Check the Mac's name
Make sure the address belongs to your Mac, not another computer on the network. The exact address and port to use are always shown in Studio's pairing window under For manual pairing.
Life Capture · Connection guide
Connect from anywhere
Your captures travel on your network, not ours.
Life Capture never routes your photos, notes, or voice through a server. When Pocket sends a moment to Studio, it travels directly from your iPhone to your Mac — encrypted, paired, and yours the whole way. That is the trade at the heart of Life Capture: no accounts, no cloud, no company in the middle. It also means you provide the connection. Here is how.
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At home: it just works
If your iPhone and Mac are on the same Wi-Fi, there is nothing to configure. In Studio, open Settings → Receive from iPhone, click Pair a device, and Pocket will find your Mac by name. Type the six-digit code from your Mac's screen into your iPhone, and you are paired. From then on, every moment you capture appears in Studio on its own.
Away from home: bring your own network
Out in the world, your iPhone and Mac cannot see each other unless they share a private network. The easiest way to provide one is Tailscale, which is free for personal use: install it on both devices, sign in on each, and they can reach each other from anywhere — over cellular, hotel Wi-Fi, or another connection you trust.
Private-network option
Life Capture does not require Tailscale, but it is a straightforward way to let your own devices reach one another while you are away from home.
Pair once
Use your Mac's private-network address
Keep both devices connected to the same private network, then complete these three steps.
- 01On the Mac, open Studio → Settings → Receive from iPhone → Pair a device. Note the line labeled For manual pairing — that is your Mac's address and port.
- 02On the iPhone, open Pocket's Connect to Studio screen and enter that address and port in the manual fields. With Tailscale, use your Mac's Tailscale name; it usually ends in .ts.net.
- 03Keep the pairing window open on the Mac, then type the six-digit code when Pocket asks.
That is it.
Captures can now reach your Mac whenever both devices are on the same private network — including over 5G. If your Mac is not reachable, Pocket keeps the captures queued and delivers them automatically when the connection returns.
If Pocket could not reach Studio
Most connection problems come down to one of these four checks.
Keep the pairing window open
Studio accepts a new pairing only while it is showing the six-digit code. Leave that window open until Pocket confirms the connection.
Check both private-network connections
If you use Tailscale, confirm that it is connected on both devices. On iPhone, open the Tailscale app and make sure its connection is switched on.
Check whether Studio changed ports
Rarely, another app may already be using Studio's usual port. If Settings says Port changed — re-pair manually-paired devices, pair once more with the new address and port shown.
What pairing protects
Pairing is anchored to the six-digit code on your Mac's screen. A device that does not have the code cannot join, and everything sent afterward is encrypted with keys held only by your two devices. There is no Life Capture password to leak, no account to breach, and no server that ever sees a byte of your life.