Mac, iPhone and iPad
GrooveFile is a native app on each device. Each app can keep its own collection without the other app or a running Mac. The Mac app is downloaded from the PX7 website. The iPhone/iPad app is currently available to invited TestFlight testers; it is not yet on the public App Store. They are separate products.
From Mac 2.0.86, browser access, pairing, Remote access and Phone Inbox are retired. There is no browser scanner or editor. Use the native app on iPhone and iPad.
Connect iCloud
- Sign in to the same Apple iCloud account on each device.
- Export a complete backup and keep it independently.
- Open Settings > iCloud on each device and choose Connect iCloud.
- Review the confirmation before connecting. Your complete private collection, including photos, notes, prices, sales, loans and boxes, is combined with the existing cloud collection. Conflicting changes need review.
Installing or opening GrooveFile does not connect your collection automatically. Local browsing and editing work offline; sync resumes when a connected device can reach iCloud. A Mac does not need to remain on for an iPhone or iPad to sync.
Settings shows sync status, the last confirmed sync and errors. Use Sync Now to check changes. Pause stops syncing without deleting cloud data. Do not resolve a conflict by guessing: compare both versions and choose what to keep.
Settings shows the current sync stage, item counts when available, elapsed time and scheduled retries. After 30 seconds without new progress a notice appears, which does not necessarily mean the sync has failed. Finishing a transfer is not the same as confirmed sync completion. Incoming changes that arrive during upload preparation are applied automatically before retrying.
Active apps check for remote changes every 15 seconds while idle. Unchanged collections need only a lightweight cloud check; transfers can handle up to four content items at once. Network conditions and iCloud service limits still affect delivery time.
Folder sync no longer starts or appears as a separate option. Connect iCloud handles an existing saved folder connection, making a verified local backup first. No folder history is needed for normal native app use.
Unsaved scans, provider tokens, licenses and local preferences do not sync. Changes and deletions do sync. iCloud sync remains Beta until real-device multi-Mac/iPhone/iPad sync and recovery acceptance is complete.
Backup and Recovery
Sync is not a backup: a deletion can reach all connected devices.
On Mac, Settings > Data > Backup Collection offers complete Archive, JSON, CSV and Markdown recovery formats. Archive Backup includes the collection and images. Ordinary sharing exports are not complete recovery archives.
On iPhone/iPad, Settings > Backup & Import offers Export Complete Backup and Import Collection Backup. Import requires an empty collection, rather than silently replacing records already on the device.
Mac Settings > iCloud > Browse iCloud Backups can read saved recovery checkpoints without connecting an empty collection or enabling uploads. Export a verified independent archive before restoring. Selective recovery adds missing copies without replacing current copies; sold copies remain protected. Complete restore requires an empty/default library. Native phone recovery is available in Settings under Recover Deleted Copies.
Mac Restore Collection validates the chosen backup and saves recovery data before replacement. Keep exported files private: notes, purchase details and borrowers can be included. Collection migrations happen automatically; if an app cannot safely read a collection, it keeps the local data and asks for a newer app version.
Scan and Add
A USB barcode scanner can enter a code in Scan barcode on Mac. On iPhone/iPad, open Scan with Camera and press the scan button for each barcode. Capture feedback and the scan count refer to captured barcodes, not necessarily saved records.
One match can be added directly. With several matches, compare format, year, country and catalogue number. A matching barcode does not verify the physical pressing. Repeated barcodes require explicit approval for another physical copy.
If no release is found, search by artist/title or add manually. MusicBrainz needs no personal key; Discogs requires your own personal access token in Settings. Provider outages and missing releases are different: retry a temporary failure, but review the barcode or search manually when the database has no match.
Mac Scan Session offers Single Review and Continuous Queue. The continuous queue retains pending work across restart and separates uncertain matches from saved copies. Finish queued work on that device; unsaved scans are not iCloud data. A failed save is not a completed addition.
Find and Edit a Copy
Mac Table and Shelf share search and filters. Smart Collections retain useful filters, tags and sorting. Choose table columns for each collection. Artist sorting can show letter headings and an alphabet index; headings are not records.
Double-click a Mac copy to edit it; Space opens Quick View. Open in Collection finds the specific physical copy. Details, tracks, credits, photos and pressing evidence are workspaces for that copy, not different records.
On iPhone/iPad, open a copy to see its cover, edition and saved copy details. Edit condition, location, paid price, notes, tags and photos. Active Records, Storage and saved Smart Collections are available as collection filters. Saved location choices are shared through iCloud; current filters and default-entry preferences stay on each device. Save confirms the local change; iCloud delivery has its own status. The iPad uses a sidebar and collection/detail columns where space allows, collapsing in narrow windows.
Redo Lookup reviews proposed edition changes field by field. Your condition, location, notes and other copy details are not replaced by a new edition match. Artist-name review preserves original credits and provider identities. Namesakes must not be combined solely because their names match.
Shopping and Offline Use
Scan in the native phone app to compare with your local collection. An exact linked edition, a barcode match and an album-level match are different evidence. Check the displayed edition and physical location before buying another copy. A missing match is not proof that you do not own the album.
Saved records remain available offline. New online metadata and uncached artwork need a network connection. The Mac need not be running.
Boxes, Shelves and Inventory
Use Box Planner and saved boxes on Mac to arrange copies and see numbered slots and artist dividers. Native iPhone/iPad Boxes supports box contents, packing, placement previews and inventory checks. A placement preview checks available space and neighbouring copies before saving.
Scan a saved box QR label using the native app, or open it from the system Camera. The existing printed label domain remains an app link. If the app is not installed, the page points to native setup; it does not offer browser access.
An inventory check compares observed copies against a box's expected contents. Review missing, misplaced and unregistered items; completing a check does not automatically delete records. Active and In Storage copies both remain owned.
Sales, Loans and Export
On Mac, select copies and choose List for Sale. Preview calculated asking prices before saving. Existing listings can be kept unchanged. Mark as Sold moves the transaction to Sales; sold copies are no longer unsold For Sale inventory.
Sales and selected sale batches can produce individual or combined advertisements with chosen photos and saved templates. Review private fields before exporting. Export Shown Records exports the visible scope as a Markdown table or list with your selected fields. Asking Price and Sale Price have different meanings.
Loans retains borrower, due date and return history. A loan does not remove ownership. Collection Insights distinguishes recorded amounts from missing values. Currency conversion is optional display conversion using dated ECB rates; original amounts remain unchanged. Discogs estimates are stored estimates, not sale guarantees.
Listening and Audio CDs on Mac
Listening includes Play Next, listening history and Rediscover. Logging a listen is an explicit action; inserting a CD does not log it automatically. CD detection suggests local copies. Find CD can use MusicBrainz when necessary. Open in Collection and Quick View are separate actions.
Playback controls use Apple Music and need macOS Automation permission. Eject uses macOS volume handling. GrooveFile does not rip or upload audio. In sandboxed builds, select the CD volume if macOS needs access permission. Audio CD controls remain subject to physical-drive testing and Apple Music's behaviour.
Help and Privacy
The Mac Help menu links to this guide, online help and feedback. Feedback does not automatically attach a collection or provider credentials. Never include tokens or license keys in a support message.
Help: https://utilities.px7.digital/groovefile/help/ Privacy: https://utilities.px7.digital/groovefile/privacy/ Feedback: https://feedback.px7.digital/?app=utilities-groovefile
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