A simple backup routine for business records on your phone

Why a routine beats good intentions

Most people lose records not because backing up is hard, but because they meant to do it “soon”. A fixed routine, at the same time each week, removes the decision. Friday afternoon or the end of your last working day are good choices.

The rule of two places

A backup that stays on the same phone doesn’t protect you from losing the phone. Keep at least two copies of your records in different places:

• The live records in the app on your phone.
• A recent backup file somewhere else: your computer, a USB drive or a cloud storage folder you control.

For extra safety, keep an older backup too. If you discover a mistake from two weeks ago, a slightly older copy can help.

Back up Simple Accounting & Invoices

Simple Accounting & Invoices stores records on your device and has no automatic cloud backup, so exporting is up to you. It takes under a minute:

1. Open More → Backup and restore.
2. Choose the backup or export option.
3. Pick a folder in Android’s file picker. A cloud storage folder, such as Google Drive, gets the file off your phone in one step.
4. Confirm the file was saved, and note the date.

Backup files contain your business records and aren’t encrypted by the app. Store them somewhere private, and be careful about emailing them or sharing them in group chats.

Moving to a new phone

Make a fresh backup on the old phone first. On the new phone, install the app, copy the backup file across, open More → Backup and restore and select the file. Read the confirmation carefully: restoring replaces the records currently in the app.

Test your backup now and then

A backup you’ve never opened is a hope, not a plan. Every few months, check that your latest backup file exists where you think it is, opens from that location and has a recent date. If you have a spare Android device, try restoring it there.

What a backup can’t save

Uninstalling the app, clearing its storage or losing the phone removes records that weren’t backed up. Nobody, including us, can recover them, because the records never leave your phone unless you export them. That’s good for privacy, and it’s why the weekly habit matters.

Your five-minute checklist

• Same time every week: export a backup.
• Save it off the phone.
• Keep the previous week’s copy too.
• Before changing phones, make a fresh backup.
• Every few months, check you can find and open your latest backup.

New to the app? Get Simple Accounting & Invoices on Google Play, or read how to create and share an invoice from your phone.