Receive Shared Data

This screen lets you review and import scores and setlists sent from another device. There are two ways to receive data — QR code and archive file — and you can choose exactly what to import before saving. Sharing is for adding selected songs or setlists to your library. It is different from Backup / Restore, which restores the entire app data set.

How to Receive

Scan a QR Code

Scan the QR code displayed on the sender's device to connect. This is the fastest option when both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. Once the sender stops the share session, that QR code can no longer be used.

Open an Archive

Open a shared archive file to import its contents. Useful when you want to transfer data without a network connection. Shared archives use the .ppva extension. They are different from full app backups, which use .ppbk.

Sharing vs. Backup

• Sharing (.ppva) imports selected songs or setlists. It adds to or reuses items in the current library.
• Backup (.ppbk) restores the entire app data set on a device. It is meant for full-device migration or recovery.

Use sharing when you want to send one song to another musician, distribute a setlist to band members, or move only part of your library to another device. Use backup when you are moving or preserving the whole app.

What You Can Do in the Preview

After the transfer is complete, a preview screen opens before anything is saved. Here you can choose item by item whether to include scores, audio, timeline, annotations, tags, and display settings. This lets you keep only what you need instead of inheriting the sender's entire organization.

How to Think About the Checkboxes

The score itself is the foundation for a song or setlist, so it is usually required. Annotations, audio, timeline data, tags, and display settings can be included or removed depending on your goal.

• Include annotations when you want the sender's markings, fingerings, cuts, or notes on the score.
• Include audio only for songs where you want the sender's rehearsal track, click, or playback source.
• Include the timeline when you want automatic page turns or timeline cues to come across.
• Include tags when you want to inherit the sender's organization. Leave them out if you use your own tag system.
• Include display overrides when you want a song's custom display pattern, zoom, timeline visibility, or text-page layout to match the sender's setup.

Audio tags are only available when audio is included. Timeline tags are only available when the timeline is included. Song context and display overrides also depend on their parent choices. If the preview disables a checkbox, it usually means the related parent item is not being imported.

Whether to Include Song Context

When receiving a single-song share, you may see an option to include song context. Song context carries the setlist-item behavior for the song: page range, links to audio and timeline, tempo, offsets, display override, and similar performance settings.

• Leave song context out when you only want the score file in your library.
• Include it when you want to use the song the way the sender used it in a setlist.
• Include it if you want the sender's per-song display override.

How Setlists Are Handled

The available options change depending on whether you are importing a single song or an entire setlist. Even when importing just one song, you can add it to an existing setlist or create a new one if needed.

For setlist shares, the preview can include the running order, selected songs, setlist memos, each song's page range, and playback settings. If only some songs were shared, memos are kept only when they sit immediately before or after one of the selected songs, then re-positioned around the imported list. If there are more songs or assets than you need, remove them in the preview before importing.

When the Same Content Already Exists

If the app determines that a score or audio file you are trying to import matches something already in your library, the import pauses and you are asked whether to reuse the existing item or import it as a new one. This prompt appears each time a duplicate is detected, so review and decide for each one before continuing.

Reuse the existing item when you do not want duplicate PDFs or audio files. Import as new when you intentionally want to keep the sender's copy separate. Imported items receive local IDs on your device; the sender's internal IDs are not reused as-is.

During and After Import

Progress is shown while the import is running. Once complete, an "Open imported setlist" button appears only if a new setlist was created or a song was added to a setlist — tap it to go straight to that setlist. Otherwise, you can navigate to the library to review what was imported. Trimming the preview first can save cleanup work later, especially for tags, audio, and timelines you do not plan to use.

If You Get Stuck

• If you cannot connect to the sender, check the following in order:
  • Are both devices on the same Wi-Fi network? (Check that neither has switched to mobile data.)
  • Is the Wi-Fi router's client isolation feature (AP isolation / privacy separator) disabled?
  • Has this app been granted Local Network access?
  • Is the sender still displaying the QR code?
• If you see "Sender's share not found," the sender may have ended the session or the QR code may be stale. Ask the sender to start sharing again, then tap "Scan again" to re-scan the QR code.
• If you still cannot connect, ask the sender to export an archive (.ppva) and send it via AirDrop or cloud storage. On the receive side, use "Receive as a file" to import it.
• If there is more content than you need, uncheck the unwanted items in the preview screen.
• When there is a risk of overlap with existing data, review the preview screen carefully before proceeding. If duplicates are detected, a prompt will appear so you can decide how to handle each one.
• If the display or linked audio does not match the sender's setup, check whether song context, display overrides, audio, and timeline were all included in the preview.
• If you cannot find the sharing QR code, check Send a Song or Send a Setlist on the sender's side.