# iCloud sync with no account: how Ethos keeps in step

Ethos has no account and no server of its own. Your planner lives in one file on each of your devices, and with Ethos Plus, every iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch signed in to the same Apple Account shares it through the private part of your own iCloud. There's nothing to sign up for and nothing to pair. The Apple Watch keeps in step with its iPhone for free, without Plus.

## Two ways your devices talk

The first is free. An Apple Watch and the iPhone it's paired with pass the planner back and forth directly, the way watch apps do.

The second comes with Ethos Plus. Ethos keeps a copy of your planner in iCloud's private database for your Apple Account, and every device signed in to that account reads and writes it. That's how a tick on your Mac reaches your iPhone, your iPad and, when the phone is out of range, your watch.

Apple stores that copy under its own privacy policy and the iCloud terms you agreed with Apple. It counts against your iCloud storage, and we have no access to it: we can't read it, change it or delete it.

## What syncs, and what stays put

Your week, your settings, rest days and days off sync, and so does every day's record: what you ticked, the notes you wrote, one-offs, moved times, a borrowed routine and light days. Each day is kept separately, so a tick sends one small day, not years of history, and two devices changing different days never get in each other's way.

Some choices belong to the screen in front of you and stay on each device: the palette and appearance, and your reminder settings. That's why your Mac and iPhone each schedule their own reminders.

Groups are separate again. A group's routines, lists and notes are shared through iCloud with the people in it, and joining a group only needs iCloud, not Plus. [Sharing routines with your family](/blog/shared-family-routines) covers how that works.

## Checking that it works

Settings, Sync shows whether iCloud sync is on, and under your Apple Account lists every device syncing with this one and when each last synced, such as "Synced just now" or "Synced 2 min ago".

If a device is missing:

1. Check it's signed in to the same Apple Account with iCloud on.
2. Check that Ethos Plus shows as on in Settings, Ethos Plus. If it doesn't, use Restore Purchases there.
3. Check your iCloud storage. If it's full, changes can't reach your other devices until there's space.

If you're signed out of iCloud, everything still works on that device, and Settings, Sync says why nothing appears elsewhere.

## When two devices disagree

Ethos merges changes one task and one day at a time, newest first. Tick something on your phone and something else on your Mac before they've heard from each other, and both ticks stay. Settings merge one at a time as well.

The rare exception is two devices that remember the same days differently, which almost always means a backup was restored on one of them. Ethos doesn't guess. It stops sending and shows "Same days, two answers": how many days differ, and what each device recorded. Choose to keep this device's record or use the other device's. Everything else has already merged by then.

If devices have drifted apart for some other reason, "Replace the other devices' copies" sends this device's week to all of them. Ethos warns first that anything changed only on another device, and not yet synced, will be lost.

## Backups

Once a week, without being asked, Ethos saves a backup to Files, On My iPhone, Ethos, Backups, and keeps the last eight. On the Mac, Settings, Data, Show in Finder opens the folder. You can also back up by hand at any time with "Back up now".

To restore, use "Restore from a backup" in Settings and choose a file. Restoring replaces what's on this device and on the devices it syncs with. Without Plus, a backup is also how you move your week to a new phone or to your Mac.

## Removing the iCloud copy

Settings, Sync has "Remove the iCloud copy". It deletes iCloud's copy for every device on your account, while each device keeps the week it has. The copy comes back the next time a device with sync on changes something. You can also remove it from your Apple Account's iCloud settings.

If you stop paying for Plus, sync pauses and nothing is deleted, on your devices or in iCloud. Buying Plus again sends whatever changed in the meantime. The [routine planner](/routine-planner) page and [support](/support) cover the rest.

## Questions

### Do I need an Ethos account to sync?

No. Ethos syncs through your own iCloud, signed in with your Apple Account. There's no Ethos account and no Ethos server.

### Can Ethos see my planner in iCloud?

No. It's kept in the private part of your own iCloud, which only your Apple Account can open. We can't read, change or delete it.

### Does Apple Watch sync without Ethos Plus?

Yes, with its iPhone. The watch and its paired iPhone keep in step for free. Plus adds iCloud, so the watch can catch up when the phone isn't nearby and your iPad and Mac join in too.

### What happens if I get a new iPhone?

With Ethos Plus, sign in to the same Apple Account and your week comes across through iCloud. Without it, restore your latest backup on the new phone from Settings.

Source: https://ethosplanner.app/blog/icloud-sync-without-an-account