Your records, from capture to backup

Home and chart legends

Home has four square blue-to-cyan icon buttons: Vault, Capture, Voice, and Form. Tap Vault to manage private records, Capture for camera and file inputs, Voice for reviewed voice notes, or Form to enter an item manually. Each button opens its action directly.

The What would you like to do today? information card starts expanded. Tap − to collapse it or + to expand it again. On iPhone, press and hold an icon for a help bubble; tap Close or outside the bubble to dismiss it. On iPad, hover with a pointer or supported Apple Pencil for help. Hover bubbles stay within the screen edges. A normal tap opens the action.

Dashboard at a Glance! shows active ordinary items by category in a responsive pie chart. Tap the Legends icon beside “Tap to view legend list” to open category names, matching colors, and counts. Each category has its own slice and legend count, including categories with just one item. No categories are combined into a chart-only Other categories group. The legend popup sits above the tabs, with a shorter height on iPhone and more space on iPad. The title, total, and Close button stay fixed while categories scroll. A visible scrollbar and Scroll for more hint appear when the list extends below the popup; the hint changes to Scroll up for more at the end. The highlighted Home alert separates Past and Upcoming reminder counts, including secure-document reminders, and lists expired items separately. Open Dashboard for reminders, dates, and item lists. Vault records are separate from the ordinary-item pie. When there are no active items, the chart shows a single-color placeholder circle with a zero count. Category slices appear after active items are saved.

Attachments and Add Code

In Item Details → Attachments, select one attachment. View, Delete, and Extract Text share a compact row when text extraction is supported. Share and Print are inside View for supported formats. Extract Text can be used again; Full Text appears when recognized text is available and opens the full extracted text screen. The full text screen also offers sharing and printing. Text recognition may need correction; check it against the original.

In Saved codes, tap Add Code to open the QR/barcode scanner directly for this item. Cancel or Back from this shortcut returns to Item Details. A scanner opened from the Capture menu returns to that menu instead. Select a saved code to review it, Share Value, Delete Code, or Open URL for a web link. Scanning does not open links automatically. Swipe choices or use More indicators to reach hidden entries. Deleting requires confirmation.

Save, Back, and pending changes

The top-left back arrow returns to the previous screen. Add, Item Details, and all four Vault editors warn before leaving with unsaved changes: choose Keep Editing or Discard Changes. Discarding removes those pending changes; it does not save them. A clean form leaves without an unsaved-changes warning. Saving a new ordinary item opens its details.

Edit or cancel a reminder

In Item Details → Reminders, use a suggested reminder or More → Add custom reminder to enter a title and future date and time. Each reminder sends one alert on this device. Tap an existing custom reminder to edit it; date-linked reminders offer their own edit controls. Review the scheduled date before saving.

Mark as done records a finished task. Cancel Reminder stops an unwanted reminder and its pending alert without marking the task done. Both remove it from active reminder lists; the item and attachments stay saved. Close dismisses the action menu without changing the reminder. Alerts do not automatically complete tasks.

Allow notifications when asked. If alerts do not arrive, check device Settings → Notifications → LifeAssist-AI and Focus settings. Past reminders remain visible until you resolve them. Notification permission does not replace choosing a future reminder date.

Choose an item type, then a category

Item type describes what you are saving: Appointment, Belonging, Document, or Note. Category describes the kind within that type. Choices are alphabetical; each type has an Other option. Changing type clears a category that no longer fits. Category is optional.

A MacBook Pro fits Belonging → Electronics; a car fits Belonging → Vehicles. Its receipt fits Document → Purchases & receipts, its warranty fits Document → Warranties, its service booking fits Appointment → Vehicle service & inspections, and its service history fits Note → Maintenance notes.

Suggested notes and Voice Input

Enter a recognizable name, then choose the type and category. Suggested details offer prompts, not facts about your item. Use suggested notes appears only while Notes is empty; once you type or accept voice text, it disappears to protect your writing. Fill only the prompts you need.

Voice Input adds the reviewed transcript to Notes in the current draft. Use Text does not create an item. Review Notes before tapping Save in the header. A fresh listening session starts a new transcript. Canceling does not add it. If an old transcript reappears or saved Notes differ, report the steps and app version to Support without sending private content.

Save and review item details

Add keeps optional information in collapsible sections. Item Details groups Item information, Notes, Dates, Attachments, Saved codes, Reminders, and More actions. Expand a section to view or edit. Save sits at the top right of Add, Item Details, and Vault editors; it is enabled when changes are pending, subject to required fields and ongoing operations. Saving checks required fields and dates; correct any validation message before retrying.

Added badges and summaries identify saved content. Empty sections show Add details or an empty-state message. Loading and Needs attention have separate states. Action rows wrap when screen width or larger text needs more space. Archived items show read-only contents; restore before editing.

Dates and reminders

Date labels follow the item type and category: Purchased on / Warranty ends for belongings, Issued on / Expires on for registrations, Coverage starts / Coverage ends for insurance, and Service completed on / Next service due for maintenance notes. Appointments have an Appointment date and optional Start time and End time on that same day; an end time must be later than its start. All dates are optional. Leave unknown dates blank.

Purchase, issue, birth, received, and completed-service dates cannot be in the future when those labels apply. An end or expiry date cannot be before its corresponding start or issue date. Historical appointments and expired documents are allowed; coverage, warranty, or membership start dates can be future dates. Existing invalid saved dates are not silently rewritten, but must be corrected before saving further edits.

Choose Remind me for the date named on the form. Suggestions are 1 day before appointments, 1 calendar month before expiry or renewal, and 30 days before warranty end. Calendar-month lead times use the last valid day in shorter months. Appointment alerts count back from the start time, or 9:00 AM locally; other date alerts use 9:00 AM. Alerts must be in the future. Save item date changes before adding a suggested reminder in Item Details. A changed saved date updates its linked reminder; clearing that date or moving its alert into the past cancels that linked alert. Independent custom reminders keep their own dates.

Dismiss the keyboard with Done

A Done button appears directly above the iOS keyboard throughout Add, Item Details, Vault forms, and text-entry sheets. Tap Done to dismiss the keyboard and reach other fields or actions. Forms also scroll to focused inputs, and long Notes can scroll within the text field.

If an input is still covered, contact Support with the screen name, device, app version, and text-size setting. Remove private information from screenshots.

Five ways to capture into one item

On Home, tap Capture, or start capture from Add. Camera Inputs has a row of three square icon buttons: Scan Document, Take Photo, and Scan QR-Code or Bar-Code. File Inputs has a row of two: Choose File and Photo Library. The buttons match Home’s blue-to-cyan background and bold labels. Tap a method to open it directly. On iPhone, press and hold for help, then tap Close or outside the bubble to dismiss it. On iPad, hover for help. The header explains these actions, and the amber preview guidance remains below the buttons.

1. Scan Document: scan paper pages into one PDF to keep receipts, letters, or records together. 2. Take Photo: photograph an item or document to remember its appearance and details. 3. Scan QR-Code or Bar-Code: save a code value for later and open supported web links when you choose. 4. Choose File: attach an existing PDF or file without scanning it again. 5. Photo Library: reuse a saved photo or screenshot as a reference or record.

Review the result in Preview, then choose Use in this item to return to Add. Accepted voice text, typed notes, and the capture stay in one draft. Tap the header Save to save them together. Add stages one capture at a time; add more after saving. From an existing active item, Camera Inputs & File Inputs reviews and saves to that item. Canceling acquisition keeps the other draft fields. Camera methods require supported camera hardware; cloud files must finish downloading. Capture errors and permission messages appear in dismissible popups, with Open Settings when relevant.

Search and understand matches

Search uses compact rows with highlighted matches and thin dividers, without gaps between items. Search, My Stuff, and Dashboard Recent identify Type and Category separately. Belonging is the display name for the stored general item type; it is not a category. All categories stays first in the selector; category names, including Uncategorized, follow alphabetically. Choose Item category to browse a category without typing, or combine it with text to narrow matches. All categories shows every active ordinary item when the search box is empty, or searches across every category when text is entered. Uncategorized finds items with no available category. Search ignores letter case: one or two letters or digits match whole words, while three or more characters allow partial matches. Expand Attachments, QR codes, or Barcodes to review matching entries. Tap the item title or summary to open Item Details. Vault content is excluded.

Private Secure Vault

On Home, tap Vault. Unlock with Face ID, Touch ID where supported, or your device passcode. The four sections are Secure Password Management, Secure Documents, Secure Note/Code, and Other Secure Stuffs. Expand + / − beside Privacy, recording & recovery for the explanation. Ordinary items do not require Vault authentication.

Select a record in the numbered list to see its details. Passwords, notes/codes, and other secure records offer Edit and Delete. Secure Documents additionally offers View; Share and Print are inside View. More records reveals ten additional rows. Creation dates are preserved on edits; older records can show Not recorded. Row numbers identify current positions, not permanent IDs.

The header Save reflects pending changes and required fields; saving also validates dates. New Add forms have no Cancel Edit button and do not warn before leaving an untouched blank form. Existing records show Cancel Edit, enabled only after a change. Back, section changes, and manual locking warn before discarding pending input. Automatic locking on leaving or switching away remains immediate.

Show password and Show Secure Content / Hide Secure Content are disabled when their field is blank. Revealing a saved password or secure content requires fresh device verification; canceling verification keeps it hidden. Add Other Secure Stuffs adds a named secure record. Do not dictate passwords, PINs, or other sign-in details into ordinary Voice Input.

Secure Documents shows issue date, expiry date, and expiry reminder status on the selected record without needing Edit. Files are limited to 20 MB; scans support up to 10 pages. Secure scans do not extract text. Camera Inputs provides Scan Document, and File Inputs provides Choose File. Vault documents use these secure document-only actions rather than the ordinary item capture menu; scans do not extract text. In Edit, Replace attached file or Camera Scan and Replace Document stages a replacement; Save applies it, while Cancel Edit discards the pending change.

Expiry reminders are opt-in. When none is set, use Add Reminder in the editor; after setting one, review or edit it, or choose Cancel Reminder. Save applies the choice. Lead times include 1, 2, or 3 calendar months, 7 days, 1 day, or the expiry day at 9:00 AM. The resulting alert must be in the future and on or before expiry. Linked alerts follow saved expiry-date changes. Notifications and Dashboard show neutral secure-document wording; unlock the Vault for private details.

The vault protects app-switcher previews and locks when you leave it or switch away. Screenshots, recording, and mirroring are not blocked on iPhone. Stop recording or mirroring before opening private information. Sharing or printing a secure document creates a copy outside Vault protection.

Your saved sign-in information is stored in this device’s protected iOS Keychain, separate from ordinary items. LifeAssist-AI does not upload it to its servers or transmit it over the internet. It is excluded from item search, notifications, sharing, and printing. Other Vault records and documents are encrypted locally using a device-only Keychain key. All Vault records are excluded from ordinary Search, the Home category pie, and ordinary Settings backups. Separate encrypted Vault backups require their own recovery key.

Keep another safe copy. Password Manager information does not sync through iCloud Keychain or ordinary item backups. A separate encrypted Vault backup can be restored manually with its matching recovery key. Removing or resetting the device passcode can make saved information unavailable. Delete saved entries before uninstalling; iOS Keychain entries may remain after app removal. If iOS shows a Save Password offer, it is a system offer separate from the app’s Save action. Dismissing it does not save a Vault edit.

Encrypted Vault Backup & Restore

Inside the unlocked Vault, choose 5. Vault Backup & Restore. This is separate from ordinary Settings → Backup & Restore, which still excludes all Vault data. The encrypted Vault backup includes passwords, secure documents and their attachment bytes, notes/codes, and other secure records. The maximum encrypted file size is 100 MB.

Tap Create encrypted Vault backup and complete fresh device authentication. The app generates a new 64-character recovery key, shown in eight groups. Write or print it and keep it separately from the backup, outside this Vault and somewhere accessible without this device. Confirm the full key, then tap Export encrypted backup. Copy Recovery Key copies it on this device for two minutes. Paste into confirmation, export the backup, then copy again before switching apps to save the key separately; switching away locks the Vault and closes setup. Choose Save to Files and verify the JSON file exists outside LifeAssist-AI. Canceling sharing does not save a backup. Each new backup setup gets its own key; keep each backup with its matching key reference, stored separately.

If indexed Vault data is missing, export shows the missing counts and asks before creating an incomplete backup of available records. Cancel to stop, or choose Back Up Available Records. Missing documents and their records are excluded; existing Vault data and indexes are unchanged. Keep older backups and their recovery keys: a new incomplete backup cannot recover missing data. Restore review also identifies incomplete backups.

To restore on the same device or another iPhone/iPad, install LifeAssist-AI on the destination and make the encrypted backup file available in Files. Keep its recovery key available separately. Set up device authentication, unlock the Vault, choose Restore encrypted Vault backup, and select the encrypted JSON file. Enter that backup’s recovery key and choose Unlock backup and review. Check the backup date and counts, then Restore missing Vault records and confirm. Fresh device authentication is required. Current record IDs are kept; separately created records with the same name can both appear. Missing records and documents are encrypted using the destination device’s protection. If interrupted, retry to add remaining records; completed IDs are skipped.

Restored secure-document expiry reminders are turned off. Review the expiry dates and set reminders again on the restored documents. Ordinary backup restore cannot restore Vault records. Recovery requires both the encrypted file and its matching recovery key; device authentication or an Apple Account recovery key alone cannot decrypt it. Support cannot recover a missing key. Anyone holding both file and key could restore the contents on their authenticated device. This is not independent two-factor authentication and does not enable automatic cloud sync.

Compact Settings

Open the Settings gear and tap a numbered section to expand or collapse it. The header has one toggle: Expand all + or Collapse all −. Collapse all keeps Help & information open. Its underlined links open the user guide, Support & contact, and Privacy policy. The distinct About block uses the app icon, a different background tone, and compact italic text for the developer, copyright, support contact, version, and build. It is separate from instructional guidance.

Choose System, Light, or Dark and a color palette: Classic, Soft Blue, Soft Green, Warm, or Lavender. Text follows device text-size settings. Wide iPad windows use larger text, input-field text, and button labels with wider content columns. Narrow Split View uses a compact layout. Accessibility text settings continue to apply. Website appearance is a separate System/Light/Dark preference remembered in that browser. Essential guidance is visible in the app. Home, Capture, and Legends use responsive square blue-to-cyan icon buttons with bold labels. Home’s chart heading reads Dashboard at a Glance! with Active items by Category and the total below. Hover help is available on iPad; press-and-hold help is available on iPhone. Help does not activate the action, and iPad does not open a second touch-help overlay.

1. Create and save a backup

1. Open the LifeAssistAI app Settings gear. Tap 2. Backup & Restore to expand it. Use the Settings header’s Expand all + / Collapse all − toggle; Help & information stays open when collapsing all.
2. Tap Create backup / Save to Files. Wait for the system share sheet.
3. Choose Save to Files. In Browse, choose iCloud Drive or On My iPhone / On My iPad, then a folder outside LifeAssist-AI’s own folder. Tap Save. Available destinations depend on your device and installed providers.
4. Open the Files app and find the saved LifeAssist-Backup-….json file. Check its date and size. For cloud storage, allow the upload to finish. Keep the file unchanged.
5. For added confidence, choose this file through Restore and check its backup date and item/attachment counts. You can then tap Cancel restore. This checks that the backup can be read; it does not perform a full restore.

iCloud Drive and On My iPhone backup and restore have been verified on an iPhone. An On My iPhone copy is still on that device: keep another copy off the device against loss or damage. Cloud storage here is a place for a manually saved file, not automatic app synchronization.

If you cancel the share sheet, no external backup is saved by that action. “Backup prepared” does not prove it reached your chosen destination. Verify the file before deleting anything. Make a new backup after important changes and keep an earlier verified copy until the new one is checked.

2. Restore records and attachments

1. If the app already contains records, create a current backup first.
2. Open LifeAssistAI app Settings menu → 2. Backup & Restore → Choose backup to restore.
3. In the Files picker, use Browse to open iCloud Drive or On My iPhone / On My iPad. Select the actual .json backup file, not its folder. A cloud file must finish downloading and be readable.
4. Review the backup date and the counts of items, attachments, and reminders shown by the app. If they are unexpected, tap Cancel restore and choose another backup.
5. Tap Restore missing items, then Restore in the confirmation. Keep the screen open until the completion message appears.
6. Check the numbers added and skipped. Open My Stuff, choose All categories, and check both Active and Archived. Search by an item’s title. Open a restored item and View its attachments; a scanned multi-page PDF should retain its pages. Try Share or Print as needed.
7. Open restored reminders in Item Details and recreate their notification alerts. Restoring reminder records does not schedule alerts automatically.

Restore adds missing items. Existing items with the same internal ID, including their attachments, stay unchanged; restore does not overwrite or repair them. Separately created items with identical titles can both appear. Archived items stay archived. Restore is not a way to restore Private Secure Vault information.

If restore reports a validation or file error, keep your original backup and current records. Do not edit the JSON or delete the app to troubleshoot. Contact support with the error text.

3. Google Drive: “content not available”

A Google Drive restore problem has been reported: the backup folder shows an item, but its content is unavailable when restoring. The cause has not been confirmed. Google Drive restore should not yet be treated as verified for this workflow.

1. Open Google Drive and sign in to the account holding the backup. Check the internet connection and allow upload/download to complete.
2. In the Files app, check Browse for Google Drive. If needed, use the Browse menu → Edit to enable the installed provider. See Apple’s instructions for third-party storage in Files.
3. Find the actual LifeAssist-Backup-….json file. A folder count of “1 item” does not confirm the backup’s size, contents, or download availability. Do not select a folder, shortcut, or shared link.
4. Try downloading or copying the backup into iCloud Drive or a folder under On My iPhone outside this app. Provider actions may be called Download, Send a copy, Share, or Save to Files. Confirm the copied JSON has a nonzero size.
5. In LifeAssist-AI, choose the copied file with Choose backup to restore. Continue only after the expected backup summary appears.

Copying to a verified storage location is a suggested workaround; it has not yet been confirmed for the reported Google Drive file. Keep the original backup. If the copy is also unavailable or invalid, contact Support with the exact message, file size, provider, device/app versions, and whether the backup summary appeared. Do not email the backup or private documents.

4. Restore a backup stored on a Mac

The iPhone’s file picker does not browse the Mac’s local folders directly. First transfer the actual JSON file to a location available on the iPhone.

1. iCloud Drive: copy the backup into iCloud Drive in Finder using the Apple Account available on your iPhone. Wait for it to upload, then locate and download it in the iPhone Files app.
2. AirDrop: send the backup to the iPhone. If offered a destination, save it to Files in a folder outside LifeAssist-AI. Verify where it was saved before continuing.
3. Open LifeAssist-AI → LifeAssistAI app Settings menu → Backup & Restore → Choose backup to restore, select that JSON file, and follow the restore steps above. Receiving or opening a file alone does not restore it.

A Google Drive transfer can also be tried, but use the troubleshooting steps above if the provider cannot supply the file.

Archive, restore, or delete permanently

Archive retains an item and its contents on the device with no automatic expiry. Open My Stuff → Archived and choose Restore to return it to Active. An Item restored popup confirms success. Archived contents are read only: restore before editing notes, attachments, dates, or reminders. Archive is recommended when you may need a record again.

Delete permanently removes one selected archived item and its notes, attachments, saved codes, extracted text and suggestions, and reminders. Check the item name in the confirmation. There is no Undo or Restore from Archive after deletion. Original photos and source files outside the app remain unchanged. Ordinary archive deletion does not affect Private Secure Vault records.

1. Before deleting anything you may need later, open LifeAssistAI app Settings menu → Backup & Restore → Create backup / Save to Files.
2. Choose Save to Files, save outside the app’s own folder, and verify the backup file exists in Files. Canceling sharing does not save a backup.
3. To recover records from a backup made before deletion, use Choose backup to restore → Restore missing items. Archived records return under Archived; choose Restore to make them Active. Recreate reminder notification alerts afterward.

Ordinary item backups are not encrypted and exclude all Private Secure Vault data and passwords. Existing backup copies are unchanged by permanent deletion; manage them separately. If the app reports unfinished file or reminder cleanup, choose Retry cleanup; retrying cleanup does not restore the item.

5. What a backup includes

• Ordinary active and archived items, categories, notes, dates, saved QR/barcode values, extracted text and fields, and reminder records.
• Saved attachment contents, including scanned PDFs, photos, and imported files—not just links to their old device locations.
• Maximum backup size: 100 MB, including encoded attachment data.

Not included: all Private Secure Vault data and passwords, app appearance preferences, and scheduled notification alerts. Vault items are also excluded from ordinary Search. A shared PDF or photo by itself is not a records backup.

Anyone who can read the unencrypted backup can access its ordinary records and attachments. Store it privately, share it only with trusted destinations, and manage external copies separately. The developer cannot recover a backup you did not save.

To free storage while retaining app documents and data, iOS offers Offload App; Delete App removes local app data. See Apple’s storage guidance. An external backup remains important before device or app changes.

Keep LifeAssist-AI up to date

Check for updates on the App Store. Once the app is released, this link opens its listing; tap Update when a newer version is available. With automatic app updates enabled, the App Store can install new releases automatically. A notification is not guaranteed for every release. In build 9 and later, Settings → 6. Help & information → Check for updates opens the same listing.

Update the installed app rather than deleting and reinstalling it: your records are stored on your device. Keep verified ordinary-item and encrypted Vault backups separately. The same App Store link and QR code continue to work for future releases.

Restore on this device or a new iPhone/iPad

Install LifeAssist-AI on the destination device and transfer or download the actual backup JSON into Files. Wait for cloud files to finish downloading. Back up any current destination records first.

• Ordinary items: open Settings → Backup & Restore → Choose backup to restore. Review the summary, then confirm Restore missing items. Active and archived items and attachment contents return; same-ID destination records stay unchanged.
• Private Secure Vault: set up device authentication, unlock the Vault, and open 5. Vault Backup & Restore. Select the encrypted backup, enter its matching recovery key, review the counts, then confirm Restore missing Vault records. Same-ID destination records stay unchanged.

These are two separate backups; neither restores the other’s records. Same-name records with different IDs can both appear. After restoring, inspect your items and documents, and recreate reminder notification alerts. Keep the backup and Vault key safe; moving a file alone does not restore it or enable automatic sync.