Cloud Sync or full backup? Why Budget Tracker keeps both
Cloud Sync helps trusted devices stay current. A full backup gives you a portable, self-contained recovery copy. Here is when each one helps.
They protect against different problems
It is easy to think of Cloud Sync and backup as the same feature because both involve a copy of your data. They are deliberately different in Budget Tracker.
Cloud Sync
Encrypted Cloud Sync is useful when you want trusted devices to share a current copy. A Primary device controls new-device approval, trusted devices can synchronize changes, and a Recovery Key provides a recovery path when the Primary device is no longer available.
Full backup
A manual full backup is designed to stand on its own. It includes the data needed for that backup rather than depending on a separate cloud attachment library. This makes it suitable as an independent recovery copy that you can store somewhere you control.
Why attachments are incremental in Cloud Sync
Receipt and invoice images can be much larger than transaction records. Re-uploading every image whenever a transaction changes would make routine synchronization increasingly slow. Budget Tracker therefore stores encrypted attachments separately and lets later snapshots refer to attachments that are already present.
Which should you use?
If you use more than one trusted device, Cloud Sync is useful for continuity. If the records matter, keep a manual backup too. Using Cloud Sync does not make independent backups unnecessary, and keeping a backup does not automatically keep two devices synchronized.
Before changing devices
- Confirm the latest Cloud Sync status if you use it.
- Keep the Recovery Key somewhere safe.
- Create a recent full backup before clearing old-device data.
- Do not assume Safari and an installed Home Screen app share the same browser storage.