Short answer: importing a copy each isn’t the same as playing together

Not directly. A Minecraft world save is a single-player file: import the same .mcworld onto two devices and you get two independent copies — the ore you mined and the house you built on device A won’t show up on device B, and vice versa, and nothing gets merged automatically. So “import it once on each device” only gives you each playing your own copy; it can’t put you live in the same world together.

If all you really wanted was for each device to keep its own copy of the world (say, to switch phones, or to give each family member a copy), then exporting .mcworld and importing it on each device is enough. To learn how one world moves between multiple devices and how to keep copies, see How to use one world on multiple devices.

To actually play together, you need a server

To have two devices play live in the same world at the same time, you need a persistent place to host the world — that is, a server (or Realms). Only when both devices connect to it do they see the same world and the same real-time data.

With TopoBlocks you can spin up a server in one tap on your phone: pick the edition (Java default port 25565, Bedrock 19132), plan, and region, and the system provisions it automatically — no terminal anywhere in the process. Once it’s up, send the dedicated address and port to the other device and enter it under “Add Server” in the game to join together. For the setup walkthrough, see How to host a Minecraft server from your phone. One thing to note: hosting is paid and requires your explicit authorization before anything runs, prices are shown in the app, and failed paid jobs are automatically refunded.

Deploy your world safely

Once you have a server, you can deploy a world you generated from a real map or diagnosed and repaired, and let both devices play it together. Deployment runs a safe flow: snapshot → validate → atomic switch → health check → automatic rollback on failure, and it never overwrites your source file — every run creates a new version and keeps the original file and its hash for traceability. For the deep dive, see Deploy a server world safely.

Server, Realms, or just send the file?

  • Just send the file (.mcworld): each side gets a copy, playable offline, free — but you can’t play together. Good for “here’s a save, play it on your own.”
  • Realms / your own server: one shared world, live multiplayer, but it needs a subscription or a running server. To weigh whether running your own server or using Realms is the better deal, compare Realms vs. your own server.

In short: the moment you want to “play together live in one world,” you can’t avoid having a server; if you only want each side to keep a copy, sending the file is the easiest path.