Choose and verify a Drive backup to restore

Step 1

Start with restore-first guidance

1. Open Settings > Data Transfer
2. Check paid access and separate Drive permission

Open Data Transfer and find Restore from Google Drive. Regular paid backup access and separate Drive permission are required.

On a new or empty device, restore an earlier backup first. These screens use synthetic data, not a live Drive download.

Step 2

Protect existing transactions first

1. Export and verify existing data first
2. Do not clear entries just to follow this film

Restore unavailable appears when this device already has transactions. A full restore is not a merge with those entries.

Export and verify your current data before any separate clearing action. This film never clears or replaces your real ledger.

Step 3

Read dates before choosing a snapshot

1. Read the date, time and sample device
2. List counts still need content verification

The actual Choose backup date selector shows dated snapshots. A newer empty backup does not hide earlier saved dates.

List counts are provisional metadata. Use Preview this backup to download your chosen file and verify its actual contents.

Step 4

Use Older, Newer and unknown-date guidance

1. Use Older and Newer for more dates
2. Unknown date does not prove useful content

Older opens the next page; Newer goes back. This sample has fifteen entries, with up to twelve entries on each page.

Unknown date and Contents checked after selection are not proof of saved data. Verification still follows your exact choice.

Step 5

Verify the chosen file's actual contents

1. Read the selected date and filename
2. Check verified scope and content counts

Import backup shows the chosen date and filename, then the verified scope. Here it is a full snapshot with two transactions.

The decrypted snapshot has eleven categories. Its real two-transaction count overrides the provisional seventy-three shown in the list.

Step 6

Full snapshot means replacement, not merge

1. Read This replaces everything on this device
2. Use Cancel whenever you are uncertain

Read the warning carefully: this full snapshot replaces everything on this device. It is different from a month-only import.

If the date, scope or content is not what you expect, choose Cancel. Selecting a backup does not itself approve restoration.

Step 7

Cancel leaves the ledger unchanged

1. Cancel the actual Import backup confirmation
2. Choose another date when ready

After Cancel, the actual restore button is available again. The staged download is removed and nothing is restored.

This is the same page after cancellation, not a completed import. You can open the dated selector again when ready.

Step 8

An empty backup restores nothing

1. Read Empty backup
2. Choose an earlier useful date

Empty backup means the verified file contains no user data. Nothing is restored, even if the file has default categories.

Choose an earlier date from Google Drive. A successful file download is not proof that the snapshot contains your history.

Step 9

No backup found is not an empty snapshot

1. Check the separate connected Drive account
2. Use OK and verify the account on your phone

No backup found means the connected Drive account lists no Pennie backups. It differs from selecting an empty file.

Check that Drive is connected to the account used for your earlier backups. Signing in to Pennie does not change that automatically.

Step 10

Late transactions pause restoration

1. Read Restore paused
2. Export newly added entries before restoring

Pennie checks again after confirmation. If transactions were added while you chose a backup, Restore paused protects those entries.

Nothing has been replaced. Export the newly added entries before restoring; do not treat this warning as a successful import.

Step 11

A rejected file is not restored

1. Read Restore failed
2. Check access and choose a verified backup

This deliberately corrupt sample reaches the actual Restore failed dialog. The ledger remains unchanged and the staged file is removed.

On your phone, check Drive access and choose a valid backup before trying again. A failure message is not confirmation of restoration.

Step 12

Cancelled Drive access records no success

1. Read Canceled
2. Return safely without an import

If the separate Drive action is cancelled, Pennie shows Canceled. No success is recorded and no backup is restored.

This cancellation is different from cancelling the Import backup confirmation after content verification.

Step 13

Verified import still needs a reload

1. Import only when the verified data is correct
2. Follow the actual Reload App prompt

Only approve Import when the verified file is the data you want. This demonstration restores a genuine synthetic two-month snapshot.