Book Tracker uses Apple’s iCloud to keep your library (books, reading statuses, progress, notes, quotes, ratings, statistics, smart lists) in sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There’s no account to create and no separate login: as long as you’re signed into the same Apple ID on every device, everything works automatically.
This guide explains how to enable iCloud sync and what to expect once it’s running. If sync isn’t working as expected, see iCloud sync is not working — how do I fix it?.
How to enable iCloud sync on iPhone and iPad
- Open the Settings app on the device.
- Tap your name at the top to open the Apple ID screen.
- Tap iCloud.
- Scroll to Apps using iCloud and tap Show All.
- Find Book Tracker in the list and make sure the toggle is ON. (It’s enabled by default after the first launch.)
Repeat on every iPhone and iPad you want to keep in sync.
How to enable iCloud sync on Mac
- Open System Settings.
- Click your name at the top of the sidebar (the Apple ID section).
- Click iCloud.
- Open iCloud Drive → Options (or scroll the list of apps, depending on your macOS version).
- Make sure Book Tracker is selected.
Things to know about iCloud sync
Same Apple ID required
All your devices must be signed into the same Apple ID. If you have multiple Apple IDs (work / personal), only the devices using the same one will share the library.
Sync is automatic, not instant
After you enable it, changes propagate in the background. A small edit on your iPhone usually appears on your iPad and Mac within a minute. Larger changes (like an import of hundreds of books) can take several minutes, especially the first time.
No account required
There’s no Book Tracker account, registration, or login. Sync goes entirely through your private iCloud account and Book Tracker has no access to that data — it’s a private storage between your devices and Apple.
iCloud Drive ≠ iCloud sync
The word “iCloud” appears in two different places in Book Tracker, and it’s a frequent source of confusion:
- iCloud sync (this article) is the automatic, real-time synchronization of your library across devices. It uses CloudKit under the hood. You enable it in System Settings, not inside Book Tracker.
- iCloud Drive backups (see the backup tutorial) are explicit backup files that Book Tracker can save to your iCloud Drive folder. You enable this in Book Tracker’s Settings → Backup & Restore.
The two are independent. You can have sync ON and backups in local storage, or sync OFF and backups in iCloud Drive. Any combination works.
What gets synced
Across all your iPhone / iPad / Mac devices:
- Books and all their metadata
- Authors, translators, illustrators, narrators, publishers
- Reading Statuses and reading history
- Reading progress (pages, time, percentage)
- Reading sessions
- Notes, quotes, ratings
- Tags, Categories, Series
- Positions (Location, Bookcase, Shelf)
- Loans and contacts
- Smart Lists
- Reading Challenges
- Purchase data (date, price)
- Custom covers
What does not sync via iCloud
- Backup files — those are governed by the Backup destination setting (Local vs iCloud Drive), not by iCloud sync.
- App settings like Configurations, default format, Home/Sidebar customization. These are stored per-device.
- Pro purchase — handled by App Store, not iCloud. Each platform (iOS/iPadOS vs macOS) is a separate purchase.
Best practices
- Enable iCloud sync before adding lots of books on a new device, so everything goes up to iCloud as you work.
- After a big import, leave the app open for a few minutes so iCloud can upload all the new data.
- Open Book Tracker on each device regularly. Sync starts when the app launches.
- Take a manual backup before troubleshooting sync issues, so your data is safe no matter what.