Frequently asked questions
Is mdvju made by Obsidian?
No. mdvju is an independent app, made by one developer in Poland. It is not made by, endorsed by or affiliated with Obsidian. It works with Obsidian vaults because an Obsidian vault is a folder of Markdown files, and reading those is what mdvju does.
Do I need Obsidian?
No. mdvju reads any folder of Markdown files. Obsidian vaults are supported out of the box (wikilinks, callouts, embedded images and so on), but a folder of notes from another app, or a project’s docs, works too.
Can I edit my notes with it?
No, on purpose. mdvju is a reader. No tap will ever drop you into edit mode or open the keyboard, so you can scroll and tap with one hand without changing anything by accident.
The one exception is ticking a checkbox. That’s written straight into the file, and only if the note hasn’t changed since you opened it. If you want to write, use the app you write in.
Does it sync my vault?
No. mdvju doesn’t copy your notes anywhere or keep its own copy. It reads them in the folder where they already live. Whatever keeps that folder up to date (iCloud, or the app that syncs it) keeps doing that job, and mdvju shows what’s there.
Does it work with iCloud, Obsidian Sync, Syncthing or Working Copy?
mdvju works with a folder on your iPhone: one in iCloud Drive or in On My iPhone. Those two are the supported places. If your notes end up in a folder you can see in the Files app somewhere else, mdvju may still be able to read it, but we can’t promise it.
- iCloud Drive: yes. Notes iCloud hasn’t downloaded yet are listed straight away and download when you open them.
- Obsidian Sync: Obsidian keeps a vault stored on the phone in On My iPhone › Obsidian. mdvju reads it, and ticking checkboxes works there. It sees changes only after Obsidian itself has synced them.
- Syncthing (for example via Möbius Sync), Working Copy, Dropbox and others: not tested yet. If you pick a folder outside iCloud Drive and On My iPhone, mdvju tells you the location isn’t officially supported, and you can choose Use anyway or Choose another. OneDrive folders can’t be picked at all.
If your setup doesn’t work, tell us what you use. It helps decide what gets supported next.
What happens after the 14-day trial?
The trial is the full app. After 14 days, if you don’t buy it, mdvju stops opening your folder, but you can still open single Markdown files from the Files app (touch and hold the file, then Share › mdvju), one at a time, for free. In those files, web, email, phone and text-message links still open. Links to other notes don’t take you anywhere: tapping one shows “Unlock mdvju to follow links to other notes”, with an Unlock button.
Buying it, with one payment, unlocks everything again: your folder, links, recents, favourites and change tracking. The App Store shows you the price in your own currency.
Why not a subscription?
Because an app is like a book. The work has been done, and using it doesn’t use it up. So you pay for it once. A subscription only makes sense when someone keeps running a service for you, and the app doesn’t need one: your notes stay in your own folder.
Does Family Sharing work?
Yes. One purchase covers the people in your Family Sharing group.
Is my data private?
Yes. No account, no ads, no analytics, no tracking. Your notes never leave your phone. Crash reports are off by default; if you turn them on, they go to our own server in the EU, hold crash data only, aren’t linked to you or your device, have note names, paths and links stripped out first, and are deleted after 90 days. Images linked from the web and YouTube thumbnails load from those sites, like in a browser. The privacy policy has the details.
Does it work offline?
Yes, for any note already on your phone. Diagrams are drawn on the phone too. Notes iCloud hasn’t downloaded yet need a connection the first time you open them, and so do images linked from the web.
Plugins? Graph view? Canvas?
No, deliberately. mdvju is a reader for notes, not a second copy of Obsidian. It shows what Markdown can show, nicely, and leaves the rest to the app you write in.
Can I search all my notes?
You can jump to any note by its name, and search inside the note you’re reading. Searching the text of every note isn’t there yet; it’s on the what’s next list.
Is there an Android version?
Not yet. mdvju is iPhone only for now, but Android is planned: it’s on the what’s next list, without a date. Leave your email to hear when it’s ready. Email sign-up coming soon
iPad?
Not yet. mdvju is made for the iPhone. An iPad version may come later, but a bigger screen needs its own design, so no promises.
Can I use it with my own server?
Not yet. For now mdvju reads a folder on your phone, in iCloud Drive or On My iPhone. A self-hosted mdvju server is planned: free and open source, published on GitHub once it’s tested and packaged. It’s on the what’s next list.
What does “mdvju” mean?
“md” is Markdown, the format your notes are in. “vju” is how a Pole would spell “view”. So: Markdown view. Or, if you prefer, déjà vu for your notes.
Who makes it?
Michał, an independent developer in Poland, who reads his own notes on his phone every day and built the reader he wanted. No company behind it, no investors. You pay for the app, and that pays for the work.
Something else? The user guide covers the basics and troubleshooting the usual snags. Or email support@mdvju.app.
mdvju is an independent app. It is not made by or affiliated with Obsidian. Obsidian is a trademark of Dynalist Inc.