---
title: "When a transfer fails"
description: "The ways a Bluetooth scan, connection or dive download fails, what each one looks like on screen, what causes it, and what to do about it."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.divelogic.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# When a transfer fails

Some of these messages come from the phone or laptop rather than from DiveLogic,
so their wording varies; those are described by what they say rather than quoted.

## Finding and connecting

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| `No computers found.` and `Scan to discover nearby devices.` | Nothing in range. Shearwaters stay visible only briefly after you select Bluetooth on the wrist unit. | Enable Bluetooth on the computer, then **Scan Again** at once. If it is awake and still absent, check it is a Shearwater. |
| `Bluetooth sync needs the desktop or mobile app.`, or "Dive computers connect over Bluetooth from the desktop or mobile app. Once a dive syncs there, it appears here on every device you sign in to." | A browser cannot use Bluetooth. | Download from the desktop or mobile app. See [Platforms](/reference/platforms). |
| The computer cannot be found | It is no longer visible. | Wake Bluetooth on the computer and retry. If the app has run a long time, close and reopen it. |
| Bluetooth is off or unavailable | Bluetooth is off, or the app lacks permission. | Enable Bluetooth, then check the app's Bluetooth permission in system settings. On macOS and iPhone a declined prompt leaves scans silently empty ever after. |

## During a transfer

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A message naming the dive list and a 40-second limit | The computer stopped responding, or distance or interference degraded the link. | Move the computer beside the phone or laptop, check nothing else is holding it, and reconnect. If it stops at the same numbered part every attempt, power-cycle the computer. |
| A message naming the dive and a 120-second limit | One recording did not finish in two minutes; long dives recorded frequently carry a great deal. | Bring the devices within a metre, stop other Bluetooth activity, and retry that dive. Others usually download normally. |
| The transfer stops and the computer has stopped sending | It slept or moved out of range; the app waits ten seconds, then gives up. | Wake it, select **Reconnect**, and start again. A part-downloaded dive is discarded. |
| The connection drops mid-transfer | The computer disconnected, or the phone or laptop tore the link down. | Reconnect and retry. If it recurs every attempt, check the battery: a Shearwater low on charge drops Bluetooth first. |
| A message beginning `send failed:` | The connection is present but not usable. | Disconnect, reconnect, and retry. |

## Afterwards

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Disconnecting times out after five seconds | The computer had already gone. Dives already downloaded are safe. | Nothing; the next scan starts clean. |
| `No dives found (offline).` | The connection dropped and nothing from this computer is held locally. | Select **Reconnect**. Without `(offline)`, the computer genuinely holds no dives. |
| `Dive log not downloaded.` | You opened a dive you never downloaded, with the computer not connected. | Connect the computer and open the dive again. |
| `This computer still holds 12 dives. Deleting it would delete them too.` | A refusal, not a failure: the computer has dives in your account. The count varies. | **Delete dives & forget** removes both permanently. To keep the dives, cancel. |

Keep the computer within a metre during a transfer, and make sure no other
application is holding it: only one thing can talk to a Shearwater at a time.
Shearwater's own app is the usual culprit, so close it before you scan.

## Next

[Pairing a dive computer](/log/pairing), and
[downloading dives](/log/downloading).

Source: https://docs.divelogic.ai/log/troubleshooting/index.mdx