Steps to reproduce
Bug version 1 (Mac note edited after iPhone note)
- Have Obsidian open on iPhone and Mac. Create a new note on either platform but leave the body of the note empty. Let the note sync.
- Put iPhone in airplane mode (I have not tested with Mac in airplane mode instead of iPhone).
- Add content to the note on iPhone. Add content to the note on Mac and make sure it syncs.
- Turn airplane mode on iPhone OFF and let iPhone sync.
Bug version 2 (iPhone note edited after Mac note):
- Have Obsidian open on iPhone and Mac. Create a new note on either platform but leave the body of the note empty. Let the note sync.
- Put iPhone in airplane mode.
- Add content to the note on Mac and make sure it syncs. Add content to the note on iPhone.
- Turn airplane mode on iPhone OFF and let iPhone sync
Expected result
Content in iOS and Mac versions of the notes merges.
Actual result
Version 1: iPhone content is completely overwritten by Mac content, can only be recovered through File Recovery.
Version 2: Mac note is completely overwritten by iPhone content but is recoverable through version history because it had a chance to sync before it was overwritten.
Environment
Mac:
SYSTEM INFO:
Obsidian version: v1.7.7
Installer version: v1.5.12
Operating system: Darwin Kernel Version 24.1.0: Thu Oct 10 21:05:14 PDT 2024; root:xnu-11215.41.3~2/RELEASE_ARM64_T8103 24.1.0
Login status: logged in
Language: en
Catalyst license: none
Insider build toggle: off
Live preview: on
Base theme: adapt to system
Community theme: none
Snippets enabled: 0
Restricted mode: on
iOS:
SYSTEM INFO:
Operating system: ios 18.1 (Apple iPhone11,8)
Obsidian version: 1.7.7 (172)
API version: v1.7.7
Login status: logged in
Language: en
Catalyst license: none
Live preview: on
Base theme: adapt to system
Community theme: none
Snippets enabled: 0
Restricted mode: on
Additional information
The page “Troubleshoot Obsidian Sync” says “If a note is created locally on one device and, within a couple of minutes, Sync downloads a remote version of that same note, Sync will retain the remote version without merging the two.” This seems to be behaving the same as that. However, this is not the situation described on that troubleshooting page because no new notes are created after the iPhone goes offline. Therefore, I classify this as a bug. My current workaround is to create differently named notes for iPhone Obsidian and merge them with the Mac versions when I am back online.
Given how expensive Obsidian Sync is relative to other syncing services, it seems like it should be able to handle conflicts between two originally empty notes. I also find it odd that it can’t handle the situation where two notes with the same name are created when one device is offline (the situation the troubleshooting page talks about.) The main Obsidian Sync page advertises that “Obsidian is designed to work even without an internet connection. When you’re flying or in a remote location, you still have access to your files. When you’re back online Sync merges changes for you.” Nowhere does it warn you that you should not create a note while offline that has the same name as a note created on another device until you run into problems and go looking around the troubleshooting page. That’s a major limitation given that so many Obsidian users use Daily Notes or something similar. Not mentioning it feels like false advertising to me.
(I should also note that for me sync is incredibly slow for me given the tiny amounts of information being synced—sometimes I’ll wait a while only to have half of a sentence I added show up, with the other half taking 5-10 seconds more.)