Can I sync my writing between my phone and my computer?
Wretify is a clean, minimalist writing app for nonfiction writers, built for focus — with an AI that has read everything you've written and refuses to write it for you.
The short answer
Yes. Most writing apps can keep a draft in step between a phone and a computer, but they do it in different ways, and the difference decides three things: which devices you can use, where your writing actually lives, and what happens when you write on two devices at once.
The safest setup is one where the app saves on your device first — so you can keep writing without internet — and then syncs automatically, without you having to remember to close anything.
In Wretify, that place is your own Google Drive. Every chapter is saved there automatically as a plain Markdown file, so the same book is waiting on your phone and your computer — and it stays in your Drive, readable in any text editor, even if Wretify disappears.
How do the main writing apps sync?
| App | How it syncs | Devices |
|---|---|---|
| Google Docs | Google’s cloud, automatically | Web, Android, iPhone and iPad |
| Ulysses | Apple’s iCloud | Mac, iPad and iPhone only |
| iA Writer | A folder you choose: iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive | Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad |
| Scrivener | A folder such as Dropbox; close the project on one device before opening it on another | Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad |
| Obsidian | Paid Obsidian Sync (from $4 a month, billed yearly), or a folder you sync yourself | Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android |
| Dabble | Saves to your device first, then syncs to your Dabble account | Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android |
| Notion | Notion’s cloud | Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web |
| Wretify | Your own Google Drive, automatically, as plain Markdown files | Any computer or phone with a web browser |
What should I check before I trust an app with my book?
- Every device you own. An app for Apple devices only cannot follow you to an Android phone or a Windows laptop.
- Where the files live. In the app’s own cloud, or as files in a place you control that other apps can open.
- Offline. Can you keep writing on a train, and does it sync by itself when you reconnect?
- Two devices at once. Some apps ask you to close a project on one device before opening it on another; follow that rule, or risk a conflict.
How does Wretify sync?
Wretify runs in the web browser, so the same app is on your computer and your phone with nothing to install. It saves your words on the device about half a second after you stop typing, then syncs them to your own Google Drive after five seconds of quiet, and again when you switch away. Only what changed is uploaded. If you lose the connection, you keep writing; it syncs when you are back online. On desktop, the corner of the page tells you where things stand — “Online · Saved just now”. You never press save.
Your chapters are plain Markdown files in a Wretify folder in your Drive, so they are yours, readable in any text editor, whether or not Wretify exists. How Wretify compares to other writing apps →
Sources
- Use Google Docs offline — support.google.com/docs/answer/6388102?hl=en
- Ulysses FAQ (iCloud sync) — help.ulysses.app/faqs
- iA Writer cloud storage — ia.net/writer/support/library/cloud-storage
- Syncing Scrivener projects to the cloud — www.literatureandlatte.com/blog/syncing-scrivener-projects-to-the-cloud
- Obsidian pricing (Sync) — obsidian.md/pricing
- Obsidian download (platforms) — obsidian.md/download
- How Dabble works offline — help.dabblewriter.com/en/articles/5491370-how-does-dabble-work-offline
- Notion data residency — www.notion.com/help/data-residency
- Wretify Help — How does sync work? — www.wretify.com/help
Updated . Prices and features of other apps are taken from their own websites on that date and can change. Wretify is our product, so we have tried hard to be fair to the others. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will correct it.