Nearby Sync

Nearby Sync uses your own local area network (either WiFi or hard wired) to sync a document to that same document on your other devices. Your data does not travel over the Internet in order to accomplish this. It stays on your own local area network which means that it does not require a cloud service to function. However, all devices must be attached to the same network to it to function. Also, if your Mac has its firewall enabled, you must allow Tap Forms to accept incoming connections or Nearby Sync will not function.

*Before you can sync, you must have a copy of the same document open on each of your devices. Use the Send Document function to transfer a copy of your document from one device to another. See the Send Document to Another Device topic for instructions.

To configure synchronization with nearby devices via Wi-Fi:

1. Open the same database document on each device you want to sync with.
2. Under the Tap Forms menu, select Preferences.
3. Click Sync.
4. Click Nearby.
5. If the device isn’t listed, click the + button.
6. Select the device. You will see a green dot appear next to the device you added.
7. Click Done.

Do the same on all of your devices so that Tap Forms on each device is connected to each other. You will need to do this with every database document that you want to sync with each of your other devices.

It’s also possible to have some devices syncing one document and other devices syncing other documents. For example, you may want to sync your private information with just your devices, but sync your shared information with a family member or co-worker with one or more of their devices.

*Each device must be on and have the same database document open at the same time in order for Nearby sync to function. The moment you make a change on one device, synchronization will begin on all your devices.

*If a device doesn’t show up, check the length of your device names. They should be no more than 25 characters. For example, if a device was called “Brendan Duddridge’s iPhone 6 Plus”, that would be 33 characters. This will cause the device not to show up in the list even if it has the same document open. This is due to a networking issue where devices on the network can’t have names longer than 63 characters. Tap Forms prefixes the device name with the document ID which is already 35 characters, plus an @ character.