> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://codifi-fdm.gitbook.io/codifi-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://codifi-fdm.gitbook.io/codifi-docs/mobile-app/getting-in-the-field/syncing-and-the-cloud-icon.md). # Syncing & the Cloud Icon The single most important indicator on the Codifi mobile app is the **Cloud icon** in the top navigation bar. It tells you, in one glance, whether your device is in sync with Codifi's servers. **Always make this icon a green checkmark before going offline.** *** ## The Three States The Cloud icon has three states. They look like this: | Icon | What it means | | -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Green checkmark cloud** | Everything is synced. All Records, media, overlays, and offline areas are downloaded to the device, and there's nothing waiting to upload. **You're field-ready.** | | **Animated syncing cloud** | A sync is in progress. Stay on Wi-Fi or strong cellular until it completes. The animation indicates active upload/download work. | | **Red error cloud** | You're offline (no internet) **or** manual sync mode is on and pausing transfers. Records you create still save locally; they'll upload as soon as the connection comes back or you re-enable auto sync. | Tap the Cloud icon at any time to open the **Sync Status** sheet, which breaks down exactly what's pending — Projects, offline areas, overlays, photos to download, photos to upload. > **Screenshot placeholder:** *The mobile nav bar showing the Cloud icon in green, alongside the Sync Status sheet expanded with each category's progress.* *** ## What "Everything Is Synced" Actually Means For the icon to turn green, **all of the following must be true**: 1. **No Projects** have pending sync operations (Record changes haven't been pushed yet). 2. **No offline map areas** are queued for download to this device. 3. **No GIS overlays** are queued or failed. 4. **No media (photos, videos, audio, documents) are pending download** to the device. 5. **No media is pending upload** from the device. 6. **No active media download** is running. 7. **No active media upload** is running. When even one of those is non-zero, the icon shows the animated syncing state. *** ## Before You Go Offline: The Sync Routine Run this every time, ideally on Wi-Fi the night before fieldwork: 1. Open the Codifi app on the iPad/iPhone. 2. Open the Project you'll be working on. 3. **Pull down on the Project screen** to trigger a sync. 4. Watch the Cloud icon. Wait for it to settle to **green checkmark**. 5. Tap the Cloud icon to verify the Sync Status sheet shows everything at zero pending. This downloads: * All offline map areas configured for the Project * All GIS overlays * All existing Records and media you have access to It also uploads anything you captured locally that hasn't pushed yet. {% hint style="warning" %} **Don't sync at the trailhead.** Offline area downloads can be hundreds of megabytes. Downloading them over a weak signal at the start of fieldwork wastes time and may fail mid-download, leaving you with partial map coverage. Sync on Wi-Fi the night before. {% endhint %} *** ## What If the Icon Won't Turn Green? Tap the Cloud icon to open the **Sync Status** sheet. It shows exactly what category is still pending. | Pending category | Likely cause | What to do | | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Projects** with sync operations | Records you created or edited haven't pushed yet | Stay on Wi-Fi/cellular and let it finish. Tap the Project for finer detail. | | **Offline map areas** queued | A new offline area was added on the web; this device hasn't downloaded it yet | Stay on Wi-Fi. Large areas can take several minutes. | | **Overlays** queued or failed | GIS overlay download paused or errored | Re-sync from the Project screen. If overlays show "failed," check the source GeoJSON validity in the web app. | | **Media to download** | Photos/videos that exist on Codifi's servers haven't been cached on this device | Stay on Wi-Fi until the count drops to zero. | | **Media to upload** | Photos/videos captured on this device haven't been pushed yet | Stay on Wi-Fi until the count drops to zero. Especially important to confirm before going offline. | If a category stays stuck at non-zero for a long time: 1. **Try a hard sync** — pull down on the Project screen. 2. **Check Wi-Fi signal strength.** Weak Wi-Fi causes the sync to pause / restart endlessly. 3. **Check device storage.** If the iPad is nearly full, downloads silently fail. 4. **Background the app and bring it back** — sometimes the sync engine needs a nudge. 5. **Restart the app** — fully swipe up to close, then re-open. If none of these work, contact your Project administrator with a screenshot of the Sync Status sheet. *** ## When Manual Sync Mode is On The Cloud icon also goes to the **red error** state when **manual sync mode** is enabled (a power-user setting that pauses automatic background sync). This is occasionally useful when you're on a metered connection and don't want Codifi consuming bandwidth. To re-enable auto sync, open the Sync Status sheet and toggle manual mode off, then pull-down to sync. The icon will return to green once everything catches up. *** ## Watching Media Upload As of v3.3 the Cloud icon does more than tell you whether a sync is running. Tap it and it expands into a live view of what is actually moving. * **Media going up and media coming down are counted separately.** A number for uploads and a number for downloads, rather than one figure that could mean either. * **Progress is real.** Photos report as they transfer, so a large upload visibly advances instead of sitting on a spinner. * **Stalled transfers surface.** A transfer that has stopped making progress is called out rather than quietly retrying forever, and the retry count you see is the real one. {% hint style="danger" %} **Photos only upload while Codifi is open and the screen is on.** This is the single most common reason a day's photography is still sitting on a device the next morning. Locking the iPad or switching to another app pauses media transfer. At the end of the day, put the device on power and Wi-Fi, open Codifi, tap the Cloud icon, and leave the screen on until the upload count reaches zero. {% endhint %}
The mobile navigation bar with the Cloud icon expanded, showing a media icon, a downward arrow with a count of 2, and a partly filled progress bar

The expanded Cloud button in the navigation bar. The arrow shows direction — here 2 photos coming down — and the bar underneath fills as they transfer.

*** ## Why This Indicator Matters More Than You Think Most "data loss" stories in the field aren't actually data loss — the Records were saved on the device fine. The story usually goes: > "I captured 47 Records yesterday. Today my iPad died, I had to use a different one, and now I can't see any of them." The fix in that scenario is to make sure the original iPad uploads its 47 Records when it powers back on. They aren't gone — they're just on the original device. **A green checkmark before powering off prevents this entirely.** If you saw a green checkmark before the device died, every Record was already on Codifi's servers and is reachable from any device. The five-second routine: **glance at the Cloud icon at the end of every field day, before the iPad goes back in the bag.** Green = good. Anything else = needs attention before you walk away. *** ## See Also * [Mobile Project Settings](/codifi-docs/mobile-app/mobile-project-settings.md) — where the manual sync toggle lives * [Working Offline vs Online](/codifi-docs/mobile-app/mapping-locations/working-offline-vs-online.md) — what works without a connection and what doesn't * [Getting in the Field](/codifi-docs/mobile-app/getting-in-the-field.md) — the broader pre-fieldwork checklist