Comprehensive Setup & Feature Guide

If your mobile app says "Server not found" or pairing times out, the most common cause is the Windows Firewall blocking incoming traffic on port 50005 or treating your home Wi-Fi as a "Public" network.

How to fix:

1. Check Network Profile: Open Windows Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, click your network name, and make sure the Network Profile Type is set to Private network.
2. Allow App through Firewall: Press Win + R, type control firewall.cpl and press Enter. Click "Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall" on the left menu.
3. Click Change settings, find SnapHaven Server in the list, and ensure the Private checkbox is checked. If it is not listed, click Allow another app and browse to SnapHaven's executable.
4. Restart SnapHaven Server from the system tray.

Starting in macOS 15 Sequoia, Apple introduced a new privacy permission requiring explicit consent for apps to communicate across your local network.

• Local Network Permission: Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and make sure SnapHaven Server is enabled.
• Gatekeeper Quarantine: If you downloaded the .tar.gz bundle and macOS displays a warning that the app cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer, right-click the app in Finder and choose Open, or run xattr -cr "SnapHaven Server.app" in Terminal.

If you are running SnapHaven Server on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, or Arch Linux with an active firewall:

For Fedora/RHEL systems using firewalld:

By default, Docker runs containers on an isolated bridge network (e.g. 172.17.0.0/16). While mapping port -p 50005:50005 allows direct TCP communication, UDP multicast discovery (mDNS on 5353/udp) does not cross the Docker bridge.

Recommended Solution:

• Use network_mode: host in your docker-compose.yml so the container shares your host's network stack directly.
• If host networking cannot be used (e.g. on Synology Container Manager or macOS Docker Desktop), open the SnapHaven mobile app, tap Diagnostics / Manual Setup, and enter your NAS's static LAN IP address (e.g. 192.168.1.150:50005).

If your phone and server are connected to the same Wi-Fi router but cannot communicate, your router may have AP Isolation, Client Isolation, or Station Isolation enabled.

• Guest Networks: Most routers automatically isolate all guest Wi-Fi devices so they can only access the internet, not other local machines. Make sure both your phone and PC are connected to your main home Wi-Fi network, not the Guest SSID.
• Mesh Systems (Eero, Orbi, Google Nest Wi-Fi): If your PC is plugged into an upstream ISP modem/router and your phone is on a downstream mesh satellite, they may be on different subnets (e.g. 192.168.1.x vs 192.168.86.x). Place your ISP modem in Bridge Mode or connect both devices to the same mesh network.

Some phone manufacturers (notably Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus) enforce aggressive power-saving systems that terminate background services when your screen is locked.

Device-Specific Fixes:

• Samsung One UI: Open Settings > Apps > SnapHaven > Battery and select "Unrestricted" (not Optimized). Also check Settings > Battery > Background usage limits and ensure SnapHaven is NOT in "Sleeping apps" or "Deep sleeping apps".
• Google Pixel: Open Settings > Apps > SnapHaven > App battery usage and change from "Optimized" to "Unrestricted".
• Xiaomi / MIUI / HyperOS: Open Settings > Apps > Manage Apps > SnapHaven. Enable Autostart, and set Battery saver to No restrictions.

On Android 8.0 and above, the Android operating system terminates any app running in the background unless it runs as an official Foreground Service with a user-visible notification.

SnapHaven uses this service to ensure that large 4K video uploads are not killed mid-transfer when your screen turns off.

💡 Can I hide it? Yes! You can long-press the notification on your phone, tap Settings (or the gear icon), and toggle off the specific "Background Sync Status" notification channel. The service will still run with zero interruption.

Yes! SnapHaven Server supports pairing unlimited family mobile devices to the same server.

Any family device on your home Wi-Fi can open the SnapHaven mobile app and scan the QR code displayed on the server dashboard. Each scan performs an automated mutual TLS (mTLS) handshake, issuing a distinct client certificate signed by your server's local Certificate Authority (CA).

Resetting pairings: Because SnapHaven is completely decentralized and keeps zero cloud records, all certificates are stored locally on your machine in the server's certs/ directory. If you ever need to reset all client connections, clearing the certificates directory and restarting the server will generate a fresh CA and require devices to re-scan the QR code.

By default, SnapHaven saves photos into a dedicated snaphaven directory inside your user profile:

• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\snaphaven (e.g. C:\Users\<Username>\snaphaven)
• macOS: ~/snaphaven (e.g. /Users/<Username>/snaphaven)
• Linux: ~/snaphaven (e.g. /home/<Username>/snaphaven)
• Docker / NAS: The host folder you mount to container path /data/photos

💡 Changing Your Storage Folder: You can point SnapHaven to an external hard drive, secondary SSD, or custom path anytime. Open the Server Dashboard at https://127.0.0.1:50005, go to the Settings tab, update the "Sync Storage Folder Path", and click Save & Restart Server.

Organization & Deduplication:

• Byte-for-Byte Preservation: Files are saved in their exact raw binary format, preserving EXIF metadata, GPS geotags, camera lens data, and original video bitrates.
• Deduplication: If you move photos or reinstall the mobile app, SnapHaven performs a SHA-256 hash comparison. It will never overwrite or re-download photos that already exist in your vault.