Mobile access

Read your Keepance workspace on your phone today.

Keepance is a desktop app, but your workspace is just a folder of plain Markdown files. Point that folder at any cross-device file sync service (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Syncthing, Google Drive) and your notes show up on your iPhone or Android in whichever Files app you already use. No new account, no extra cost, no waiting on us to ship the dedicated reader.

This is the v2.0 mobile story. A dedicated Keepance mobile reader is in beta and will land later in the v2.0 cycle. Until then, the cloud sync workaround below is the recommended path. It works today, on every iPhone and Android, with no new app install required.

Pick a sync service

Easiest on Apple

iCloud Drive

If you have an iPhone and a Mac, this is the shortest path. Two clicks on the Mac side, zero setup on the phone.

Cross-platform

Dropbox

Best if you already pay Dropbox. Works on iOS and Android. Reliable conflict handling.

For tinkerers

Syncthing

LAN sync without third-party cloud. Free and open source. More setup, but your data never leaves your devices.

Cross-platform

Google Drive

Works on Android and iOS. Requires the Google Drive desktop app on your computer for two-way sync.

Which one should I pick?

Quick decision matrix based on what you already use.

If you...	Pick	Why
Have an iPhone and a Mac, and don't already pay for cloud storage	iCloud Drive	Built in, free up to 5 GB, zero new accounts.
Already pay for Dropbox or use it daily	Dropbox	Most reliable conflict handling of the bunch. Works on iOS and Android.
Want your data to stay on your own devices, no third-party servers	Syncthing	Peer-to-peer sync over your home network. Open source. More setup.
Have an Android phone	Google Drive	Tightest Android integration. Works on iOS too.
Already pay for OneDrive or Microsoft 365	Use Dropbox steps as a template	OneDrive works the same way: point Keepance at your synced OneDrive folder. The Dropbox guide steps map cleanly.

The shape of the workaround

Every guide on this page follows the same three-step shape:

On your computer: install the sync service's desktop app if you don't already have it. Make sure your sync folder is visible in Finder or File Explorer.
In Keepance: set your workspace folder to a path inside the sync folder. From this moment on, every Markdown file Keepance writes also writes to the cloud.
On your phone: open the sync service's iOS or Android app (Files on iPhone for iCloud; the official Dropbox or Drive app otherwise) and navigate to your workspace folder. Tap any .md file to read it.

Important caveats

The workaround is real and it works, but it's not a real-time sync engine. Two things to know:

Treat mobile as read-mostly for now. If you edit the same file on both your phone and your desktop in quick succession, the sync service can produce a conflict copy. The fix is to pick one device as the editor and use the other to read.
Wait for sync to finish before switching devices. iCloud and Dropbox typically take a few seconds to propagate small Markdown files. If you edit on the desktop and immediately open your phone, you might see the old version for a moment.

The dedicated Keepance mobile reader (in beta) solves both of these properly with first-class read access and a content cache. This guide is the workaround that gets you 80% of the value today.

Got stuck?

Email [email protected] with your sync service of choice and what you tried. Most setup issues are one config tweak away from working.