Export my data — a readable copy (and the better option)

Two ways to get your boat out of the phone, and which one you actually want.

There are two, and they are not the same thing.

BACKUP & RESTORE is the one you want. Settings — Backup & Restore — Create backup now writes a .theone-backup file holding the exact bytes the app saves to disk, every binary inline. Restore from backup puts it all back, wholesale — it replaces the boat rather than merging, so nothing duplicates and nothing comes back with holes. It takes a safety backup of the current boat before it overwrites anything. This is a real round trip: out and back, by you, no one else involved.

EXPORT MY DATA is the other one. Settings — Export my data writes a plain readable JSON file of the vessel. Good for reading your data outside the app, handing it to an accountant, or keeping an archive you can open anywhere. There is no importer for THIS file — if what you want is to get your boat back onto a phone, use Backup & Restore.

Neither file includes your Boat IT vault passwords or app preferences.

Steps

1. To protect yourself: Backup & Restore

   Settings — Backup & Restore — Create backup now. Share it to iCloud Drive, AirDrop it to a computer, or email it to yourself. A copy that only lives on the phone is not a copy.

2. To put it back

   Settings — Backup & Restore — Restore from backup. It previews the file, names both boats, and asks you to confirm 'Replace my boat'. It cannot be undone — which is why it saves a safety backup of the current boat first.

3. To just read your data

   Settings — Export my data gives you readable JSON, through the share sheet: save it to Files, AirDrop it or mail it. theONE keeps no copy of its own.

4. When to do it

   After your first proper setup session, and after any afternoon you spend scanning the binder. That is the work worth protecting.

5. Owner only

   Backup & Restore is owner-gated, because a backup carries documents with personal information, and Boat IT's titles, usernames and notes — never its passwords.

Related

• Backup & Restore — your whole boat in one fileWrite everything theONE knows about your boat to one file you keep, and bring it all back after a lost phone or a fresh install.
• Where your data lives — and the one thing that does leaveUntil you sign in, everything you enter stays on this device. Your position goes out to fetch weather, tides and charts, and to Apple to name the place you are. Here is exactly what leaves, and when.
• Vessel transfer — handing the boat to a new ownerExport the vessel's history, vendors, playbooks and documents into a file the next owner imports. Owner-only, one-way, and nothing on your side changes.
• Document Vault — manuals, warranties, registrationsWhere to put PDF manuals and how to scan paper documents.

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