CashWard
Support
Email shadowteam@shadowaccess.ca with your device type (iPhone, iPad, or Mac) and OS version, and what you were doing when the issue happened. You will hear back from the developer, usually within one business day.
Please don't email a backup file or attached documents — they can contain everything you've entered — and never send account passwords, banking credentials, or full card numbers. CashWard never needs them, and support will never ask for them.
Common questions
Your data
Does CashWard connect to my bank?
No. CashWard doesn't link to your bank accounts. You enter balances yourself, or import a CSV/OFX/QFX statement file you've downloaded from your bank's own website.
Where is my data stored?
Locally, on your device only — see the privacy policy for full detail. iCloud sync between your own devices is planned but not yet available, so each device keeps its own separate data for now.
How do I back up my data?
Settings → Backup & Restore → Back Up…. CashWard writes everything — accounts, bills, income, insurance, and attached documents — into a single backup file and lets you choose where to save it (a drive, a folder in iCloud Drive, or anywhere else your device offers). You can protect it with a password. Settings also shows when you last backed up and reminds you if it's been a while.
Is a backup file private?
Only if you set a password when you create it. Without one, anyone who gets the file can read everything in it, so keep it somewhere you trust. With a password, the file is encrypted (AES-256).
I forgot my backup password.
Unfortunately it can't be recovered — not by you, and not by CashWard, which never sees it. The backup can't be opened without it. This is why the Back Up screen asks you to write it down somewhere safe. If you still have the device the data came from, just make a new backup.
How do I restore from a backup?
Settings → Backup & Restore → Restore from Backup…, choose the file (and enter its password if it has one). CashWard shows you what's inside — when it was made and how many accounts, bills, income sources, insurance policies, and documents it holds — before anything changes. Restoring replaces everything currently in CashWard with what's in the backup. After you confirm, quit and reopen CashWard to finish. Your current data is saved to a safety copy first, and if the restored data can't be opened, CashWard puts your previous data back automatically.
How do I move my data to another device?
Make a backup on the first device, get the file to the second (AirDrop, iCloud Drive, a USB drive), and restore it there. This is a one-time copy, not sync: after that, each device has its own data and changes on one don't appear on the other. Restoring replaces whatever was on the second device. Automatic sync through your own iCloud is planned but not yet available.
What are the "safety copies" CashWard keeps?
Before a new version of CashWard opens your data for the first time, and before a restore replaces anything, CashWard saves a copy of your data in a Backups folder inside its own data folder on your device (only the few most recent are kept). They exist so you can recover if an update or restore goes wrong. On a Mac, Settings → Backup & Restore → Show Safety Copies in Finder opens that folder. They aren't a substitute for making your own backups — they live on the same device as your data, and they aren't password-protected.
How do I delete all my data?
You can delete individual items (bills, policies, documents, accounts, and so on) inside the app at any time, and if you have more than one household, Settings lets you delete a whole household. To remove everything: on iPhone and iPad, delete the CashWard app — that removes its database, attached documents, and safety copies. On a Mac, moving the app to the Trash isn't enough, because your data lives in a folder in your Library rather than inside the app. Quit CashWard, then delete CashWard's data folder — Settings → Backup & Restore → Show Safety Copies in Finder opens its Backups folder, and the folder that contains it is the data folder. There's no cloud copy to separately delete, since CashWard doesn't store anything off your device. Backup files you've saved and Time Machine or iCloud device backups are yours to delete; CashWard has no visibility into them.
Insurance
Does CashWard get insurance quotes for me, or connect to my insurer?
No. CashWard never connects to insurers or the internet. You enter your policies and any quotes you've been given, and CashWard does the comparing — per vehicle or property, per year and per month, with the lowest cost in green and the highest in red. It's a planning aid, not insurance advice.
Why did a bill appear called "Auto Insurance Policy" or "Home Insurance Policy"?
Every open policy automatically gets a matching bill, so its premium is already part of your Bills, calendar, and Financial Horizon. If you mark a policy as paid monthly, the bill uses the monthly amount; if annual, the yearly total, due on the renewal date. Change the policy's billing frequency, premium, or renewal date and the bill follows. When a policy closes or is deleted, its bill is archived rather than erased so your history stays intact.
What happens when I switch to a quote?
You choose the date the new policy starts. A switch dated today takes effect right away; a future date shows the new policy as "Pending" while your current one keeps running, and it takes over on that date the next time you open CashWard. Your previous policy stays in the Insurance history, where you can look back at it.
Attached documents
How do I attach a bill, policy, or quote?
Open the bill, insurance policy, or quote and choose Add File… (any file, such as a PDF) or Add Photo…. Tap a document to preview it. You can rename it, or replace it with a newer copy — handy when your insurer or utility sends an updated statement. Each file can be up to 25 MB.
Are my attached documents private?
Yes. The copy is stored inside CashWard on your device, alongside your other data. It's never uploaded, and CashWard never reads or analyzes what's in it — it just shows it back to you. Because a bill or policy can contain account numbers, licence details, or an address, attach only what you're comfortable keeping on the device. Attached documents are included in your backups (and so are as private as the backup file is).
Will attached documents make my backups large?
They can — documents are the heaviest thing CashWard stores. A backup contains everything, documents included.
Security, calendar, and taxes
I turned on Face ID / Touch ID lock and now I'm locked out.
CashWard uses your device's own Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode — it never has its own separate password. If Face ID or Touch ID isn't working, your device's passcode (or Mac login password) always works as the fallback, the same as unlocking your device itself. If you're still stuck, there's currently no in-app way to disable App Lock without unlocking first — contact support above.
How do I stop bill/payday events from appearing in Apple Calendar?
Settings → turn off "Sync to Apple Calendar." This removes the CashWard calendar and every event in it.
Is CashWard a certified payroll or tax calculator?
No. Payroll and tax figures are estimates based on the CRA's published T4127 formulas, assuming steady pay — they're a planning aid, not a substitute for your actual pay stub, a licensed accountant, or filing your taxes. Quebec payroll/tax rules aren't supported yet and are labeled as such rather than estimated incorrectly.
Still stuck?
Write to the developer directly.