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 spend. 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 shortly after you make changes. Signing in with Google is needed only for Google Drive, and only to let Porul use its own private app-data area.
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.
- 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.
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, then restarts with the restored data. A backup restores on a new phone too, so it doubles as your way to move devices.
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 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.
- Sign in to the same Google account, choose Restore Data, and select Latest.
- Porul restores your entries, loans and goals and restarts. Nothing had to pass through a Porul server.