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iCloud sync isn't working and the app keeps telling me the app version is out of date.

Problem

iCloud sync isn't working and the app keeps asking you to get the latest version even though you're already up to date. There might be incompatible data between your local Goodnotes documents and the ones on iCloud. If you've set up iCloud sync for Goodnotes across multiple devices, you might see this alert on only some of them.

 

Solution

First, please double-check that you're in fact using the latest Goodnotes version on the device showing this alert; there might have been a newer Goodnotes version since the last time you checked. Simply visit Goodnotes App Store page on each of your devices and check for the Update button. If you see the Open button instead, you're on the latest version.

If the issue persists even on the latest Goodnotes version, try resetting iCloud data:

  1. Back up the data on your primary device (i.e. where the data is up to date)
  2. Delete iCloud data (this will NOT delete your local Goodnotes data):

    iPadOS/iOS: Go to your device Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Goodnotes > Delete Data... and confirm.

    macOS: Go to System Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Manage... (next to Account Storage) > Goodnotes > Delete All Data... and confirm.

  3. Switch back to the app on each device and choose to re-upload the data to iCloud.

Note: resetting iCloud data will also remove access to documents shared with or by you, and so they need to be reshared manually.

 

After the steps above, you should see "!" icons on your library items, which means iCloud sync is working on them, and the process could take hours if you have hundreds of items to sync. Simply keep the app visible on the screen on all your devices and don't sleep them so that iCloud sync has time to finish.