With or without an account
You can use LawnBook without signing in. What you get depends on which you choose:
| Not signed in | Signed in | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your data lives | On this device | On this device, synced through LawnBook's servers |
| Other devices | Apple devices on the same Apple ID, through iCloud | Any device signed in to the same account |
| Backups | iCloud Drive or Google Drive, by hand or daily | The same, plus the synced copy |
| LawnBook on the web | Not available | Available on paid plans once the owner turns it on |
| Settings → Account shows | Local only | Cloud sync enabled |
To sign in, go to Settings → Account and tap Sign in with Apple (iPhone, iPad and Mac) or Sign in with Google (Android). The data already on your device comes with you.
Crews are the one exception: a worker who joins a crew syncs with the owner through LawnBook's servers, signed in or not.
What syncs, and when
When you're signed in, your clients, jobs, schedule, invoices, estimates, expenses, tasks and the rest of your business sync between your devices. A few things stay on the device where they were made:
- Job photos stay on the phone that took them.
- The materials catalog stays on the device where you built it, for now.
LawnBook syncs on its own when you open it, every 5 minutes while it's open, shortly after you make a change and when your connection comes back. To sync right away, go to Settings → Account and tap Sync now. The same section shows the Status, when you Last synced and any Pending changes still waiting to be sent.
Your crew
Workers who join your crew see your jobs, clients and schedule. They don't see invoices, expenses or financial reports. Their app syncs the same way yours does.
The web
LawnBook on the web shows what your phones and tablets have synced. It checks for changes every two minutes, when you come back to the browser tab and when your connection returns. It's view-only, so nothing goes from the web back to your phone.
“Sign in to resume syncing”
If your Home screen shows this banner, this device has stopped syncing because its sign-in expired:
This device stopped syncing because its sign-in expired. Your data is safe here; sign in again to send and receive changes.
Nothing is lost. Everything you add or change keeps saving on this device, and it's sent as soon as you sign in again. Until then, your other devices, your crew and the web don't get this device's changes, and this device doesn't get theirs.
Fix it
Tap Sign in on the banner.
Sign in with the same account you used before on this device: the same Apple ID on iPhone, iPad or Mac, or the same Google account on Android.
The banner goes away and LawnBook syncs straight away, sending the changes this device has been holding.
If something goes wrong
- “Different account”: you picked an Apple ID or Google account that belongs to a different LawnBook account. LawnBook refuses it and changes nothing, so this device's data never ends up in someone else's account. Tap Sign in again and choose the account you used before. To really switch accounts, sign out first in Settings → Account.
- “Sign-in failed”: wait a moment, check your connection and try again.
- You closed the sign-in sheet: nothing happens and the banner stays until you sign in.
Common questions
My data isn't showing on my other device
- Check that both devices say Cloud sync enabled in Settings → Account and are signed in to the same account.
- Look for the Sign in to resume syncing banner on the device where you made the changes. If it's there, sign in.
- Open LawnBook on the device that has the changes while it's online, then tap Sync now on both devices. If Pending changes stays above zero, keep the app open on Wi-Fi for a minute.
- Job photos and the materials catalog don't sync, so they only show on the device where they were added.
- Not signed in? Without an account, only Apple devices on the same Apple ID share data, through iCloud.
My crew can't see the schedule
- Make sure the worker has joined: on their phone, More → Join a Business, enter the 12-character invite code and tap Join Crew. They should see Joined! and their app switches to crew mode.
- Open LawnBook on the owner's phone while it's online so the latest jobs are sent. If the owner is signed in and sees Sign in to resume syncing, the owner needs to sign in; until then the crew won't get new jobs.
- Tap Sync now in Settings → Account on both phones.
- Invoices, expenses and financial reports are hidden from workers on purpose.
The web shows old data
- The web shows what your phone or tablet has synced. Open the app on the device where you made the change so it can sync, and check it isn't showing Sign in to resume syncing.
- Give the web up to two minutes, or switch back to the tab, to pick up new changes. Reloading the page works too.
- Still stuck? See web troubleshooting.
What happens if I sign out?
Sign out in Settings → Account keeps your data on this device and stops cloud sync. Sign in again with the same account to pick up where you left off.