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Share Lists over Wi-Fi

2Do can share a list directly between copies of the app on the same local network, with no cloud service and no separate account. One person publishes a list; anyone else running 2Do on the same network can find it, subscribe, and, when the publisher allows it, edit tasks, with changes travelling both ways. A single published list can serve several subscribers, and it works between iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

This is a feature for people on the same network. It is not a replacement for Sync, which keeps your own devices in step through a service such as iCloud or Dropbox.

How It Works​

Sharing has two roles:

  • Publisher, the device that owns the list and shares it out. It stays the source of truth for that list.
  • Subscriber, anyone who finds the shared list on the network and takes a live copy of it.

When you subscribe, 2Do imports the list as a normal local list on your device and keeps it up to date with the publisher's copy. If the publisher shares it as Read & Write, your edits travel back and merge into their copy too.

Requirements​

  • Both devices are on the same Wi-Fi or local network.
  • Local network permission. The first time you use sharing, iOS asks whether 2Do may find devices on your local network: "2Do uses the local network to discover and share task lists with nearby 2Do users." Allow it, or discovery cannot work. You can review it later under iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network.
  • The publishing device stays awake and on the network while sharing. Nearby 2Do users can subscribe while this device is awake.

Publish a List​

  1. Touch and hold a list in the list panel.
  2. Choose Publish to LAN.
  3. Set the Shared name, which is what nearby users see. It starts as the list's own name; changing it here does not rename your local list.
  4. Choose Access:
    • Read & Write: "Subscribers can edit tasks; changes sync back to you."
    • Read-only: "Subscribers get a live copy but can’t make changes."
  5. Leave Require passcode on, or turn it off. It is on to start. With it on, 2Do shows a 6-digit code you can copy, along with Generate a new passcode and the note "Share this code out loud or by message."
  6. Tap Publish.

The screen switches to its live state, headed Sharing on Wi-Fi, and adds a Recently Connected Subscribers section covering the past week ("No recent connections in the last 7 days." until someone joins). Tap Done to close it.

The list now carries a Published on LAN indicator above your tasks, and its touch-and-hold menu item reads Published on LAN so you can reopen the same screen.

Publishing a protected list exposes its tasks

If the list is password-protected, 2Do asks you to confirm Publish this protected list? first. Publishing gets past that local lock: subscribers can read, and with Read & Write also edit, the tasks inside without your app passcode. Only publish protected lists to people you trust, and keep the passcode requirement on.

Only normal lists can be published. Publish to LAN does not appear for Smart Lists, Focus Lists, the Inbox, or lists you have subscribed to from someone else.

Changing the Passcode​

Tap Generate a new passcode to replace the code. While people are connected, 2Do confirms first: Generate a new passcode? "The current passcode stops working right away. Anyone subscribed will need the new code to keep syncing."

Find Shared Lists​

On the receiving device, open Settings > Wi-Fi Sharing and tap Browse Shared Lists. The Shared Lists screen searches the network while it is open, and a status strip at the bottom counts what it finds, for example 3 devices nearby, with a refresh button beside it.

  • On iPhone, each nearby device gets its own section, with its shared lists underneath.
  • On iPad at full width, nearby devices fill a sidebar on the left and the selected device's lists fill the pane on the right, split into SUBSCRIBED and AVAILABLE groups.

Each row shows the shared name, a Read-only label where that applies, and a lock when a passcode is required.

Subscribe to a List​

  1. Tap Subscribe next to the list you want. The button is unavailable while that device is offline.
  2. If the list is protected, 2Do names the protected list and the publishing device, then asks for the 6-digit code. Type the six digits the publisher gave you. A wrong code says "That code didn't match. Try again."
  3. 2Do downloads the list and adds it to your list panel as a normal local list, marked Subscribed from LAN.

You can rename the subscribed list, change its color, or move it into a list group locally. Those changes stay on your device and do not affect the publisher's copy.

Stop Sharing or Unsubscribe​

If you publish the list and want to stop:

  1. Touch and hold the list and choose Published on LAN.
  2. Tap Stop Sharing and confirm Stop sharing this list? ("Subscribers will no longer receive updates from this list.")

Sharing stops immediately and your subscribers stop receiving updates.

If you subscribe to a list and want to leave it, tap Unsubscribe on that list's row in Shared Lists.

Unsubscribing removes the local copy

2Do confirms with Unsubscribe List?, explaining that unsubscribing removes the local copy of the list and its tasks from this device. The publisher's copy and everyone else's subscription are unaffected.

Good to Know​

  • The whole task travels: fields, projects, checklists, and sub-tasks, along with task attachments, tags, and locations.
  • Sharing and your sync account work together. You can publish a list that already syncs with your sync account. Edits subscribers send back land in your list like any other change and carry on to your own devices from there.
  • A subscribed copy stays on this device. It mirrors someone else's list, so it does not go into your own sync account; it is kept in step directly with the publisher.
  • When the publisher goes offline, your copy stays readable: "This device is offline. Subscribed lists stay readable from the last sync and changes resume when it's back online."
  • Alerts on a shared list's tasks fire on your device too. To keep the list but silence it, turn that list off under Settings > Alerts & Badge > Exclusions > List Alerts.

Security and Privacy​

For trusted networks only: traffic isn't encrypted

Wi-Fi sharing is meant for networks you trust, such as a home or small-office network. Shared task data is not encrypted as it travels across the network. The optional 6-digit passcode is the only gate: with it off, anyone running 2Do on the same network can subscribe and read, or with Read & Write edit, the list. Do not publish sensitive lists on public or untrusted networks.

  • Changing the passcode disconnects current subscribers. The old code stops working right away, and existing subscribers have to enter the new one to keep syncing.
  • There is no approval step. Nobody has to be accepted individually; the passcode is the whole access control. Leave it on unless you truly want the list open to everyone on the network.

Tips​

tip

Keep the publishing device awake and on the network during a working session. Subscribers only receive live changes while it is reachable.

tip

Hand off a list quickly: publish it as Read & Write, let someone on the same network subscribe and add their tasks, then Stop Sharing when you are done. The tasks they added stay in your original list.

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