Backups give you a portable, restore-ready copy of that data on iCloud Drive (iPhone/iPad) or Google Drive (Android) so a lost phone or accidental delete is no big deal.

What Gets Backed Up

A backup is a single timestamped JSON file containing every record we know about for your business:

  • Clients, properties, service history
  • Jobs, schedules, recurring rules, checklist items
  • Invoices, line items, payment status
  • Estimates and quotes
  • Expenses, expense categories, vendor records
  • Tasks, notes, profile settings
  • Equipment list and certifications

Photos stay on the device. Your sign-in token, AI cache, and ephemeral state are not backed up — they get rebuilt automatically on restore.

Back Up to iCloud (iPhone / iPad)

  1. Sign in to iCloud on your device: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud
  2. Make sure iCloud Drive is on, and LawnBook is enabled in the app list below
  3. Open LawnBook → Account → Backup to iCloud
  4. Wait for the confirmation dialog with the file name and timestamp
  5. Open the Files app → iCloud Drive → LawnBook folder to verify

Back Up to Google Drive (Android)

  1. Open LawnBook → Account → Backup to Google Drive
  2. Sign in with the Google account you want to back up to
  3. Approve the Drive permission when prompted
  4. Open Google Drive → the LawnBook Backups folder to verify

Daily Auto-Backup

The Account screen has a Daily auto-backup toggle. When on, LawnBook checks once per app foreground and runs a fresh backup if the last one is more than 24 hours old. There is no schedule background job — the trigger is opening the app.

Heads up: Auto-backup runs only when you actually open the app. If you don't launch LawnBook for several days, no backup runs during that gap. For belt-and-suspenders coverage, also rely on iOS device backup or your Android phone's full-device backup.

Restore from a Backup

Restoring replaces every record on the current device with the contents of the backup you choose. It's a destructive operation, so we always show a final confirmation before running.

  1. Open Account → Restore from iCloud or Restore from Google Drive
  2. LawnBook lists the 5 most recent backups, newest first
  3. Pick one and confirm
  4. The local database is wiped, the backup is read row-by-row, and the dashboard updates with the restored counts

Switching Devices

The fastest way to move LawnBook to a new phone is: backup on the old device, install LawnBook on the new device, sign in to the same iCloud or Google account, then run Restore. All clients, jobs, and invoices land on the new device in minutes.

Multiple Devices

For continuous sync across your own devices, sign in with Apple or Google under Settings → Account; see Sync & sign-in help. To work with helpers, invite them through crew sharing. Backup is for point-in-time snapshots.

Troubleshooting

  • "iCloud Drive is not available" — iCloud Drive is off, or the LawnBook app toggle is off in Settings → iCloud → iCloud Drive
  • "No backups found" on restore — You're signed into a different iCloud or Google account than the one that ran the backup, or no backup has been created yet
  • Folder not visible in Files / Drive app — iCloud needs a minute to sync after the first backup. On Android, the folder is named "LawnBook Backups"; on iOS the folder is "LawnBook"
  • Google Drive backup fails — The Drive API needs to be enabled on the project that owns your OAuth client; that's a one-time setup we handle on our side, but if you build a fork yourself, this is the most common stumbling block