Sync and sharing messages
Reference
What each sync, sharing and receipt message means, and what to do about it.
Look up a message you’ve seen in Balanced. The guides explain the features behind them: iCloud sync, Sharing a journal, Joining a journal and Scanning receipts.
iCloud sync status
Section titled “iCloud sync status”In the journals list, tap ⚙︎ Settings. Status shows what sync is doing, and the note below explains it.
| Status | Meaning and what to do |
|---|---|
| Off | You’ve turned iCloud Sync off. Turn it on to sync. |
| iCloud unavailable | Sign in to iCloud in the Settings app to sync your journals. You can keep working; your changes sync later. |
| Waiting for network | Your journals sync again once you're online. Balanced tries again by itself. |
| Syncing… | Changes are being sent or received. Nothing to do. |
| Up to date | Everything is synced. |
| iCloud storage full | Free up iCloud storage to continue syncing. Your changes are kept on the device until then. |
| Owner's iCloud storage full | The owner's iCloud storage is full. Your changes to shared journals are kept and sync once there is space again. Let the owner know. |
| Paused (confirm upload) | This device is signed in to a different iCloud account than before. See below. |
When there’s nothing to fix, the note reads Keeps your journals up to date on all devices signed in to your iCloud account.
Paused (confirm upload)
Section titled “Paused (confirm upload)”Balanced doesn’t upload your journals to a new iCloud account on its own. The settings show Upload Journals to This iCloud Account, with the note Your journals will be uploaded to this iCloud account. Journals shared with you by others will be removed from this device. Tap it if you want your journals in this account. Otherwise leave it: your journals stay on this device without syncing.
In the journals list
Section titled “In the journals list”| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Syncing… instead of a name | The journal is still arriving from iCloud. |
| Shared by Anna | Anna shared this journal with you. |
| Shared | Someone shared this journal with you; their name isn’t known yet. |
| Shared with 2 | You’ve invited two people to this journal, whether or not they’ve accepted yet. |
| Invited | In the journal’s menu: someone you invited by link hasn’t accepted yet. |
When Share is unavailable
Section titled “When Share is unavailable”Share is grayed out while a journal can’t be shared. Touch and hold the journal: the reason appears under Share.
| Reason | What to do |
|---|---|
| Turn on iCloud Sync in Settings to share this journal. | Tap ⚙︎ Settings and turn on iCloud Sync. |
| Sign in to iCloud to share this journal. | Sign in to iCloud in your device’s Settings app. |
| Balanced couldn't reach iCloud. Check your connection and try again. | Check that you’re online. |
| Confirm the iCloud upload in Settings to share this journal. | Confirm the upload, see above. |
| Syncing… | The journal hasn’t reached iCloud yet. Wait a moment. |
If sharing fails after you’ve tapped Share, Balanced says Couldn't Share Journal with one of these:
- Balanced couldn't reach iCloud. Check your connection and try again.
- Sign in to iCloud to share this journal.
- The journal couldn't be shared. Try again later.
Couldn’t Join Journal
Section titled “Couldn’t Join Journal”You tapped an invitation, and Balanced couldn’t add the journal. Nothing is added to your device until joining works.
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sign in to iCloud to join this journal. | Sign in to iCloud in the Settings app, then open the link again. |
| This invitation is for a different iCloud account. | Ask the owner to invite the iCloud account you use on this device. |
| Turn on iCloud Sync to join shared journals. | Tap Turn On iCloud Sync. |
| Balanced couldn't reach iCloud. Check your connection and try again. | Check that you’re online, then tap Try Again. |
| This journal is yours. It appears on this device once iCloud sync has finished. | Nothing: it’s your own journal. Wait for sync. |
| This invitation is no longer valid. Ask the owner to invite you again. | The owner stopped sharing or deleted the journal, so this link no longer works. Ask for a new invitation. |
| This journal can't be joined on this device because another journal uses the same identifier. | Rare: a journal on this device already uses the same identity, for example a copy of this journal from another iCloud account. Balanced can’t join while that journal is here. |
| This invitation can't be accepted right now. Try again later. | Open the link again later. If it keeps happening, ask for a new invitation. |
| Shared journals aren't available in this version of the app. | Only in test versions of Balanced without iCloud. Use the version from the App Store. |
Scanning receipts
Section titled “Scanning receipts”| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Couldn't read this receipt | Make sure the whole receipt is visible and well lit. Tap Try Again, or Enter Manually to fill in the transaction yourself. |
| Couldn't open this photo | The photo couldn’t be loaded. Choose another one. |
| Allow camera access in Settings to scan receipts. | Shown in the menu of Scan Receipt. Allow camera access for Balanced in the Settings app. Until then, the button opens your photos. |
After you save a scanned receipt, Balanced may ask about the card’s last 4 digits:
- Remember ••4821 for Credit Card? No account has these digits yet. Remember adds them to the account you chose; Not now doesn’t.
- ••4821 is linked to Checking. Move it to Credit Card? You chose another account than the one with these digits. Move links them to the new account; Keep leaves them where they are.