How to back up and restore your data

Your Spilled journal lives only on your phone. That keeps it private, but it also means that if you delete the app, switch phones, or lose your device, the entries on that phone go with it. The backup feature lets you save your own copy so you never lose your history.

Where to find it: open the Account tab and look for the "Your data" section. There are two buttons, "Back up my data" and "Restore from backup."

To back up:

1. Tap "Back up my data." 2. Spilled creates a backup file containing all your connections and entries. 3. The share sheet opens. Choose where to save it: Files, iCloud Drive, email it to yourself, or any option you like. 4. Keep that file somewhere you will be able to find it again. Saving to iCloud Drive or emailing it to yourself are both good options, because they survive losing the phone.

To restore:

1. On the phone where you want your data, open the Account tab and tap "Restore from backup." 2. Pick the backup file you saved earlier. 3. Spilled shows you how many connections and entries are in the file, then asks you to confirm. 4. After you confirm, force-close the app and reopen it to see everything restored.

Important things to know:

• Restoring replaces everything currently in the app with the contents of the backup. If the phone already has data, that data is overwritten. If you are not sure, back up the current phone first before restoring an older file.
• The backup file is a plain file that you control. Treat it like any personal document: where you store it determines how protected it is. Saving it to your private iCloud Drive or a password-protected place keeps it private.
• A backup is a snapshot from the moment you made it. Entries you add after backing up are not in that file. Make a fresh backup now and then if you want a current copy.
• This is the recommended way to move your journal to a new phone. Signing in with Apple on a new phone restores your account and Pro subscription, but not your journal entries, because those are stored on the device, not on our servers. The backup file is what carries your entries across.