Keel is an independent app maintained by one person. I aim to reply within 2 business days; issues that need reproducing may take longer. English or Chinese both work.
When reporting a problem, please include these three things — it saves a round trip:
Your app version and iOS version;
What you did, what you expected, and what actually happened;
A diagnostic report — in the app, Settings › Diagnostics › Email the Developer attaches it for you, and you can review the contents before sending.
1. Where is my data, and can I lose it?
By default it lives only on your device. If you turn on iCloud Sync, a copy is also stored in the iCloud private database of your own Apple Account so it can sync across devices. The developer runs no servers and cannot reach your ledger — see the Privacy Policy.
Which also means: if your device is lost, damaged, or reset, I cannot recover your data for you. Please get into the habit of exporting backups (next question). The app reminds you in Settings when it has been a while.
2. How do I back up?
Settings › Import & Export › Keel Backup › Export Keel Backup. This produces a .bfbackup package containing your books, accounts, double-entry postings, plans, budgets, assets, categories, exchange rates, and preferences, then hands it to the system share sheet so you can put it wherever you like (Files, iCloud Drive, a cloud service, email to yourself).
You can set a passphrase to encrypt the export. Without one, the file is unencrypted and anyone who obtains it can read it — store it carefully.
3. Moving to a new phone
Two routes, pick either:
iCloud Sync (Premium): sign both devices into the same Apple Account and turn sync on; the data flows over automatically.
A backup file (free): export a .bfbackup on the old device, transfer it, and restore with Settings › Import & Export › Import Keel Backup. Imports are checked for file integrity and double-entry balance before restoring.
4. I forgot my backup passphrase
Unfortunately it cannot be recovered. The passphrase is used only for encryption and decryption; it is never stored or transmitted, I hold no copy, and there is no back door. Keep it in a password manager.
5. iCloud Sync isn't working
Work through these in order — most cases resolve in the first three:
Confirm you are signed into an Apple Account in system Settings and that iCloud is available;
Confirm your iCloud storage isn't full — writes are rejected when it is;
Confirm you have network access, then background the app and reopen it;
Open Settings › Privacy & Sync and read the message on the iCloud account status row;
If it says the iCloud account changed, sync has been deliberately paused — this prevents uploading the previous account's data into a different one. Follow the prompt to either continue locally or switch to the current account.
Still stuck? Send me the report from Settings › Diagnostics.
6. Sharing a book with family
Start sharing from the book's members screen. It generates an iCloud share link that you send yourself (message, email, anything). The other person needs the app installed to open the link and join. You can set each member to read-only or read-write, and remove members or stop sharing at any time.
Sharing runs on iCloud, so both people need to be signed into their own Apple Accounts.
7. How do I cancel a subscription?
Subscriptions are managed by Apple, not inside the app: system Settings › your Apple Account at the top › Subscriptions, find Keel, and turn off auto-renewal.
Do it at least 24 hours before the current period ends to stop the next charge. The period you already paid for is not refunded pro rata; your membership runs to the end of it.
8. My membership vanished on a new device
Open the Upgrade screen and tap Restore Purchases. You must be signed into the same Apple Account you originally purchased with — entitlements are tied to the Apple Account, not to a device or a profile.
If you see "Nothing to restore", check that the account currently signed in is the one that paid.
9. I want a refund
All purchases are processed by Apple, and only Apple can issue a refund — the developer cannot. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in with your Apple Account to request one.
If you're refunding because something didn't work as expected, I'd genuinely appreciate hearing what went wrong.
10. Importing from Qianji
Export your transactions from Qianji as a spreadsheet (xlsx or CSV), then import it under Settings › Import & Export. The file is parsed entirely on your device and is not uploaded anywhere.
That import is for migrating external transaction details. To move Keel's own data between devices, use the backup package in questions 2 and 3 — that one is complete.
11. The app is using too much storage
Open Settings › Storage Usage to see how much the ledger database, attachments, caches and sync state, and diagnostic logs each take. Attachments (receipt images and PDFs) are usually the bulk of it. Diagnostic logs rotate automatically and can also be cleared by hand.
12. I want my data deleted
On this device: Settings › Clear All Data (requires a confirmation code), or simply delete the app.
The iCloud copy: choose "Delete iCloud Copy" when turning off iCloud Sync, or remove it under system Settings › Apple Account › iCloud › Manage Account Storage. Note this also ends any book sharing you started, and members lose access.
Backup files you exported: those are yours to delete.
Since I don't hold your data, there is no deletion request to file with me — you can remove all of it yourself.
13. My reports don't add up
Keel is double-entry: every transaction must balance, and a built-in invariant check flags breaks. If a report shows a number that looks wrong:
Check the overview or statement screens for a validation banner;
Check whether the transactions involved have the wrong amount, direction, or account;
For multi-currency, confirm you have entered a rate for the currencies involved.
If it isn't an input problem, send me the diagnostic report and tell me which statement and which period doesn't reconcile. Note that reports are for personal reference only — they are not audited and are not financial or tax advice (see Terms of Service, Section 6).
Keel