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The sync pipeline

A recording is usable the moment the call ends. Backup happens afterwards, in the background, and every step of it is visible on one screen.

How a recording moves​

Those are the six states CallVault actually stores against a recording, and they read in order. Recorded means the file is on the phone. Pending upload means it is waiting its turn. Uploaded means the audio has reached CallVault's servers as a private file. Synced means the call's details are mirrored too, and the recording is done.

None of this runs while private cloud backup is off. Uploads run on Wi-Fi by default, and a setting in the same place allows mobile data.

Each track moves on its own​

A call is often several tracks, and the pipeline treats each one separately. A track is pending upload, then uploading, then uploaded, then synced, and a track that has stopped for good is failed. The recording reaches Synced when every one of its tracks has, which is why a call can sit at Uploading while one track is already done.

Retry and backoff​

A dropped connection costs you nothing. Neither does a brief server problem. It goes back a step and is retried on an increasing delay, with separate counters for the upload leg and the details leg. A flaky connection usually resolves itself while you do nothing at all.

What stops, and why​

Some failures aren't worth retrying forever. The common one is size: CallVault checks a file against the 100 MB per-file cap before it starts uploading, so an oversize recording is never sent at all. It stays on the phone with the reason attached, and it appears under Needs attention in Backup & sync health, which is a list on that screen rather than a state on the recording. Only the cloud copy is skipped; the recording itself is where it always was. Read the reason before you retry.

What happens to the phone copy​

CallVault never removes a recording from the phone before that recording is synced and its checksum verified. That rule holds whatever else you choose.

What you choose is how long the phone keeps a copy after that, under Settings → Keep local files:

  • Keep all recordings on this device, which never removes anything.
  • Remove from device once synced, the default.
  • Keep 7 days after sync.
  • Keep 30 days after sync.

Where you watch it​

Open Settings → Storage & sync → Backup & sync health, which sits beside the Private cloud backup switch. It shows the queue, the retries, a row for each phone you use, and the Needs attention list, which is where anything that stopped waits with its reason attached.

Complete the next step​

Private cloud backup covers turning the switch on and what your plan allows.