and pull to refresh - your other devices should now appear.

Windows: allow LockYit through the firewall​

The LockYit installer (MSIX) already asks Windows for permission to use your private network, so on a normal install this just works. You only need the steps below if devices still can't find each other - usually because the firewall prompt was dismissed, or your network is set to Public.

If LockYit shows "Can't reach your other devices", open the built-in troubleshooting card (or tap Not seeing your devices? on the Local Sync screen) and use its two buttons - or do it manually:

1. Allow LockYit through Windows Defender Firewall

  • Open Windows Security → Firewall & network protection → Allow an app through firewall.
  • Find LockYit in the list and make sure Private is ticked.
  • If LockYit isn't listed, click Allow another app…, browse to LockYit, add it, then tick Private.

2. Set your network to Private (not Public)

The firewall permission only covers Private networks. On a Public network, Windows blocks incoming connections - so your other devices can't reach this one even after the firewall rule is added.

  • Open Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi (or Ethernet).
  • Select your active connection and set the Network profile type to Private.
Do this on the Windows device

These settings are per-Windows-device. Your phone or tablet doesn't need any of this - only the Windows PC that can't be reached.

After allowing the app and switching to a Private network, reopen LockYit and pull to refresh - your other devices should now appear.

iPhone, iPad & Mac: allow Local Network access​

Apple devices ask for Local Network permission the first time an app tries to find devices on your network. LockYit needs it to discover your other devices. If you tapped Don't Allow (or dismissed the prompt), discovery silently finds nothing - and there's no way to make the prompt reappear, so you have to turn it on in Settings.

If LockYit shows "Can't reach your other devices", tap Open Settings on the troubleshooting card - or do it manually:

  • iPhone / iPad: open Settings → LockYit and turn on Local Network.
  • Mac: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network and turn on LockYit.
Both devices

Do this on each Apple device that isn't appearing. After enabling it, reopen LockYit and pull to refresh.

Android: check network, VPN & permissions​

Android doesn't hide local sync behind a single switch, so when devices can't find each other it's usually one of these:

  • Guest network / AP isolation - make sure you're on the same Wi-Fi as your other devices, not a guest network. Guest networks and routers with "AP isolation" block devices from seeing each other.
  • VPN - a VPN routes your traffic away from the local network. Turn it off while syncing.
  • Nearby devices permission - on Android 13 and later, open Settings → Apps → LockYit → Permissions and allow Nearby devices.
  • Battery optimization - if syncing stops when the app is in the background, exclude LockYit from battery optimization (Settings → Apps → LockYit → Battery → Unrestricted).

After checking these, reopen LockYit and pull to refresh - your other devices should now appear.

Privacy & security​

  • All sync traffic stays on your local network - nothing is uploaded to the cloud or to LockYit's servers.
  • Sync only happens while both devices are unlocked and on the same network.
  • Every transfer is encrypted end-to-end.
  • Pairing codes verify the connection locally and are never transmitted.

See also: Sharing to hand individual items to other people on the same network.