Using OmniFocus 3 (Mac) and OmniFocus 2 (iOS) concurrently

bbech · February 3, 2018, 2:05pm

I have a question about OF3 and its ability to integrate with OF2. Currently I have an old iPad 4 (2012?) that was unable to upgrade to iOS 11. While I am signed up for the betas of both the Mac and iOS app I’ve found the iOS app only works on iOS 11. I know they are currently testing things in the OF3 database but I unless all my apps that access my personal database are on the latest beta I can’t access/test these new features.

My question is when OF3 comes out will there be any ability to have your database be read between the different versions? My fear is with how my current set up I won’t be able to update my database to take advantage of OF3.

I don’t see myself getting a new iPad anytime soon and honestly when upgrading I’ll probably do it in stages by platform since my use is almost strictly personal at this point. I have very limited integration through work (On a thinkpad that logs into a VDI) and am worried that if I upgrade that Mac app it will cause issues reviewing stuff on my iOS devices. I mostly use the iPhone/iPad as a way to to view my tasks/random entries but my Mac is how I organize everything.

I realize that OF3 isn’t out yet but I haven’t seen any literature on this and curious if anyone else has these fears?

tekl · February 5, 2018, 10:14pm

Hi @bbech! Thanks for using OmniFocus, and for signing up for the betas — your testing and feedback helps a lot.

We intend for OmniFocus 3 to sync with the latest version of OmniFocus 2 (the version currently in public test). Due to changes in the database format, though, you’ll need to be using this latest version in order to sync with OmniFocus 3. Any older versions of OmniFocus 2, including OmniFocus 2.21 on iOS and OmniFocus 2.11 on Mac, will need to be updated.

I’m afraid that means any device still running iOS 10, like a fourth-generation iPad, won’t be able to sync with another device running OmniFocus 3. However, all your devices can continue syncing using OmniFocus 2 for the foreseeable future — and when OmniFocus 3 becomes available, you’re welcome to try it out with a separate local database, if you like.

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to email our support team! They’re happy to provide any info they can.