Sync, backup and email problems

Sync, the iCloud backup, Forward by email and share links all depend on a connection and, for some, on Pro. Here’s what each message means and what to do.

Sync across iPhone and iPad (Pro)

You’ll find sync in Account → Use on my iPad. The line under Sync across devices shows the status and a Sync now button. See Sync across iPhone and iPad.

If there were documents on this iPhone when you signed in, Paperwise asks “You have N documents on this iPhone. Add them to your account?” Sync and Forward by email wait until you choose Add to my account or Erase them. If you closed the app before answering, it asks again when you open it. See Sign in with Apple.

What if it says “Some synced items haven’t arrived yet”?

Your account lists items this device hasn’t received yet. Paperwise keeps checking.

Make sure both devices are online, and open Paperwise on the device that made the items so it can finish uploading.
Tap Sync now.
Give large files a little time.

If items still don’t arrive, our server may be holding them back. Paperwise reports this instead of guessing, and keeps your own copies as they are.

What if it says “Some items from your other devices are still on their way”?

They’re still downloading. Keep Paperwise open on a connection and tap Sync now. Hidden items from your other devices arrive as encrypted items and open only inside Hidden; a space from another iPhone needs that space’s recovery key the first time.

What if sync says “Uploading needs Paperwise Pro”?

Pro isn’t active, so nothing new is uploaded. Your synced items stay readable here. Tap the plan card at the top of Account to check your plan, and tap Restore purchases if you already pay. See Subscribe, restore and cancel.

What if it says “Your Paperwise storage is full”?

Delete items you don’t need, or empty Recently deleted, then tap Sync now.

For the first, sign in with Apple again in Account. Your documents stayed on this iPhone, and signing in with the same account asks nothing. For the second, check your connection; sync resumes by itself when you’re online.

What if it says this iPhone “can’t change your synced items”?

Your account is protected by an account key this iPhone doesn’t have. Add this iPhone from a device that has the key, with Account → Add a device by code. See Add a device by code.

The encrypted iCloud backup

The backup is in Account → Back up my stuff → iCloud backup. It shows a status, Last backup, the size In iCloud and Back up now. See Encrypted iCloud backup.

What if the backup says “Needs attention”?

Open iCloud backup to read the reason, then:

Message	What to do
“Sign in to iCloud in Settings to back up.”	Sign in to iCloud in iOS Settings, then tap Back up now.
“Your iCloud storage is full; free up space or upgrade iCloud.”	Free up iCloud storage or choose a bigger iCloud plan, then tap Back up now.
“You’re offline. Paperwise backs up when you’re connected.”	Nothing to do: it resumes when you’re online.
“iCloud is busy. Paperwise tries again in a few minutes.”	Nothing to do: it retries.
“iCloud isn’t available right now. Paperwise tries again later.”	Nothing to do: it retries.
“Your backup was deleted from iCloud. Turn it on again to start a new one.”	Someone deleted it in iOS Settings, or another iPhone replaced it. Turn the backup on again.
“iCloud is restricted on this iPhone (Screen Time or a device profile).”	Lift the restriction in iOS Settings, or ask whoever manages the device.
“Backup stopped for now. It tries again later.”	Tap Back up now to retry at once.

What if the backup seems to run rarely?

It runs when you tap Back up now, and by itself when your iPhone is on Wi-Fi and charging, when you leave the app, and as a catch-up once changes are a day old. Low Power Mode and Low Data Mode delay it. Tap Back up now to back up straight away.

What if I want a copy in my iPhone’s own backup?

Paperwise leaves your documents out of iCloud and Finder device backups on purpose, and your vault’s key is kept for this iPhone only, so a device backup or a device-to-device transfer couldn’t open your vault on another iPhone anyway. Use Paperwise’s encrypted iCloud backup (or sync, Pro) instead.

Restoring on a new iPhone

How do I get my documents back on a new iPhone, or after reinstalling Paperwise?

Sign in to the same Apple Account in iCloud on the new iPhone.
Install Paperwise. On the first screen, tap Restore from iCloud backup (or later, Account → Restore from backup).
Enter the recovery key you saved when you turned on the backup. If you have a Paperwise account, it’s your account’s recovery key.
Tap Restore and keep Paperwise open until it finishes.

Your files are decrypted on the new iPhone and encrypted again under its own key. See Restore from backup.

Reinstalling Paperwise on the same iPhone works the same way. A reinstall deletes the keys the old install left behind, so nothing comes back by itself: the recovery key is what opens the backup.

What if it says “That recovery key doesn’t open this backup”?

Nothing was restored. Check the key for typos and that it’s the backup’s key (or your account’s, if the backup used it), not Hidden’s.

What if some items couldn’t be restored?

Paperwise says how many. Tap Try again to fetch them; items already restored are skipped.

What if Hidden is locked after a restore?

On a new iPhone, or after reinstalling Paperwise, each Hidden space needs its own recovery key the first time. See Recovery key and Forgot passcode.

What if my Pro subscription or settings didn’t come back?

Settings and the list of share links aren’t part of the backup (if you restored during the first run, you’re still offered the app lock). For Pro, tap the plan card at the top of Account, then Restore purchases: a new iPhone or a reinstall gets a new install id, so it has to find your purchase again. Use the Apple ID that bought Pro.

Forward by email (Pro)

Mail you forward lands in your Inbox: on the Vault under More while items wait, or in All items. See Forward by email.

What if a forwarded email never arrived?

Go through these, in order:

Not downloaded yet. Open Account → Forward by email and tap Check now under Received mail. Mail waits on our server up to 30 days.
Not an approved sender. With Only approved senders on, mail from anyone not on the list is quietly dropped, unless Mail from others is set to Keep, marked. Add the sender with Add an approved sender. See Approved senders.
Unverified sender. An approved sender counts only when their email provider’s checks show the mail really came from them. Mail that fails is treated like mail from someone not on the list. Ask the sender to check their email setup, or set Mail from others to Keep, marked so it arrives marked.
Limits. More than 200 messages in a day, or more than 20 attachments in one message, are quietly dropped. A message over 25 MB, or one sent while 1 GB of mail is waiting to be downloaded, bounces back to the sender.
Wrong or old address. If you changed or turned off your address, mail to the old one is quietly discarded. Check the address in Account → Forward by email.
Pro isn’t active. Forward by email is part of Pro; check your subscription.

What if an attachment is missing?

Dangerous files (programs, scripts, disk images, OneNote files, shortcuts, web pages and SVG images) aren’t stored. Archives are kept as they are, without a warning: nothing checks what’s inside them, so only open one if you trust the sender.

What if an item says “Unverified sender”?

The message failed the sender checks, so Paperwise can’t confirm who sent it. Be careful with links and attachments in it.

What if I don’t get notified about new mail?

Tap Turn on next to Notify me about new mail in Account → Forward by email, and allow notifications for Paperwise in iOS Settings. See Email notifications.

The person who opens it sees “This link isn’t available” or a message saying why:

Reason	What happened	What to do
Expired	Every link expires, after 7 days at most.	Ask the sender for a new link.
Used up	The link had an open limit, and it’s been reached.	Ask the sender for a new link.
Locked	The wrong password was entered 10 times. The lock is permanent.	Ask the sender for a new link.
Turned off	The sender turned it off.	Ask the sender for a new link.
Incomplete	The part of the link after `#`, which holds the key, is missing.	Copy the whole link again.

If you’re the sender, make a new link from the document: Share → Share link. See Create a share link.

What if I can’t turn off a link I made?

Links made while you were signed out can’t be listed or turned off in the app. They stop working when they expire (at most 7 days). See Turn off and manage links.