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Publishing & Private Links

There are two ways to give someone a folder of cards. Pick by whether they should get your future changes.

Share as FileShare via Cloud
What you sendAn encrypted .share file.A published collection — public, or by private link.
AccountNot needed.Needed.
Recipient getsAn ordinary folder they can edit.A linked, read-only folder.
Your later changesNot included. It is a snapshot.Delivered as new revisions.
Best forA one-off copy for a friend, or moving a deck between your own devices.A class, a study group, or the whole community.

Both start the same way: long press a folder in the Library and choose Share, or open the folder and use ⋯ > Share. Collections you downloaded from someone else cannot be shared on.

Share as a file​

  1. Choose Share as File.
  2. Under Include, choose whether to add your Review History, Tags and Flags. They are off each time, so the file holds only the cards, their audio and text unless you turn them on — useful when moving a deck between your own devices.
  3. Tap Create Share File. The app gathers the folder's cards, including subfolders and deactivated cards, and packages them into an encrypted .share file. When it says Ready to Share, check the card count and size.
  4. Tap Share File and send it however you like — AirDrop, Messages, email, or save it to Files.

The file never includes your account details or notes you added to downloaded collections. The recipient brings it in with + > Import… > Import Shared File and can choose whether to keep any review history in the file. See Import a shared file.

If your library is in iCloud, every card in the folder must be downloaded to this device first; long press the folder and choose Download.

Publish a collection​

Publishing uploads a folder to Shared Cards as a collection.

  1. Put what you want to share in its own folder. Everything inside it, including subfolders, is published. A dedicated folder makes future updates painless.
  2. Choose Share via Cloud, and Sign In to Publish if you are not signed in.
  3. Fill in the Collection details:
    • Title — required.
    • Description — what the deck covers and who it is for.
    • Languages and Subjects — comma separated, to help people find it.
    • List publicly in Shared Cards — on for a public collection in Community; off for a private one you share by link.
  4. Tap Publish Collection and keep the app open while it uploads.

Before uploading, the app downloads any cards not yet on this device. Only the cards themselves are published: their titles, audio, text-to-speech and transcripts. Your review history, flags and when you made or edited each card stay on your device. Your tags are shown by name on the collection's page but are never added to anyone's library, and deactivated cards and subfolders are left out.

Public collections​

A public collection appears in Community for anyone to preview and download, credited to your display name and photo. Only a name you set on your profile is shown — never the name or picture from the account you signed in with. Until you set one, your collections are credited to "Audio Flashcards user", and your profile page stays private until you save it. Anyone signed in can report a public collection to a moderator.

Private collections​

A private collection is visible only to people who have a link to it. After publishing, tap Create Private Link, then Share Private Link to send it. The recipient opens the link, signs in, and finds the collection under With Me. See Open a private link.

Publish an update​

When you change the folder — fix a card, add new ones, re-record audio — share it via the cloud again:

  1. Long press the folder, choose Share, then Share via Cloud. It now shows Published, and opens as Update Collection, showing the Current Revision, Listing, and when it was Last Updated.
  2. Adjust the title, description, or listing if you want. These details replace the published ones.
  3. Tap Publish New Revision.

Everyone who downloaded the collection is offered the new revision on its page in the Shared tab, and their review progress carries over.

Manage access​

Open the Shared tab, go to By Me, and tap the collection. At the bottom is Manage Links and People for a private collection, or Manage Publication for a public one.

  • Invitation links — New Invitation Link makes a new link and asks you to name it. Share a link with the share button beside it. Each link shows how many people joined through it, and its ⋯ menu has Rename and Revoke, which stops the link letting anyone else in.
  • People with access — everyone who has opened one of your links. Swipe a person to Block them, which removes their access.
  • Unpublish Collection — immediately stops new downloads and updates, and takes a public collection out of Community. Republish Collection restores it.
  • Remove Collection — permanently takes the collection down. Recipients immediately stop receiving downloads and updates, and the server copy is deleted after a recovery period.

None of these reach into other people's devices: anyone who already downloaded a collection keeps their copy.