I’m having issues with the cloud backup

How does the cloud backup work?

Before we talk about possible issues, here’s a quick, very simplified version of how the app handles the cloud backup.

When the app starts, it asks your phone or tablet to run a little piece of code every 15 minutes, even if the app itself is not running. That code is called “background app refresh“, and that’s what checks your database for changes and talks to the server to backup your data after you do some work on the app. If the background app refresh code is not running, the cloud backup isn’t done.

If the cloud backup is unavailable

If the app shows the error message below at the bottom of the home screen, instead of the last backup date and time:

That means the background app refresh process is not running on the background. If you see that message, look here for possible solutions.

If the home screen shows a warning message

If you see this warning on the home screen:

That means that the app requested the background app refresh and your device accepted it, as it should, but the device not actually executing it in a timely manner (about every 15 minutes or so). If you’ve been using the app for a while and the backup isn’t being done, there are a few reasons why this could happen.

If you’re using an Android device:

On Android devices, the background app refresh usually works in a pretty straightforward manner and the app follows a consistent 15-minute schedule. Newer versions of Android devices may block background processes from running, though. See this article on how to change the settings to allow it.

If you’re using an Apple device:

iOS devices are a little finicky, using the requested 15-minute interval more as a suggestion than a request. Before letting the app use the background app refresh, your device wants to learn how you use the app, keeping track of when and how long you have the app running, so it can optimize the background app refresh schedule.

That means it may take up to a few of days before you see a regular 15 minute schedule happen, and even then, your final schedule may vary. For example, the app might do backups every 15 minutes in the late morning to mid afternoon, because that’s the hours your phone decided you use the app most, but not do them frequently (or not at all) in the evening or the middle of the night, because you don’t use the app when you’re home, after work.

In the meantime, if do any significant work in the app, just use the manual backup on the Settings page to make sure your work is saved on the cloud, until your device starts backing up on a schedule.

For either type of device:

There are three other possibilities for a lack of automatic cloud backups.

First, the app will not backup your data to the cloud while you’re using the app. If you have the app on the screen when the background app refresh happens, the app will instead postpone backups until the next cycle. If you leave the phone sleep or switch to the home screen or another app for a while, the backup should happen as expected when the next background app refresh executes.

Second, you need internet connection when the app attempts a backup. If your device is not connected, the app will postpone the backup until the next background app refresh cycle, and keep postponing as long as you don’t have a connection. Just make sure your device has internet access and things will go back to normal.

Third, if you stop the app by going to your device’s app switcher screen and closing the app manually, then its background app refresh will also stop running, and the cloud backup won’t be executed until you open the app again.

Usually, if you give it time, the app will eventually pick up the backup schedule again once conditions allow it. But if none of the possibilities above seem to apply to your particular situation, please contact us so we can try to figure out what is causing your issue.