Any way to rename the host? I want to merge my devices #133

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1. TimeToBuildBob commented on Feb 27, 2026

   

   TimeToBuildBob

   on Feb 27, 2026

   Contributor

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   Yes, you can merge data from multiple devices — here's how:

   How AW identifies devices: Each device creates buckets named {watcher}-{hostname}, e.g. aw-watcher-android-Pixel8 and aw-watcher-android-GalaxyTab. The hostname comes from android.os.Build.MODEL by default.

   To see all data in one place, use aw-sync (built into aw-server-rust):

   1. Enable sync on both devices: In the Android app settings, enable sync and point both devices to the same sync target (your desktop running aw-server-rust)
   2. Both devices push their data to the server
   3. The webui on the server shows a host selector dropdown — you can view data per-device or across all devices

   If your devices show as "unknown": The hostname might be defaulting to a generic value. You can check what hostname each device reports in the AW Android app's "About" or "Buckets" screen. If they both report the same hostname, their data will merge into the same buckets (which might cause overlapping events). To fix this, you'd need to ensure each device has a distinct hostname.

   Direct renaming isn't supported in the Android UI today, but if you're comfortable with the API, you can create new buckets with the desired names and copy events via the REST API:

   # Export events from old bucket
   curl http://device:5600/api/0/buckets/aw-watcher-android-unknown/events > events.json
   
   # Create new bucket on target server and import
   curl -X POST http://server:5600/api/0/buckets/aw-watcher-android-MyPhone \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     -d '{"type": "currentwindow", "client": "aw-watcher-android", "hostname": "MyPhone"}'
   
   curl -X POST http://server:5600/api/0/buckets/aw-watcher-android-MyPhone/events \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     -d @events.json

   The simplest path is just enabling sync on both devices — that gives you the combined view without needing to rename anything.
2. weeebdev commented on May 17, 2026

   

   weeebdev

   on May 17, 2026

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   Yes, you can merge data from multiple devices — here's how:

   How AW identifies devices: Each device creates buckets named {watcher}-{hostname}, e.g. aw-watcher-android-Pixel8 and aw-watcher-android-GalaxyTab. The hostname comes from android.os.Build.MODEL by default.

   To see all data in one place, use aw-sync (built into aw-server-rust):

   1. Enable sync on both devices: In the Android app settings, enable sync and point both devices to the same sync target (your desktop running aw-server-rust)
   2. Both devices push their data to the server
   3. The webui on the server shows a host selector dropdown — you can view data per-device or across all devices

   If your devices show as "unknown": The hostname might be defaulting to a generic value. You can check what hostname each device reports in the AW Android app's "About" or "Buckets" screen. If they both report the same hostname, their data will merge into the same buckets (which might cause overlapping events). To fix this, you'd need to ensure each device has a distinct hostname.

   Direct renaming isn't supported in the Android UI today, but if you're comfortable with the API, you can create new buckets with the desired names and copy events via the REST API:

   # Export events from old bucket
   curl http://device:5600/api/0/buckets/aw-watcher-android-unknown/events > events.json
   
   # Create new bucket on target server and import
   curl -X POST http://server:5600/api/0/buckets/aw-watcher-android-MyPhone \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     -d '{"type": "currentwindow", "client": "aw-watcher-android", "hostname": "MyPhone"}'
   
   curl -X POST http://server:5600/api/0/buckets/aw-watcher-android-MyPhone/events \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     -d @events.json

   The simplest path is just enabling sync on both devices — that gives you the combined view without needing to rename anything.

   I am sorry, but how do I enable sync on android? I'm on 0.12.1 and there is no option like that
   
3. TimeToBuildBob commented on May 17, 2026

   

   TimeToBuildBob

   on May 17, 2026

   Contributor

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   My apologies — you're right, and I was wrong. The sync feature isn't available in the Android app on 0.12.1. I assumed it was there because the server-side support landed, but the Android UI for it hasn't been built yet.

   What's actually available right now in 0.12.1: The embedded server runs locally on 127.0.0.1:5600. There's no sync UI, and no built-in way to combine data from multiple devices.

   What's coming: There's an open PR adding a network access toggle (#144) that would let you point a desktop aw-server at the phone's API. That's the first step toward sync, but it's not merged yet.

   What you can do today (manual workaround):

   1. Export the database file from both devices (it's at {filesDir}/aw-server-rust/aw-server.db)
   2. Use aw-sync on a computer to import both databases into a merged instance

   Or, if you're comfortable building from source, you could try PR #144's branch which adds the network access setting — that would let your tablet connect to your phone's server directly.

   Again, sorry for the misleading answer. I should have checked what's actually shipped before telling you to look for a feature that doesn't exist yet.