Share and back up your layouts: codes, accounts and new phones

A good layout takes time to build, and it would be a shame to lose it when you buy a new phone or reinstall the app. GamepadOS gives you two ways to look after your layouts: you can share them with a short code, and you can back them up to a free account. This guide explains both, and what is stored where.

Where layouts live by default

By default your layouts are stored locally on your phone. No account is needed, and nothing is uploaded. That is the most private option, and it is the right one if you play on a single phone and never reinstall. The downside is the obvious one: if the phone is lost, wiped or replaced, the layouts go with it.

Sharing a layout with a code

A share code is a short string of letters and numbers, around six characters, that represents one of your layouts. You give the code to a friend and they can load the same layout on their own phone. It is the fastest way to pass around a good racing layout, a retro D-pad design or a tuned shooter setup, and you can post a code in a forum or a chat.

To share one of your layouts

1. Open your layouts on the home screen. Each custom layout has a small menu with Duplicate, Share and delete options.
2. Choose Share. The app publishes the layout and shows its code in a pop-up. If you have already shared that layout and have not changed it since, the same code appears straight away.
3. Copy the code and send it to your friend. It is short enough to type by hand. If the app cannot reach the server, it tells you so, because sharing needs an internet connection.

To import a layout from a code

1. When you create a new layout, choose Import from Code. The description reads: got a share code? Paste it to load someone's controller.
2. Type or paste the code into the Share Code box. It is not case sensitive.
3. Confirm the import. The layout appears in your list, and you can edit your copy without changing the original.

A share code creates a copy for the person who imports it. Your own layout is not changed by anything they do. Treat codes as a convenience for passing layouts around rather than as a permanent archive. If a layout matters to you, keep it backed up in your own account too.

Backing up with an account

If you would rather have your layouts follow you automatically, you can sign in to a free GamepadOS account. With backup turned on, your layouts are copied to your account. If you install the app on a new phone and sign in, your layouts return. An account is optional. You can play without one, and signing in does not change how your controller input travels. Input still goes straight from your phone to your PC over your own network.

What an account stores for backup purposes is your email address and the custom layouts you choose to back up. The privacy policy lists exactly what is kept and why. The privacy guide explains it in plain language.

To turn backup on

1. Open the account tab of the app and sign in, or create a free account. You can also create an account on the website's account page.
2. In the Backup section, check that Auto backup is on. It saves your layouts to your account whenever you change one, and the panel shows when the last backup happened or tells you if one failed.
3. To back up straight away, for example before switching phones, use the button in the same panel to back up now.
4. Check on a second device, or after a reinstall, that your layouts appear once you sign in.

Moving to a new phone

1. Before you switch, sign in on the old phone and confirm that backup is on and that your layouts are listed.
2. Install GamepadOS on the new phone and sign in with the same account.
3. Open your layout list. Your layouts should appear.
4. Pair the new phone to your PC by scanning the QR code in the PC server, as you did the first time. The pairing on the old phone does not carry over, so a fresh scan is needed.
5. Press CALIBRATE if you use tilt steering, because the new phone's sensors and your grip may differ.

If you did not back up, but the old phone still works, you can send each layout to the new phone with a share code. It is slower for many layouts but works without an account.

Tips for keeping layouts tidy

• Name layouts clearly. "Racing pedals" tells you more than "Layout 3".
• Duplicate before experimenting. Use Duplicate in a layout's menu to make a copy, then try your bold change on the copy so the good version stays safe.
• Delete the ones you no longer use. A short list is easier to scan between games.
• Keep a note of your tilt settings. Sensitivity and dead zone are app settings, not part of a layout, so write them down if you tuned them carefully.

What if sign-in fails or sync seems stuck?

Check that the phone has an internet connection, because backup uses the internet even though gameplay does not. Make sure you signed in with the same email on both devices, and give it a minute. If layouts still do not appear, send us a note through the contact form, including your phone model and what you see.

Ready to make something worth saving? Start with the layout builder guide.