Pair two devices with a PIN
What this does
Makes a device that already holds the logbook a member of it, so syncing stops asking you for a PIN.
That holds with this device and with every other device that has the logbook.
Before you start
- Both devices have to hold this logbook already. If the second device doesn’t have it yet, this is the wrong guide: bring the profile across with a QR code (→ I2) or over the air (→ I3), or restore its backup onto it (→ H6). A device that doesn’t hold the profile never appears in the list, so there’s nothing to tap. A device that arrived by QR code or over the air is already a member, so you don’t need this guide for it.
- Pair a new device with one of your devices, not all of them. Pairing it with any one device that has the logbook is enough: once your devices have synced, all of them accept it (→ I1).
- Both devices on the same Wi-Fi, with no VPN, both signed in to the same Aviator Archive account.
- The other device has to be in the app with the profile open — any screen of the profile will do, but not the profile selector. A device sitting on the profile selector never shows the PIN.
Steps
- On the device you’re starting from: open Cloud-Less Sync, find the other device in the list, and tap it. That starts the connection.
- On the other device: a dialog headed Connection Request appears over whatever it’s showing, reading A device is attempting to connect. and Enter this PIN on the other device: above six large digits. Note the digits. If you didn’t start this connection yourself, tap Cancel / Reject instead.
- On the device you’re starting from: the Authentication Required dialog asks for the 6-digit PIN code displayed on the other device. Type the six digits into PIN Code.
- On the device you’re starting from: leave Trust this device ticked — Skip the PIN on future syncs with this peer. It’s ticked already, and it’s what makes the pairing stick. Untick it only for a one-off sync: without it, you’ll be asked for a PIN on every sync.
- On the device you’re starting from: tap Connect. The sync runs, and a message confirms the pairing.
Which PIN this is
It isn’t your profile PIN (→ A5) and it isn’t a backup passphrase (→ H3). It’s six digits made fresh for this one connection, and the app shows it to you — you don’t choose it. There’s no emoji check anywhere in this path either. If either screen asks you to compare emoji, you’re in the over-the-air flow instead (→ I3).
How to tell it worked
Two things happen together. The Connection Request dialog on the other device closes by itself, and the device you started from reports Device trusted — future syncs with <name> will skip the PIN. The pairing is recorded on both devices at once: open Profile Settings → Account & Data → Devices on either one, and the other is badged IN THIS LOGBOOK (→ I7). The next sync between them goes straight through.
If something goes wrong
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No dialog ever appears on the other device | Almost always, that device isn’t in the app with the profile open. It’s rarely the network | Open the profile on it, then tap the device in the list again |
| The connection drops after you type the PIN | The PIN was wrong, and there’s no second attempt on that connection | Start again from step 1. A fresh connection mints a fresh PIN |
| Sync succeeded, but the trust request itself failed. The PIN will be needed again next time. or Sync succeeded, but <name> did not answer the trust request… | The sync worked; only recording the pairing didn’t | Sync again with both screens open, and tick Trust this device again. Nothing is lost, and no data is affected |
| This device doesn’t have the other one in this logbook yet. Start the sync from the other device instead: this one will show a PIN to enter there. | The other device already accepts this one, but this one doesn’t know the other yet | Do what it says: start the sync from the other device. This one shows the six digits, and you type them over there |
| <name> is not in this device’s trusted list. Make sure you are signed in to the same account on both devices, then try again. | The two devices aren’t enrolled to the same account, so the PIN is never reached | Sign both into the same Aviator Archive account, then retry (→ I9) |
| A Connection Request appears after a sync has already finished, again and again, and nobody can answer it | The other device is reopening a connection it no longer needs | Tap Cancel / Reject. Nothing is wrong with your logbook (→ I9) |
| The other device isn’t in the list at all | It doesn’t hold this profile, or something about the network is in the way | This guide can’t help until it’s listed (→ I1, I9) |
What pairing by PIN does not do
It moves nothing. No flights, no photos, no profile — all it records is that the device is a member of this logbook, so it may sync without asking again. That record travels to your other devices with the next syncs, which is why you pair a new device once and not with each of them in turn. The logbook reaches a new device in exactly two ways: you send it (→ I2, I3), or you restore it from a backup (→ H6).
The dialog doesn’t say which device is calling
The line above the six digits begins Device: followed by a long number. It
doesn’t name the calling device, and you’re not expected to recognise it. What
tells you the request is yours is that you started it yourself, seconds ago, on
the device in your other hand.