Work across desktop and mobile
Goal: get the workspaces, vocabulary, and settings you built on the desktop app onto your phone — and keep them in step — so InkSpoke sounds like you no matter which device you're speaking into.
What you'll learn
- How workspaces travel between your desktop and your phone.
- How to pair an iPhone with your desktop over the local network using a QR code.
- How to trigger a sync, push phone-side changes back, and unpair.
- When to reach for cloud sync (end-to-end encrypted) instead of local pairing.
- Where Android stands today, and what to do in the meantime.
Prerequisites
- The desktop app installed and set up — see Install and set up InkSpoke.
- InkSpoke on your phone installed and past onboarding — see Set up InkSpoke on iOS.
- At least one workspace worth carrying over. New to workspaces? Start with What are workspaces or the Build a workspace for your domain tutorial.
- For local pairing: both devices on the same Wi-Fi network, and permission on your phone to use the camera (to scan the code) and the local network (to find your desktop).
Time estimate
About 5–10 minutes — most of it is the one-time pairing. After that, syncing is a single tap.
Two ways to stay in sync
InkSpoke gives you two independent paths, and you can use whichever fits the moment:
- Local network pairing — a direct, device-to-device link over your Wi-Fi. It's the recommended path today, works without a paid plan, and nothing leaves your network. Available on iOS now; Android pairing is coming soon.
- Cloud sync (end-to-end encrypted) — keeps an encrypted copy of your workspaces and settings on InkSpoke's servers so they reach your other devices even when they're not on the same network. This is part of Pro and needs you to sign in.
The rest of this tutorial walks the local-network flow end to end, then covers cloud sync.
Part 1 — Pair your phone over the local network
Step 1: Turn on Intranet Sync on the desktop
On your computer, open Settings → Configuration → Intranet Sync. Local network sync is off by default, so switch Enable Intranet Sync on. The server status flips to Running and shows the port it's listening on.
┌─ Settings ▸ Configuration ▸ Intranet Sync ───────────────┐
│ Enable Intranet Sync [ ●—— On ] │
│ Auto-start on launch [ ——○ Off ] │
│ Server status: ● Running · listening on your LAN │
│ │
│ [ Pair New Device ] │
│ │
│ Paired devices: (none yet) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Flip on Auto-start on launch and the sync server comes up with the app, so your phone can reach it without you opening this tab again.
Step 2: Show the pairing QR code
Click Pair New Device. The desktop generates a QR code panel — this encodes a one-time key exchange, so only a phone that scans this code can pair.
┌─ Pair New Device ────────────────────────────────┐
│ ┌───────────────┐ │
│ │ ▓▓░▓░▓▓░▓▓▓ │ Scan this from InkSpoke │
│ │ ░▓▓░▓▓▓░░▓░ │ on your phone: │
│ │ ▓░▓▓░▓░▓▓░▓ │ Settings › Desktop Sync │
│ └───────────────┘ │
│ [ Dismiss ] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Leave this on screen while you grab your phone.
Step 3: Scan from your iPhone
On the phone, open Settings → Desktop Sync and tap Scan QR Code to Pair. If prompted, allow camera and local network access — InkSpoke needs the camera to read the code and the local network to reach your desktop.
┌─ Settings › Desktop Sync ────────────────┐
│ │
│ [ ⃞ Scan QR Code to Pair ] │
│ │
│ Nearby desktops │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 🖥 My-PC [ Pair ] │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘
Point the camera at the desktop's QR code. Your phone completes a secure key exchange with the desktop and connects.
Your desktop also shows up automatically under Nearby desktops once discovery finds it. The QR scan is for the first pairing (it establishes the encryption key); after that, the discovered device is enough to reconnect.
Step 4: Confirm the pairing and sync
Once paired, the Desktop Sync screen shows the connected computer, its status, and when it last synced. From here you can push and pull on demand:
┌─ Settings › Desktop Sync ────────────────┐
│ Paired with: My-PC │
│ Status: ● Connected │
│ Last sync: just now │
│ │
│ [ Sync Now ] [ Force Full Re-sync ] │
│ [ Push All to Desktop ] [ Unpair ] │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sync Now | Exchanges the latest changes both ways. |
| Force Full Re-sync | Re-pulls everything from the desktop — use it if something looks out of date. |
| Push All to Desktop | Sends workspaces you created or edited on the phone up to the desktop. |
| Unpair | Forgets the desktop on this phone. You can also Revoke the phone from the desktop's Paired Devices list. |
Tap Sync Now, and your desktop workspaces — their tone, vocabulary, and per-workspace settings — land on your phone.
Part 2 — Use cloud sync when you're off-network
Local pairing needs both devices on the same Wi-Fi. When they're not — you're on the road, or your phone is on cellular — cloud sync keeps them consistent instead.
On the desktop, open Settings → Account and turn on Cloud Sync. You must be signed in for the toggle to take effect; it's off by default, so nothing syncs to the cloud until you choose it.
┌─ Settings › Account ─────────────────────┐
│ Signed in as you@example.com [Pro] │
│ │
│ Cloud Sync [ ●—— On ] │
│ This device · synced │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘
Your workspaces and settings are end-to-end encrypted before they leave the device — InkSpoke's servers store the ciphertext and can't read your content. To learn how that encryption works and what is (and isn't) sent, see On-device vs. cloud and privacy.
They're not either/or. Local pairing is the fast, private path when your devices are together; cloud sync is the bridge when they're apart. Cloud sync is part of Pro — see Plans and pricing.
Where Android stands today
On Android, InkSpoke can already discover nearby desktops, but the QR scanner isn't wired up yet, so pairing can't be completed from the app — desktop pairing is coming soon. Account sign-in on Android is also still being finished, so cloud sync isn't available there yet either.
In the meantime, Android isn't stuck: you can create and tune workspaces directly in the Android app, along with your personal context and custom vocabulary. They're stored on the device and will carry into sync once pairing ships. See Set up InkSpoke on Android.
Expected result
- Your phone lists your desktop under Desktop Sync, showing Connected and a recent last sync time.
- Workspaces you built on the desktop appear on the phone. Picking one on the phone applies its language and tone to your next dictation.
- Edits you make on the phone can be sent back with Push All to Desktop.
- If you enabled cloud sync, those same workspaces stay consistent even when the two devices aren't on the same Wi-Fi.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| The phone can't find the desktop, or there's no QR to scan. | Confirm Intranet Sync is enabled on the desktop (Configuration → Intranet Sync → Enable) and its status reads Running. Make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi, and that you granted the phone Local Network permission. |
| The camera won't open when you tap Scan QR Code. | Grant camera permission to InkSpoke in your phone's system settings — the scanner needs it to read the pairing code. |
| Pairing worked, but nothing seems to update. | Tap Sync Now. If it's still stale, use Force Full Re-sync to re-pull everything, and Push All to Desktop to send phone-side edits up. |
| You're not on the same network (or you're on Android). | Local pairing requires the same Wi-Fi. Off-network, use cloud sync (Pro, sign-in required). On Android, pairing is coming soon — build your workspaces in the app for now. |
Many guest, hotel, and corporate networks isolate devices from each other ("client isolation"), which stops your phone from reaching your desktop even though both show full signal. If discovery and pairing fail on such a network, switch both devices to a home/trusted network, or use cloud sync instead.
Next steps
- Syncing mobile with desktop — the full reference for pairing, re-syncing, and revoking devices.
- Account, sync, and updates — the desktop side of Intranet Sync and Cloud Sync.
- Dictate on your phone — put your synced workspaces to work from the InkSpoke keyboard.
- Build a workspace for your domain — create something worth syncing in the first place.