Guides for getting the most out of Cashflow

Cloud Backup keeps an automatic copy of your Cashflow data in the cloud, tied to your Google account, so a lost or wiped phone doesn’t take your register with it. It is opt-in, it’s separate from the local file and Dropbox backups Cashflow has always offered, and it’s available in Cashflow 4.1.0.

What it is

Cloud Backup is an optional service you turn on by signing in with Google. Signing in is the opt-in — until you do, nothing is sent to the cloud.

• It is separate from local and Dropbox backups, which keep working exactly as before. Cloud Backup is an additional copy, not a replacement. See Backup & Restore for the local and Dropbox options.
• It requires signing in with Google.
• It is available in Cashflow 4.1.0.

How it works

Once you’ve signed in and turned on automatic backup in Settings → Backup:

• Cashflow backs up about once a day, automatically, when the conditions are right (for example, you’re on a network and the app has data to save). You don’t have to remember to do it.
• Cashflow keeps your last 5 backups in the cloud. When a new one is made, the oldest beyond five is removed.
• You can also tap Back up now for an immediate manual backup, and restore from any of the kept backups at any time.

What’s protected

Your cloud backups are protected by end-to-end encryption plus a layered access model:

• End-to-end encrypted with a backup password. Your data is encrypted on your device before it’s uploaded, with a key that is locked by a backup password only you know. We store the locked key in your account next to the encrypted backup, but we never receive your backup password — so under normal operation we cannot read your backups.
• Owner-only access. Both the encrypted backup and the locked key are stored under your signed-in account, and the access rules permit only that account to read or write them. Other users cannot reach them.
• Two layers against outsiders. An outside attacker would need both your sign-in account (to reach the encrypted backup and the locked key) and your backup password (to unlock the key). Neither alone is enough.
• Encrypted in transit. Data travels to and from the cloud over HTTPS.

The honest limit of that guarantee: because the encrypted backup and the locked key are both stored on our infrastructure, someone with administrative access to it could attempt to unlock the key by guessing your backup password. That is why Cashflow requires a minimum-strength password and why you should not reuse your Google or Apple account password — a strong, non-reused password is the protection that matters most in that scenario.

Set up your backup password

When you turn Cloud Backup on, Cashflow asks you to set a backup password before anything is uploaded. This is a required step — there is no “skip and set it later.” You enter it twice to confirm, and a live strength meter helps you pick something strong; very weak or common passwords are rejected. The easiest way to clear the bar is a passphrase of four random words.

You can change your backup password later from Settings → Backup on a device that still holds the key — Cashflow re-locks the same key under the new password without re-uploading your data.

Recovery

Because your backups are locked by a backup password we never receive, here is how you get your data back:

• A device you’re still signed in to. On the same phone, or a same-platform new phone set up through your platform account, the unlocked key is already there and restore is silent.
• Your backup password. On a brand-new phone — including when you switch between Android and iOS — sign in with the same account and enter your backup password to unlock the key and restore.

Treat Cloud Backup as one layer of protection. The safest setup is automatic cloud backup plus a recent Dropbox or local copy, plus a backup password you can remember but haven’t reused — see Backup & Restore for the local and Dropbox options.

Your privacy

When Cloud Backup is on, the cloud holds:

• Your Cashflow data — the same full snapshot a backup always contains (accounts, balances, every transaction, categories, scheduled transactions, and app settings). This is end-to-end encrypted before it leaves your device, so although it lives in the cloud, we cannot read it.
• Basic account identifiers — the email address and display name on the Google account you signed in with, so your backups can be associated with your account.

For the full details of what’s stored and how it’s handled, see the Privacy Policy. For quick answers, see Where are my backups stored?, Is my data private?, and Does Cashflow back up automatically?.

Availability

• Android — available now, as of Cashflow 4.1.0.
• iOS — in progress. Cloud Backup is not yet available on iPhone or iPad. iOS users can still back up locally and to Dropbox; see Backup & Restore.