> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sightlinebehavior.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Companion troubleshooting
> Resolve pairing, recording, return, and transcription problems while preserving observations.
Start with the message or symptom you can see. If an observation has not reached your computer, keep its data on iPhone while checking the connection. Avoid deleting the observation or resetting pairing as a first step.
## Find your symptom
Open Sightline on your computer and Companion on iPhone, with the devices beside each other. Check that Bluetooth is enabled on both. Allow Bluetooth access for Sightline in system settings if a permission message appears; microphone permission does not affect pairing or scoring.
On the computer, open **Settings → Companion → Pair a phone** for first setup. **Looking for your phone…** means discovery is still in progress. Use **Try again** if the computer offers it after an error. Continue with [iPhone pairing](/companion/iphone-setup#pair-the-phone) when the matching codes appear.
If you already paired these devices, look for **Connected** on iPhone and **Phone connected** on the computer. **Pair a different phone** replaces the current phone; it is not a connection check. If discovery still fails, [contact support](#contact-support) with the visible message.
**Waiting for your iPhone…**, **Waiting for your computer…**, and **Finishing pairing…** mean pairing is still in progress. If both devices show codes, compare them and select **Pair** on each device if they match. Cancel if they differ.
For first setup with no observation data to preserve, select **Return to pairing** on iPhone if shown. After a timeout, select **Pair a phone** again on the computer, or **Re-pair** if it shows **Pairing incomplete**. Confirm the new matching codes on both screens.
Pairing is ready when iPhone shows **Connected** and the computer shows **Phone connected** without the incomplete warning. Continue to [the recording guide](/companion/record-nearby) to check an observation. If there is already an unfinished or unreturned observation on iPhone, use [Before forgetting or deleting](#before-forgetting-or-deleting) before changing the pairing.
Update Sightline on the computer and Companion on iPhone to compatible versions, then select **Try again** on iPhone. Reconnection should replace **Out of sync** with the normal connection screen.
If you cannot obtain a compatible update, [contact support](#contact-support) with both versions and the message. Keep existing phone observations; reinstalling is not a substitute for finding a compatible build.
For **nearby recording**, return to the computer. Check its timer and the scores already recorded. Continue with the computer controls, or pause there while restoring the connection. Keep the apps open, check Bluetooth, and bring the devices together.
Before using Companion again, confirm that it shows the same observation and current interval or episode state as the computer. Inspect existing data before repeating a tap: an interval tap can reverse a mark, and a Frequency tap adds another event. A connection loss does not prepare an away session.
If the phone is connected but nearby scores are missing, check that the intended desktop recorder is open and its timer is running. **Start** or **Resume** indicates that recording is not currently advancing. If the timer stopped after switching windows, check **Pause when Sightline loses focus** in Sightline settings. Resume only when you are ready to observe.
For a nearby session, inspect the recorder on the computer. Confirm the timer, existing scores, and saved state before restarting any task. If it is still open, use its method-specific controls to continue or end. See [Recording a Session](/recording).
For an away session, reopen Companion on iPhone. It may reopen the active observation with **Resumed**, or show **In progress · tap to resume** on its card. Open that existing observation and check the label, method, timing, and available scores before continuing.
Reopening an observation does not confirm that every score was saved before the interruption. Check the recovered scores and note any periods you could not observe. If recording Partial Interval without prompts, clear automatic scores for missed intervals in desktop Results after return.
If the observation is absent or cannot resume, keep the app and its data in place and [contact support](#contact-support). Do not create a replacement and assume it will join the original recording.
These messages describe different stages:
* **Saved on this phone:** the completed observation is stored on iPhone.
* **Ready to send to your computer:** the phone is waiting to transfer it.
* **On phone** in desktop Sessions: the computer is still waiting for the observation to return.
1. Bring iPhone back to the paired computer. Open both apps and enable Bluetooth.
2. Confirm the phone's connection. A completed away observation sends automatically when the devices reconnect.
3. On the computer, open the student and check **Sessions**. The **View** action on an **Observation returned** notification takes you to the student.
4. Open the returned observation and inspect its date, method, and recorded data. Check voice-note text separately.
If the computer reports an error or **Needs attention**, follow [Returned observation needs attention](#returned-observation-needs-attention). If the observation remains on the phone and does not appear on the computer, [contact support](#contact-support) and keep the phone data. A card disappearing from the phone does not confirm that the computer saved the observation.
Open the phone menu in the computer's title bar and find **Needs attention**. Read the reason for the affected observation before choosing an action.
| Message | What to do |
| - | - |
| **Student record missing** | If you can identify the correct student, select **Attach to student…**, choose that student, and select **Attach**. Wait for processing, then open the observation in that student's Sessions. If unsure which student it belongs to, stop and contact support. |
| **Couldn't be read** | Use **Export for support…** to keep a local copy, then contact support with the message. |
| **Returned data doesn't match this checkout** | Preserve the observation. Use **Export for support…** and contact support; do not attach it to another student to bypass the mismatch. |
| **Requires a newer version of Sightline** | Obtain a compatible desktop update. Preserve the return with **Export for support…** if needed and contact support if processing still fails. |
| **Returned by a phone that isn't paired to this computer** | Preserve the returned data with **Export for support…**. The app suggests pairing again; if iPhone holds unreturned work, contact support before changing that pairing. |
**Export for support…** saves a file on your computer containing the returned observation, which may include audio. It does not send the file or contact support. Agree with support on what to share before sending it.
If a notification says the observation **could not be saved**, **could not be processed**, or **was saved but could not be finalized** and offers **Restart Sightline to try again**:
1. Finish any other active observation or unsaved work on the computer.
2. Follow the restart instruction.
3. Check **Sessions** and the phone menu again. If the message said the observation was saved but could not be finalized, look for that saved record before creating another observation.
4. If the error returns, keep the observation data and contact support.
An observation can be saved even when a voice note has not been transcribed. Open the saved observation and inspect its notes. Follow [Voice notes: Note missing or not transcribed](/companion/voice-notes#note-missing-or-not-transcribed) for model checks, available retries, and failed-transcription placeholders.
## Before forgetting or deleting
**Discard…** is destructive. Its confirmation describes deletion from the computer and phone. It is not a retry or a way to clear a harmless notification.
First open the saved observation on the computer and verify the data you need. Until then, preserve unfinished and completed phone observations, any **Needs attention** return, and the current pairing.
**Forget**, **Pair a different phone**, **Delete**, **Discard**, and reinstalling serve different purposes. Do not use them as interchangeable ways to reconnect. If recovery appears to require one of them while data is pending, contact support with the exact screen and message first.
## Contact support
Email [support@sightlinebehavior.com](mailto:support@sightlinebehavior.com) with:
* The exact message and whether you were recording nearby or away.
* The computer platform and Sightline version, plus the iPhone app version and device model you used.
* The method and interval/prompt settings, if relevant.
* What you did immediately before the problem and whether the observation is visible on iPhone, in desktop Sessions, or under Needs attention.
Use a fictional label when describing a reproducible example. Remove student names and identifying details from screenshots, and do not attach observation bundles or audio unless you have arranged to share them.
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