Know the data boundary
A JSON export can include an active session as well as completed history. The active record has a start and no end, which lets the restored state represent a still-running timer.
Use the supported file workflow
Before exporting, check whether the current session is one you intend to carry into the backup. If a timer was accidentally left open, correct the recording process before making the copy you rely on.
There is no account or automatic custom-server backup in this release. The privacy text also states that the app's private local storage is excluded from automatic cloud device backups; exported files are your separately chosen copies.
Check the copy you actually have
Import validates that an active record really is running and does not begin in the future. Completed history, by contrast, must contain records with end times.
| Check | Practical meaning |
|---|---|
| Active record | Start with no end |
| After restore | Elapsed uses original start |
Manage each retained copy
A restored active timer calculates elapsed from its original start. Importing an old active-session backup later can therefore show a much longer elapsed value than the original export screenshot.
Erasing local data does not delete files you previously exported. Reinstalling or changing devices can remove access to local records, so verify a saved backup before those actions if you want the ledger to remain recoverable.
A worked walkthrough
Suppose a backup was made while a session was active and you import that file much later. The active record still has its original start and no end. Fastly calculates elapsed time from that start to the current clock, so it may show a much larger duration than you remember seeing when the export was made. That is different from restoring a completed record with a fixed end. Inspect whether the imported current session genuinely should still be running. If it ended earlier and you know when, stop and correct the completed record; if the timing is uncertain, qualify it in the note rather than inventing precision. Before future exports you rely on, check whether the active-state representation is what you intend to preserve. A backup is a state snapshot, and a running state continues to have running-state semantics after restoration.
Fastly is a lifestyle timer and journal. These notes explain the app and offer reflection prompts. They are not medical advice or a prescribed eating schedule.