Backup and privacy: your data stays yours
The problem
Section titled “The problem”Money apps often want your bank login, upload your transactions to their servers, and show ads built on what you buy. That is a lot to hand over for a tracker.
How Porul handles it
Section titled “How Porul handles it”Local-first, no Porul server
Section titled “Local-first, no Porul server”Everything you enter (expenses, loans, goals, budget) is stored on your device. Porul has no backend that holds your finances. It works fully offline, and the calculators need no connection.
There are no ads, and Porul does not track you. For the legal details, read the Privacy Policy.
Backup and Sync
Section titled “Backup and Sync”Backup is optional and goes to a place you own, not to Porul. Open Settings, Backup & Sync and choose one provider:
| Provider | Where your backup lives |
|---|---|
| Google Drive | A private app-data area of your own Drive. It is hidden from your normal files and only Porul can use it. |
| iCloud Drive (iPhone) | Your own iCloud Documents. |
| Local folder | A folder you pick on your phone. |
| Disable Auto-Sync | No automatic backups. |
Once a provider is chosen, Porul backs up automatically in the background. Any change you make is included: expenses, loans, bills, goals, plans, categories and your settings. The backup starts about half a minute after you stop making changes, and backups are spaced a couple of minutes apart while you are busy, so you never need to think about it. If you leave the app with a change waiting, it is saved right then.
Want to be sure? Tap Back Up Now on the Backup & Sync page to back up immediately. Porul tells you whether it worked, for example if you are offline or signed out of Google.
Porul never backs up an empty app, so a fresh install can’t replace a real backup with nothing.
Signing in with Google is needed only for Google Drive, and only to let Porul use its own private app-data area. Each backup uploads a full copy of your data, so on a limited mobile plan you may prefer to be on Wi-Fi when you make many changes.
Restore points
Section titled “Restore points”Porul keeps a few rolling copies rather than an endless pile of files:
- Latest: your most recent backup.
- Yesterday, Last week and Last month: older restore points that roll forward automatically. Old copies are replaced or removed for you, so backups never pile up in your Drive, iCloud or folder, and a failed update never leaves you without a restore point.
- Before This Install: if this phone ever replaces a backup made by another phone or an earlier install (for example after you chose Start fresh), Porul first keeps that backup here. It is never removed automatically.
- Before Last Restore: a safety copy of your data taken just before any restore. It is kept for 30 days, so a restore can be undone, and Porul removes it automatically each time you open the app once that time is up.
To restore, open Restore Data and choose a restore point, or pick a .zip backup file yourself. Porul checks the backup is valid before it changes anything. While it restores, a spinner blocks the screen so nothing can interfere, then Porul restarts with the restored data. A backup restores on a new phone too, so it doubles as your way to move devices.
New phone or reinstall
Section titled “New phone or reinstall”When you choose a backup place on a new phone, after a reinstall or after a reset, and Porul finds a backup there from before, it shows Backup found with its date and size:
- Restore it brings that backup onto this phone.
- Start fresh keeps this phone’s data and makes it the one that backs up from now on. The old backup is kept as Before This Install when it is first replaced.
- If you close the message, automatic backups pause until you choose (tap Back Up Now to see the choice again). Your old backup is never overwritten without asking.
This works the same for Google Drive, iCloud and a local folder.
What is (and isn’t) in a backup
Section titled “What is (and isn’t) in a backup”A backup includes your entries, categories and suggestions, loans, fixed bills, budget settings, goals, plans, Cash Books and preferences. It does not include your subscription status. That is kept separately on your device in an encrypted store and is checked with the App Store or Google Play.
Your export
Section titled “Your export”You can export what you see on the Transactions screen as CSV or PDF at any time. See Kakeibo.
Example
Section titled “Example”You buy a new phone.
- On the old phone you had Google Drive backup on, so a fresh backup is already there.
- On the new phone, install Porul and open Settings, Backup & Sync.
- Choose Google Drive and sign in to the same Google account. Porul shows Backup found with the date of your last backup.
- Tap Restore it. Porul restores your entries, loans, goals and Cash Books and restarts. Nothing had to pass through a Porul server. If you have Premium, it comes back by itself too.