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What is Device Linking?
"Device linking" is a new Dwyco feature that allows people with multiple devices to keep the messages on those devices synchronized, without sacrificing privacy.
Dwyco does NOT store your messages or private keys on our servers in order to provide this feature. Messages are synchronized in the background directly between your devices.
For example, let's say you have a phone running Dwyco Phoo and you use CDC-X on your desktop computer. Using device linking, you can link those two devices, and the messages on those devices are kept in-sync. Also, your group of devices will appear as one account to people sending you messages.
Right now, device linking is an experimental feature, and the Phoo app is our focus on providing access to the feature. CDC-X has a stripped down version of the feature included for the adventurous.
How to use Device Linking
Device linking is simple to set up. On your first device, follow these steps:
Group
Pick a "group name" for your devices (it can be anything, but it is better if it is something fairly unique, but memorable. It is even better if it is something other people might not guess.) This is the name you will use on all your devices. (e.g. "janeswonderfuldevices")
Password
Pick a password for the group. It should be something only you know. This password protects against others adding a device to your group of devices.
Click
Check the box that says "Enable device linking"
Wait...
If the group name is new, the results should be nearly immediate, indicating the device is now in "group name".
The procedure is identical to add another device to your group. Just enter the same "group name" and password, and click "enable device linking". New devices must be able to communicate with one of your previous devices to find the group information. This can take awhile, and we recommend leaving a copy of CDC-X or Phoo online while you try to link a new device. If you get the group name or password wrong, the procedure will never complete. If it takes longer than 15 or 20 minutes, and you know that there is another device in the group that is online, you may want to cancel, and double-check you entered the correct group name and password.
When a new device is added, all the devices in your "group" will view all the messages on all the devices as if they were merged into one big account. Changes you make on one device will be reflected on other devices.
How to Remove a Device
To remove a device from your group, UNcheck the "enable device linking" box on that device. The device is immediately removed from the group and syncing is stopped. No messages are removed. Phoo/CDC-X simply reverts to working as it did in the past without syncing.
Only messages that have been downloaded to the removed device will be available after it is removed from the group (this may be less than what was available to the entire group, since only messages you actually viewed are likely to be downloaded.)
A special note for Android/iOS users!
Uninstalling the app from your device removes all traces of the messages from the device. If the messages are not synced to another device, they are lost. If you want to keep messages before uninstalling, it is best to check to make sure the messages are accessible using another device in your group. Also, before uninstalling, it is best to tell the app to remove the device from the group. This helps make sure other devices in the group know the removed device is no longer available. (note: I wish I could do this automatically, but mobile platforms do not offer a reliable way for apps to be notified when they are being uninstalled.)
What happens if I can't access the device or Phoo/CDC-X on that device anymore?
Currently, there is no way to "kick out" a device from another device. The only workaround is to remove all your current devices from the group, and re-add them to a new group with a different name, one by one. Note that having an extra device in your group is fairly harmless if the device has uninstalled the software, or has become inaccessible because of hardware failure or something.