Data Not Syncing

You added a person on your phone, opened Kinu on your laptop, and they are not there. That is unsettling, but your data is safe. It lives on each device, and in almost every case this comes down to one small thing you can fix in a minute.

Start with the three quick checks below. They resolve the large majority of sync issues. If you have already confirmed all three, skip to the situation that matches what you are seeing.

1. Confirm you have Kinu Plus

Sync is a Kinu Plus feature. On the free plan your data lives only on the device where you created it, so there is nothing to move between devices. That is by design, not a bug.

Open Settings > Account and check that your plan shows as active. If a subscription lapsed without you noticing, sync quietly pauses and your data stays safe on each device in the meantime.

2. Check you are signed in with the same account

Sync only moves data between devices signed in to the same Kinu account. Open Settings > Account on each device and confirm the email matches.

One thing to watch: signing in with Apple on one device and email and password on another can create two separate accounts, even when the email looks the same. Use the same sign-in method everywhere. If you used Apple's "Hide My Email" when you first signed up, keep choosing that same option.

3. Check your internet connection

Kinu works fully offline once you are signed in, but sync needs a connection to send and receive changes. Make sure both devices are on Wi-Fi or mobile data. A quick way to confirm you are really online is to load a website in your browser, since a Wi-Fi icon alone does not always mean traffic is getting through.

Give sync a gentle nudge

When the three checks are fine and a recent change still has not landed, this almost always sorts it out:

Kinu batches changes together and syncs in the background rather than the instant you tap save, so a fresh edit may take 10 to 15 seconds to reach your other device. A short delay is sync working as intended, not a problem.

Common situations

Sync seems stuck

If changes are not flowing even though both devices are online and on the same Plus account:

1. Close and reopen Kinu. This restarts the sync engine and clears any temporary hiccup.
2. Give it a few seconds. A fresh edit may take 10 to 15 seconds to go out.
3. Re-check your connection by loading a website, not just glancing at the Wi-Fi icon.
4. Confirm Plus is still active in Settings > Account.

If it is still stuck after all of that, sign out and sign back in on the affected device. That refreshes your account status and kicks off a fresh sync.

I just upgraded to Plus but sync is not working

Right after you subscribe, your app may need a moment to recognize the new plan:

1. Wait about 30 seconds. Subscription status sometimes takes a beat to register, then sync starts on its own.
2. Sign out and sign back in. This refreshes your account status and triggers an initial sync.
3. Open Kinu on every device you want in step, signed in to the same account, and let each one settle for a few seconds.
4. If you subscribed on your phone, the web app may need you to sign out and back in to pick up the change.

If your app still shows as free after upgrading, it is usually a restore away. See Restore purchases to relink your subscription without paying twice.

I see an older version on one device

If you edited the same person on two devices before they had a chance to sync, Kinu keeps things predictable with a simple rule: the most recent change wins. Make sure both devices are online, open Kinu on each one, and let them settle for a few seconds. The most recently edited version then shows up on both. In practice this is rare, since sync usually happens within seconds.

A voice note or photo did not appear

This one is expected. Photos and voice notes stay on the device where you recorded them and are never uploaded, even on Plus. A person's text details will sync, but a voice note recorded on your phone will not show up on your laptop. This is part of how Kinu keeps your most personal recordings on your own device.

My data is missing after a password reset

If you sign in with email and password and recently reset it, you may be asked for your previous password the first time a device pulls down your synced data. Your encryption key is derived from your password, so a new password makes a new key, and the old password unlocks data that was encrypted under it. Your local data on each device is never affected by a reset. If you do not remember the previous password, your existing data stays intact on each device and new changes sync going forward under your new password. For sign-in help, see Login problems.

Still not in step?

For the deeper version of every scenario above, plus the rule for how Kinu settles conflicts:

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Still stuck? Contact support and let us know which devices you are using, what you are seeing, and what you have already tried. We will get you sorted.