SongbookPro keeps your library in sync across devices through a cloud account you connect it to. When two devices stop matching, it is easy to assume the sync is broken. Usually it isn't. The app syncs in a specific way, and once you understand that, most sync problems turn into a two-minute fix. Let me walk through it.
How does SongbookPro sync work?
SongbookPro's sync stores your library in a cloud storage account you already own, either OneDrive, Dropbox, or a WebDAV provider, rather than on a server SongbookPro runs itself. You connect SongbookPro to that account, and it uses the cloud folder as the shared copy of your songs and setlists. Every device that points at the same account ends up with the same library.
Two things follow from that design, and they explain most of what people run into.
First, every device has to be signed into the exact same provider and the same account. SongbookPro can only match what it can see in that one folder.
Second, the sync isn't always instant. You can run it on demand from the Quick Actions menu, the round arrows icon, or set it to run on startup, or on startup plus every ten minutes. If you edit a song and then close the app before a sync finishes, the change hasn't traveled yet.
So when sync "fails," it is usually one of those two things quietly getting in the way.
Why does SongbookPro stop syncing?
In practice, the trouble almost always comes down to one of three causes.
A different cloud account on one device. This is the big one. Maybe you signed into a work OneDrive on the tablet and a personal one on the phone, or you switched accounts at some point and forgot. The devices are syncing perfectly, just to different folders, so they will never see each other.
A sync that never actually ran. If you have auto sync turned off and you edit on one device, nothing reaches the others until you trigger a sync. The data isn't lost, it just hasn't moved yet.
A platform change. SongbookPro is licensed per platform. If you bought it on iOS and then pick up an Android tablet or a Windows machine, you need to buy and set up the app again on that platform, then connect it to the same cloud account. People sometimes read this as a sync failure when it is really a fresh install that hasn't been pointed at the library.
How do I fix SongbookPro sync?
Run through these in order. One of them solves it most of the time.
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Check the account on every device. Open Settings, then Backup and Sync, and confirm each device is using the same provider and signed into the same account. Not "a OneDrive," the same one.
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Run a manual sync. Open the Quick Actions menu and press the sync button, the round arrows. Let it finish. If it turns red, there was an error, usually a connection or sign-in issue, so check those and try again.
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Make sure you are online and up to date. Sync needs a stable connection, and an out-of-date copy on one device can cause mismatches. Update the app everywhere before you compare libraries.
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Use Backup and Restore as the safety net. If a device is badly out of step, you can create a full backup file from the device that has the correct library, then restore it on the other one. This moves songs and setlists directly, no cloud round trip needed.
If you have done all four and a specific change still won't travel, that points at the cloud folder itself rather than the app, so it is worth opening the storage account in a browser to confirm the file is actually there.
Can SongbookPro sync between an iPhone and a PC?
Yes, but with one catch worth knowing up front. The license is per platform, so you buy SongbookPro separately on iOS, Android, and Windows. Once each copy is installed and connected to the same cloud account, they sync the same library between them. The sync itself is cross platform. The purchase is not.
How do I make sure I never lose my songs?
Whatever app you use, treat your library like the years of work it is.
Keep auto sync on so changes travel without you remembering to push them. Make a full backup before any big change, a device upgrade, or an app update. And every so often, export a copy you can open without the app at all. Your songs are yours, and a plain export means you are never locked to one piece of software or one company's servers staying online.
That last point is worth sitting with. Sync is convenient, but it is not a backup on its own. A backup is a copy you control.
A different approach worth knowing about
I build a chord chart app called Fretlist, so I will be upfront that I have a horse in this race. I am not here to talk anyone out of SongbookPro, plenty of musicians are happy on it, and if your setup works, keep it.
But the model above is also the reason I built Fretlist the way I did. It syncs live across platforms without you buying it again per device, it works offline first so the gig doesn't depend on a signal, and your library is exportable any time, in your hands, not locked in. If the per-platform wall or the manual sync dance has been wearing on you, it might be worth a look.
Either way, I hope the fixes above get your library back in sync. Most of the time it is closer to solved than it feels.
If you want a hand moving a library over, there is a migration guide here.
Dear John