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Your perspective.

Does my journal sync between devices?

There is no automatic sync, journal account, app backend, or CloudKit sync. To move a journal yourself, create and verify a password-encrypted backup outside the app, then restore it on the destination device. Restore replaces that device's journal; it does not merge journals. The developer does not have a server copy.

How do I create and verify an encrypted backup?

Open Settings > Data & Backup > Create Encrypted Backup. Choose a password of at least 12 characters and save the .threadlinebackup file outside the app. The success screen shows its saved filename. Use Verify Backup to reopen that exact file, enter the password, and check its date and record counts. Keep the password separately: we cannot reset or recover it.

How do I restore or move my journal?

Open Settings > Data & Backup > Restore Backup, select the encrypted file, and enter its password. Review the date and record counts before confirming Replace Journal. Restore replaces the destination journal, not merges it. Back up and verify the destination journal first if you need to keep it. Only information saved in the selected backup is restored.

App Lock, appearance, and purchase access are not imported. Check notification permission after restoring; only eligible future reminders can be scheduled. If the app cannot open its current journal, the startup recovery screen also offers Restore Backup. Do not uninstall the app to troubleshoot an unreadable journal or a lock issue.

Are readable exports the same as backups?

No. JSON files and the .threadline-csv package are plain-text reference copies, not encrypted backups, and cannot be imported as a journal. Protect them wherever you store or share them. Use a verified encrypted backup and its password for restoration. Without them, app deletion, device loss, or loss of the device-only key may permanently remove access to your journal.

How do I delete my information?

Delete a record or person from its detail screen, or use Settings > Data & Backup > Erase All Data. Treat deletion as irreversible. Individual deletions affect the current journal; protected copies kept after an earlier restore may still contain earlier information. Erase All Data removes those on-device recovery copies and their keys too. Remove external exports, encrypted backups, and provider copies separately. Deleting local data does not cancel an Apple subscription.

How does App Lock work if access was denied?

App Lock uses Face ID or Touch ID, with no in-app passcode fallback. If you decline access while turning it on, App Lock remains off and you can continue using your journal. If App Lock was already on and biometric access later becomes unavailable, follow Open Settings to restore access, then return and retry; your journal stays locked until biometric access works again. A temporary biometric lockout may require unlocking the device outside Threadline. Sensitive backup, export, or erase actions from an unlocked session may separately require device-owner authentication.

Why is a reminder saved but not scheduled?

Saving a reminder in the journal is different from scheduling a system notification. The first scheduling request explains notifications before asking permission. If you previously denied access, use Open Settings, enable notifications, then return and retry scheduling. Check that the reminder has a future date. Notifications use generic text without a person's alias or private note.

Can I explore without adding real records?

Choose Explore a sample during onboarding or in Settings. The clearly labeled fictional preview includes a person, timeline, Private Brief examples, and local Insights. It is read-only, stays separate from your journal, and saves nothing when you exit.

Which custom metrics are supported?

Choose a 1–5 scale, Yes/No, single choice with 2–8 distinct options, or a whole-number slider with your own minimum and maximum. Slider bounds can be between −10,000 and 10,000, with a step of 1. Unanswered values stay unanswered, not zero. After a metric is used, its type, options, and range are fixed to protect history; you can still rename it, change its prompt, or archive it.

How is time in each stage calculated?

Choose a person in Insights to see chronological stage periods, clipped to your selected date range. Days count local calendar-date boundaries, not 24-hour blocks; a same-day period is 0 days. Repeated stages remain separate. Time before the first recorded change, unset stages, and ambiguous simultaneous changes are excluded. The table and calculation explanation describe your records, not relationship advice.

How do I contact support safely?

Email captainlongevity@gmail.com with a brief description of the issue and, if helpful, your app and iOS versions. Threadline does not offer an in-app diagnostics export or automatically send journal content. Review and redact screenshots before attaching them; never send journal exports, backup files or passwords, payment details, or device passcodes.

How do I restore a Pro purchase?

Open Settings > Threadline Pro, then Restore Purchases in the paywall footer while signed into the Apple Account used for the purchase. This checks your purchase entitlement; it does not restore journal data.

How do I cancel a subscription or request a refund?

Subscriptions are managed by Apple. Open iOS Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. See Apple's cancellation instructions. Refund eligibility is determined under Apple's policies and applicable law; see Apple's refund instructions.

What happens when Pro expires?

Free-tier limits apply to new content creation. Your existing journal remains available to read, edit, export, and delete. App Lock, exports, and deletion do not require Pro.

Can support recover a lost journal or encryption key?

We cannot recover the original device-only key, a forgotten backup password, or content from a server. A usable encrypted backup and its password can restore the journal saved in that file, including on a different device; later changes are not included. A readable export can be kept securely for reference but cannot be imported.