Work offline and sync

The Lovat apps for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux keep your team’s data on the device, so they keep working when the venue Wi-Fi doesn’t. This guide covers what’s on the device, and how to keep teammates’ devices in step when there’s no internet.

What’s on your device

Each app keeps your team’s reports, scouters, shifts, picklists and saved views, plus public event data for the season. It also keeps an offline snapshot of the shared numbers (averages built from every team’s scouting) for each event your team is on the team list for or has scouted.

Offline, the snapshot is labeled with when it was taken, like As of 14:32, not updating, so you know those numbers won’t change until you reconnect. Your own team’s data keeps updating as reports come in, because the app calculates it on the device.

Other teams’ individual reports and notes are only available online.

Sync status

Settings → Offline & sync (on desktop, Settings → This computer) shows:

• Whether this device is synced with the cloud, and how many records are only on this device and teammates’ so far.
• The offline snapshot for each of your team’s events.
• When you last synced with each teammate.

If a record can’t upload, you’ll see A record didn’t upload, with Try again or the option to keep it on this device only.

Sync with teammates nearby

Two Lovat apps can sync directly, without internet, over Bluetooth or a shared Wi-Fi network or hotspot. Each side sends whatever the other is missing, in both directions: reports, edits, picklists, shifts and the newest offline snapshot. Whichever device gets a connection first uploads for both.

1. Open Nearby sync: from Settings → Offline & sync → Sync with teammates in the iOS and Android app, or Sync → Nearby Sync… on desktop.
2. Your teammates appear under Teammates nearby. Select one to sync.
3. The first time two devices sync, both show a short code. Check that they match and confirm. After that, they reconnect without asking.

Nearby sync only works between devices on the same team.

By QR code

If Bluetooth and Wi-Fi aren’t working, you can sync by camera. One person selects Show my data as a QR code and the other selects Scan a QR code. Then swap, so data goes both ways.

Hand data over with a file

When you can’t be next to each other, for example between the stands and the pit, send a .lovat file. It holds everything you have that your teammate might not.

• iOS and Android: Settings → Offline & sync → Share a .lovat file, then send it with AirDrop, Nearby Share, a message, or anything else in the share sheet. To receive, open the file, or use Open a .lovat file.
• Desktop: File → Save .lovat File… and File → Open .lovat File….

.lovat files are encrypted for your team, so only devices on your team can open them, even if the file ends up somewhere public.

Backups

On desktop, your data lives in one file on your computer. Settings → This computer → Back up now (or File → Back Up Now) saves a copy, and Show data file shows you where it is. On iOS and Android, sharing a .lovat file to somewhere safe works as a backup.

Your data is also in the cloud whenever your devices have synced, so a backup only matters for changes that haven’t uploaded yet.

Signing out

Signing out of an app removes your team’s data from that device. Reports that haven’t uploaded yet stay on teammates’ devices only if you synced with them, so sync or wait for the upload before you sign out.