Questions and answers

Keys and safety

I lost my device. Can you recover my notes? Your other devices and sync targets still have them. If you lost every device, the recovery kit (or the vault’s passphrase copy) and a copy of the vault get you back in: take over on a new device. Nobody else, including the developer, has a key. Without the kit, the passphrase and any device, the notes cannot be decrypted. See Replace a lost or broken device.

Can I print the recovery kit again? No: no device keeps the recovery key, so the kit is printed once, when the vault is created. If you lost it, replace it on the device that manages devices. See The recovery kit.

Is the passphrase copy safe? As safe as the passphrase. Anyone with your files can try passphrases against it offline, so Sempere requires a strong one: six or more random words (Suggest a Passphrase makes seven), or a long password from a password manager, used nowhere else.

Can I use the same key on all my devices? No. Each device makes its own key, which never leaves it, and joins the vault with six words. That is what lets you remove one device on its own. See Devices and keys.

Does Sempere lock the vault by itself? No. A vault opens by itself on a device that has its key, and stays open until you Close Vault. Your device’s own lock protects it; turn on Require Face ID to Open for an extra check.

Is there an app lock or PIN? No separate one. Use your device’s passcode, and Require Face ID to Open if you like.

Sync and storage

Does Sempere sync? Yes. Each device keeps the whole vault and syncs it both ways with a sync target: a shared .sempere folder in iCloud Drive or elsewhere, or a WebDAV server. Other devices open the target and join by approval. Edits from several devices merge. See How sync works.

What is the difference between sync and backup? A sync target is a shared .sempere folder or WebDAV server that your devices open and join; it stays in step both ways. A backup is a <Name>.sempere-backup snapshot for recovery. Nothing syncs from it, and it is never a sync target. See Backup strategy.

Does it work offline? Always. Every device works on its own complete copy; changes sync when a target is reachable again.

Do I need iCloud? No. A vault can stay on one device, sync through any folder the Files app reaches, or through a WebDAV server.

Can two people share a vault? Anyone with a device in the vault can read all of it, and Sempere has no per-note permissions. Think of it as sharing a notebook, not as a collaboration tool.

Can I use Dropbox, Syncthing or Nextcloud? Anything that gives you a folder in the Files app works as a sync target, and Nextcloud also works over WebDAV. Because every save is a new file, sync tools do not create conflicted copies of notes.

Privacy

What is sent to the developer? Nothing. No account, no analytics, no crash reporting of its own, no servers of ours. Recognition and transcription run on the device. See the privacy policy.

What can my storage provider see? File names (random ids), sizes, times, attachment kinds, and what vault.json holds in the clear: your devices’ public keys and names. Not your writing. See How encryption works.

What is and is not supported

Can Sempere convert handwriting to text? It recognizes handwriting for search, and Export ▸ Text (Markdown)… exports the recognized text. It does not replace your ink with typed text.

Can it turn handwritten math into LaTeX? Not in the app as distributed: the experimental setting exists, but no model is offered for it. Type equations with Insert ▸ Equation….

Can I erase a note for good? Not from the app. Deleting moves a note to Recently Deleted, where you can restore it; its files stay in the vault.

Is there a Windows or Android app? No. On any computer, the web viewer reads a vault in the browser, and the CLI runs on Linux.

Can I edit in the web viewer? No, it is read-only.

Can I export SVG or HTML from the app? No. The app’s Export menu has PDF, PNG pages, Markdown and media. SVG, HTML and JSON are in the CLI (sempere export --format html).

Does the iPad version have an on-screen undo button? The palette has Undo and Redo on the iPhone. On the iPad, use the system’s undo gestures or a keyboard’s ⌘Z; every save is also in the version history.

Limits of the security

Encryption does not protect an unlocked device, plain exports, or a lost key, and some metadata is visible to your storage provider. The security page lists every limit, plainly.