Before you start
Pairing hands your vault key from a device you already use to a new one, so the new device never has to be told your vault passphrase. You can always type the passphrase on the new device instead. Pairing is quicker, and it keeps the passphrase off a machine you may be borrowing.
- Both devices need to be on and online at the same time. They do not need to be on the same network.
- The code is live for about two minutes, and it works once. Start again and you get a fresh one.
- Sign in to the same Relic account on the new device first. Pairing joins a vault, it does not create one.
Pairing, step by step
- Open Add a device on a device you already use
On a computer open Settings›Sync and account›Devices, press Manage, then press + Add a device at the top of Your devices. On a phone, open the settings sheet and tap Add a device. The screen fills with a QR code and says Scan this with your other device, then Waiting for the other device… at the bottom.
- Start the join on the new device
Install Relic on the new device and sign in to the same account. It then asks how you want to unlock this device. On a computer choose Use another device, described as Type the pairing code shown on a device you already use. On a phone choose Scan a QR from another device.
- Scan the QR, or type the code
Point the phone camera at the QR on the first device and it reads it straight away. On a computer there is no camera, so type the code shown under the QR into the field and press Connect. See Typing the code instead.
- Check the four digits match
Both screens now show a four-digit code. The new device says Check the code, and the device you already use says Do the codes match? with the line This 4-digit code should be identical on both devices. Read them off both screens yourself. On the new device press The codes match, then on the trusted device press Yes, approve this device.
- You are done
The trusted device says Device added and Your other device is now connected to your vault. Press Done. The new device unlocks and starts pulling your items down. It appears in Your devices on both.
Typing the code instead
A computer has no camera pointed at your other screen, so it joins by code. The trusted device shows the code under the QR, in capital letters and dashes, starting with a 2. On the new computer the field is already waiting, with 2XXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX in it as a hint. Type what you see and press Connect.
On a phone the camera opens first. If it will not read the screen, tap Can't scan? Type the code instead under the viewfinder and type it the same way. Capitals and dashes are filled in for you as you go.
When pairing does not work
Relic says which of the few things went wrong.
- That code looks mistyped. Check it and try again.
- The code carries its own check digits, so a wrong letter is caught before anything is sent. Read it off the other screen again.
- That doesn't look like a Relic pairing code.
- What you pasted is not a code at all. Copy the one under the QR.
- Pairing timed out. The code is only live for about two minutes.
- Press Add a device on the trusted device for a fresh code and start again.
- No device connected in time. The code is only live for about two minutes.
- The same thing, seen from the device that was waiting. Press Try again.
If you press No, cancel on the trusted device, it says Pairing canceled. Nothing was shared. Your vault key never left.
If the four digits on the two screens are different, press They don't match. The new device stops and says:
Pairing canceled. If the codes keep differing, someone may be interfering with your connection. Try again on a network you trust.
A single mismatch is usually two pairings running at once. Close both screens, start one pairing, and compare again. If the digits still differ, move to a network you trust before trying a third time.