---
title: "How sync and backup work"
description: "What syncs between your devices, how it's encrypted, and what stays local."
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-07-28"
canonical_url: "https://getdion.app/support/sync-and-backup/how-sync-and-backup-work"
---

# How sync and backup work

With [Dion Pro](/support/getting-started/what-is-dion-pro), your devices share one encrypted backup: start a movie on your iPhone and resume it on your Apple TV, with your favorites, sources, and player settings following along.

## What syncs

- **Watch progress** for movies and episodes, and where you left off.
- **Bookmarks** — saved movies, shows, and favorite channels — and your recently watched channels.
- **Audio and subtitle preferences**, both your global defaults and the per-title choices the player remembers.
- **Player settings** — skip intervals, subtitle appearance, and similar preferences.
- **Your sources** — supported sources you've added reappear on new devices. With **Sync Layout** on, your Home, Navigation, and Library organization stays the same across devices too.
- **Guide and Live TV configuration** — EPG sources, category order, custom categories, hidden channels, and channel customizations.

## Sign-ins and source restoration

Configurations for supported sources can be restored from the encrypted backup. Some services may still ask you to sign in again. **Plex** sources are not included in backup, so sign in to Plex on each device.

## How it's protected

Backup data is **end-to-end encrypted**: your devices encrypt every record before upload, and the encryption key is shared only between your devices — via your iCloud Keychain, or directly when you [link a device](/support/sync-and-backup/link-a-new-device) with a QR code or PIN. Dion's servers store only encrypted data and cannot read its contents.

## Status and manual sync

**Settings → Backup** shows whether backup is active, when the last backup ran, which sources are included, and every connected device. **Sync Now** forces an immediate sync; otherwise changes sync automatically in the background.