Solving Sync Troubles
How to troubleshoot Day One sync issues
While sync troubles are rare, they do happen. These sync issues can appear on one device or on all. Some devices may sync all entries, while another device may not sync any. You will normally see a Sync error warning on your account.
Here are the first things to check when you notice content is missing or has unexpectedly disappeared.
Are you signed in to the same account on every device?
The most common reason Day One won’t sync between devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android) is being signed into different accounts without realizing it. To check which account you’re signed into on each device, compare your User ID – if the numbers match, you’re on the same account.
Here is how to locate the User ID depending on the device you are using:
- iOS (iPhone/iPad): Open Day One > Navigate to Settings (top-right profile icon) > tap your name at the top > User ID.
- Android: Open Day One > Navigate to Settings (top-right profile icon)> Account > Day One User ID.
- macOS: In the menu bar, click Day One > Settings > Sync > User ID.
- Web/Windows: Sign in to the Web or Windows app > Click on Settings (the gear icon in the top-left corner) > Select Account > Look for Day One ID.
If the User IDs don’t match, you have two separate Day One accounts. This is the most likely reason your entries aren’t syncing. To combine everything into one account, see Merging Day One Accounts.
Apple ID sign-ins can create duplicate accounts. If you signed in with Apple ID on one device and with an email/password on another, you may have two separate accounts. Apple’s “Hide My Email” feature uses a private relay address, so it’s easy to end up with one account linked to your email and another linked to your Apple ID without realizing it. Check the User ID on each device to confirm whether they match.
Do you have an active subscription on all devices?
Sync requires an active paid subscription (Silver or Gold or legacy Plus). If you don’t see Silver or Gold or Plus on all devices, we recommend you follow the guide to Silver or Gold subscription troubleshooting. If you’re using multiple devices, they will all need to show an active subscription for sync to work properly.
Do you see an Encryption Key on all devices?
First, check if the encryption key is present on any device in the following places
- iOS: Day One > Settings > Sync > Encryption Key
- Mac: Day One > Settings > Sync > Advanced > View Encryption Key
- Android: Day One > Settings > Sync > Encryption Key
If you don’t see an Encryption Key on all your devices, we recommend you add it to any device that is missing it. An Encryption Key is vital for the app to have in order for sync to work with any content that has been encrypted with it.
Are you on the latest update?
Check the app in your app store and tap update if you see the option. We’re always releasing improvements, so there’s a chance the issue you’re seeing has been resolved already.
You can find Day One in the app store for macOS, iOS and Android.
Did you make any big changes to your account recently?
If you’ve just merged Journals, or changed the tags on a bunch of entries, Day One may need to be left open for a bit for those changes to have time to update to our servers. Try going to Settings > Sync > Sync Now then let the app sit in the foreground for a while to do this.
If you’re still having trouble after that, please contact us. We want to investigate to keep sync working flawlessly for you.
We do not recommend logging out of the app or reinstalling the app to solve sync issues. If you decide to log out of the app or reinstall it, please make a copy of any entries that have not synced before doing so.
Important note about reinstalling and Places/location history: After reinstalling Day One, your journals and entries will sync back from our servers. However, Places (location history visits) may not be recoverable after a reinstall. Prior to iOS version 2025.14, location history visits were stored locally on the device only and were not synced to Day One’s servers. If the app was deleted before those visits could sync, that location history is permanently lost. Entry-level location data (the location attached to individual entries) is synced and will be restored, but the aggregated Places visit history may not be. If you reinstalled Day One and your Places section is empty, please contact us so we can investigate.
My entry was overwritten/replaced with the changes I made on another device. How should I restore the entry?
This situation is rare, but usually happens when the changes you made on a device aren’t synced to another device. And when you edit the same entry again, your latest changes might overwrite or replace the changes you made on another device.
To restore the entry, please follow the steps in this article. Please note that entry restore is only available on the iOS and Mac apps at the moment. If you need help restoring an entry revision for an Android device or if you’re still having trouble restoring the entry revision on the iOS or Mac apps, please contact us and let us know the entry ID.
