Thank you so much for your reply. It is a conundrum! I hadn’t considered a lack of connectivity.
Though, I do wonder why that’s preventing adding some sort of lock-file/session-alert system? Surely, the user’s expectation would be that the sync/session-lock won’t work if they don’t have connectivity, and the software could take that opportunity to show a warning/reminder message on project open that the session state cannot be synced until connectivity is restored. At least then there would be a reminder.
I absolutely do! 
I would gladly take a performance hit if it meant I had peace of mind that my data was safe. And, doesn’t it do that anyway if you have turned on auto sync on open? If it’s an option and it is taking too long, then, like auto-sync, users can always turn it off.
Again, I 100% do! 
As a user of this software and not a developer, I have absolutely no idea which actions require a sync and which don’t. I don’t know if I can browse or open and close files to view them without needing to sync, and I don’t want to start experimenting and cause a conflict. If I didn’t have time to re-sync after an iOS session, I would always expect the desktop version to tell me that I have a project open on iOS. Perhaps an ‘ignore’ option on the desktop lock screen would allow users to bypass it at their own risk?
Also, in that moment I was looking up a character’s name, did I really only do that? Or did I forget that I had also highlighted some text beside it, or scribbled down a brief note? Most of the time I can never recall exactly what I did in a previous session, which is why I want the software to prompt me to sync. There are threads of users anxiously stating the mantra of ‘I have a simple rule, I do not walk away from the iPad without syncing and closing Scrivener.’, or ‘get in the habit of syncing before you put the device down’, and even users suggesting to set timers, reminding themselves to sync!
I hope this doesn’t come across as a rant in any way, as I sincerely love Scrivener to bits - I just see the syncing from iOS issue as too much of a risk for me at present. It is what stopped me from using the iOS version after I purchased it many years ago, and it appears it hasn’t changed in the intervening years.
Perhaps this all sounds overly cautious, for something that the developers obviously don’t see as a problem at all. So, as I stated in the topic title, I am genuinely interested in how people experience working with both iOS and desktop. Do you simply expect to remember to sync every time, and it’s not a problem if you forget once in a while?
In testing iOS again I have already found myself getting file conflicts, just by swapping between one device and then the other and forgetting to sync as I’m working out how things work.
For me, the idea of file conflicts is a critical issue that could lead to serious data loss. It could mean the wrong revisions getting published by mistake, or potentially even corrupting the file system with the loss of an entire project (some of which are over thirty years worth of writing).
But, am I mistaken in this? Do you see it as just something that is not a serious risk? Or do you just never forget to sync?
All the best, Ian