Answers

Frequently asked
questions

Short answers. For a walkthrough, see the beginner guide.

Room & members

What is a Room ID?: Your room’s sync key (Support ID). Everyone who shares the meter should join the same Room ID so logs and balances match.
Can I change member names later?: Member names are set during setup. For a clean rename, export a backup, edit offline, or recreate the room — avoid deleting members mid-history unless you understand balance impact.
One phone or many?: One phone works fine without cloud sync. Multiple phones need the same Room ID and cloud sync enabled on each device.

How does splitting work?: Each log compares meter readings to compute usage since the last entry. Cost is allocated by usage share among members. Prepaid balances track who has paid ahead.
Who recharges next?: The member with the lowest prepaid balance is flagged to top up the meter next — usually fair when everyone shares usage evenly over time.
Wrong meter reading?: Open History, edit or soft-delete the bad entry, then log again. Recent mistakes are easier to fix before more logs stack on top.

Is cloud sync encrypted?: Cloud payloads are gzip-compressed JSON, not encrypted. Only enable sync if you accept that trade-off. Local file exports can use AES-GCM with a password.
Why didn’t my roommate’s log appear?: Check both phones use the same Room ID, cloud sync is on, and the device has network access. Pull manually from Settings if needed.

Is local backup encrypted?: Only if you set a backup password — then AES-256-GCM. Without a password, exports are gzip-compressed JSON. See Encryption.
I forgot my backup password: There is no recovery. Encrypted backups cannot be opened without the password.

Will SplitBill be on F-Droid?: An F-Droid listing is planned, but it is not live yet. Install from GitHub Releases for now.
How do GitHub updates work?: Update checks open the APK download in your browser. SplitBill does not sideload installers itself.