Back up, restore, and move iPhones

Three different operations

The app’s backup is manual. It does not turn on automatic backup or live sync. A backup represents the data saved when you created it, not changes made afterward.

Create a complete backup

1. Open Settings → Backup and restore.
2. Choose Back up to iCloud Drive.
3. Read the sensitive-data notice and choose Choose location.
4. In Files, select a private iCloud Drive folder or another suitable Files location and save.
5. Check the saved file in Files. For iCloud Drive, confirm that uploading has finished before depending on another device being able to access it.

Despite the button’s name, the Files picker can offer other locations. A copy saved only on the same phone does not protect against losing that phone.

Without password protection, the backup is not password-encrypted by LinePaycheck. Anyone who can open that copy can read it. Choose a private location; do not attach any backup to a public support issue or share it casually.

Optional password protection in the v2 development build

Before starting the backup, select Protect this copy with a password. Enter New backup password and Confirm backup password, using a long, unique passphrase of at least 12 characters. Spaces are kept. Keep the password separately and confirm I have kept the password separately before continuing.

The app cannot recover a forgotten password. It does not save the password for you. Protection applies to this exported copy; it does not encrypt copies you exported earlier or turn on synchronization. Older app versions cannot open protected backups. The filename still ends in .linepaybackup. Keep both protected and unprotected files in private storage.

Deleted originals, unsaved input, device-local activity observations, and App Store subscription entitlements are not included. A manual diagnostic export is separate from a pay-data backup; restoring pay data never backfills observed usage or conversion history. Saved drafts, agreement review decisions, source citations and originals still retained by the app are included. In the v2 development workflow, this also includes benefits checks, their immutable revisions and retained statement PDFs.

Restore a selected backup

Before restoring, back up the destination iPhone’s current data when you need to keep it. Restoration replaces local LinePaycheck data; it does not merge two sets of records.

Open Restore from iCloud Drive, select the backup in Files, and review its creation time, period count, work-entry count, and original-paystub count. Choose Replace local data with this backup, then Restore and replace only when you are sure it is the correct snapshot.

For a password-protected copy in v2, enter Backup password and choose Unlock and review first. A wrong password or damaged file cannot produce a replacement preview. Unlocking only checks the file; the separate replace confirmation is still required. Discard locked selection abandons a locked copy.

Discard selection abandons the selected backup. The source backup and your App Store purchases are not changed by restoration.

Move to another iPhone

Create and verify a complete backup on the old phone. Install LinePaycheck on the new phone, open its backup/restore entry point, and restore the file. Inspect several periods and retained originals before retiring the old device. Use Restore Purchases separately for subscription access with the appropriate Apple account.

Do not uninstall the only installation holding valuable records before you have verified a usable backup. This is a transfer workflow, not ongoing synchronization between devices.

When data or a backup cannot be read

Keep the source file unchanged. Check device storage, Files availability, and app-version compatibility. Follow the recovery screen’s available export option before replacing unreadable current data. If a backup was made by a newer app, update the destination app rather than editing the file’s version markers.

Do not reset data as your first troubleshooting step. See troubleshooting and contact support with a description—not an unredacted backup.