Export history or save a backup: which should you choose?

Two files for different tasks

In Profile → Backup and restore, you will find a full backup and a history export. Both are JSON files, but they are not interchangeable. Choose based on what you need to keep, rather than the file extension alone.

Export history only

Keeps completed fasts for reference outside the app. It does not replace a full backup for restoring Steady.

Save backup

Keeps the history, profile, weights and included preferences so they can be loaded back into Steady.

Neither option creates a Steady account or enables synchronization. You choose the destination in Android’s file picker.

What each file contains

Completed records contain the plan, start, finish and saved duration information. The history file does not include a record that is still running.

Export completed fasts only

1. Open Profile and find Backup and restore.
2. Press Export history only. The button is disabled if there are no completed fasts.
3. Choose a folder or provider in Android’s picker and confirm saving. The suggested filename begins with Steady-history- and ends in .json.
4. Wait for the history export confirmation and check the file in your chosen location.

You can do this during an active fast: exporting does not stop it or change your records. JSON is structured text, not an Excel workbook or a CSV. If you open it in another tool, keep an original copy before converting it.

Save a full backup

End and save any active fast before creating a full backup. Then press Save backup and choose the destination. The suggested filename begins with Steady-backup-. Check the date and avoid replacing your only previous copy before checking the new one.

The backup contains more personal information than a history export and is not encrypted by Steady. Keep it somewhere you control. If you choose Google Drive or another provider in the file picker, that provider stores the file under its terms; Steady does not upload it automatically or keep that copy updated.

What happens when you restore

1. Before changing data, save a current backup if you need to preserve your existing profile and preferences.
2. End and save the active fast. Open Restore backup and choose a full Steady backup file.
3. Read the confirmation before accepting. Existing fasts are preserved and combined with the backup without duplicating matching entries.
4. Your profile, weights and preferences are replaced with the file’s values. Cancelling the confirmation does not apply that replacement.
5. After restoring, review History and Profile. Set up reminders and permissions separately.

The app checks the file format before using it. If it reports an incompatible file or a conflict, do not rename a history export to present it as a full backup or edit its fields to force an import.

Keep the file safe and check what you share

Exporting does not send the file to the developer. A history JSON still contains personal dates and durations even without your name or weight. Do not publish it or attach it to a report unnecessarily. Delete exported files from their chosen location when you no longer need them.

Uninstalling Steady or clearing app data does not itself delete exported files. Conversely, saving a file does not automatically back up later changes. Any backups or phone transfers managed by Android are separate from these manual actions.

If a button or file does not work

Export history only is disabled: check that at least one completed fast exists. Save or restore is disabled: check for an active fast or an operation in progress. A file is missing: check the folder and provider you selected and whether you cancelled Android’s picker.

If a backup cannot be used, keep the original file. For support, describe which action failed, the message and your app version. You do not need to send a backup containing your profile and weights to explain the issue. This guide covers Steady’s manual backup; Google sign-in and Steady’s own synchronization are not part of the version described.