Skip to main content

Troubleshooting Money Owed

Use this guide to troubleshoot common Money Owed issues. Start with the section that matches the message or behavior you see. Money Owed keeps account information on your device, so do not delete the app or sign out of iCloud as a first troubleshooting step.

iCloud and Sync Issues

iCloud Sign-In Required

This means the device is not signed in to iCloud. Sign in to the Apple Account used by Money Owed in Settings on iPhone and iPad or System Settings on Mac, then reopen the app. Sync and sharing remain paused until iCloud is available.

Original iCloud Account Required

The device is using a different iCloud account from the one previously used with Money Owed. Sign in to the original Apple Account in Settings on iPhone and iPad or System Settings on Mac. Money Owed does not silently move existing app data to another account because that could expose it or leave it inaccessible.

Transactions show Waiting to sync

  • Confirm that the device is connected to the internet.
  • Confirm that you are signed in to the original iCloud account.
  • Open Money Owed and leave it active briefly so its sync work can run.
  • Check whether the account is writable. A read-only participant cannot create a transaction.
  • Allow time for iCloud to process pending changes.

Transactions show Sync needs attention

Money Owed could not download or upload a change successfully. Keep the app installed, confirm the iCloud account and network connection, and reopen Money Owed. If the status remains, record the affected account and transaction description before contacting support. Do not recreate the transaction repeatedly, because the original change may still be waiting to sync.

Data is not updating

  • Open the main app and allow its current sync to finish.
  • Check the account list for an iCloud warning.
  • Confirm that the other device or participant has saved the change.
  • Check the same account on the device where the change was made.
  • Allow time for iCloud updates to arrive, including updates the operating system handles in the background.

The main iPhone, iPad, and Mac app does not have a general manual Refresh button. Open Money Owed and keep it onscreen briefly to give it an opportunity to sync.

Sharing Issues

Sharing controls are unavailable

Only the account owner can invite people, change permissions, remove participants, or stop sharing. Open the account's Sharing screen and confirm that you are the owner.

The participant cannot add a transaction

Confirm that the participant has Read & Write access and that the account is not displaying Read-only. A read-only participant can view balances, schedules, transactions, and attachments and can set a private alias, but cannot change shared information or add transactions.

The shared account or invitation is unavailable

  • Confirm that the recipient accepted the iCloud invitation using the intended Apple Account.
  • Confirm that both devices are signed in to iCloud and connected to the internet.
  • Open Money Owed on both devices and allow the share to synchronize.
  • If the share was stopped or the participant was removed, create a new invitation from the owner device.

If Money Owed says that sharing information no longer exists in iCloud, the share may have been stopped or the participant may have been removed. The owner may need to invite the person again.

Accounts and Transactions

I cannot save an account

  • Enter an account name.
  • Select a currency.
  • On a shared account, confirm that you have permission to edit it.
  • If the account already has transactions, do not try to change its currency.

I cannot find Edit or Delete for a transaction

Editing is available only for a manual transaction that you created in a writable account. Deletion is narrower: the transaction must be manual, created by you, be the most recently created transaction in that account, and be less than five minutes old. The selected transaction date does not reset the five-minute window. Transactions added by recurring or interest schedules cannot be edited or deleted.

The amount field rejects my expression

Use numbers, parentheses, the device locale's decimal separator, and the supported operators +, -, *, and /. Money Owed may show Finish the calculation. It can also report a missing closing parenthesis, prevent division by zero, or say that the result is too large.

The account currency is wrong

Money Owed does not convert currencies. A currency can be changed only before the first transaction. If an imported or split amount came from another currency, remove it and enter the amount in the destination account's currency rather than expecting an exchange-rate conversion.

An attachment cannot be added

  • Adding or replacing attachments requires Money Owed Pro.
  • Choose one image or PDF.
  • Keep the file at or below 25 MB.
  • Use Choose from Photos or Choose from Files and grant the requested access.

Existing attachments can remain visible to free users. An attachment may be unavailable if it could not be downloaded from iCloud or if the old-data import received incomplete information.

Recurring Transaction and Interest Issues

A recurring or interest transaction was not created

  • Confirm that the schedule is enabled.
  • Confirm that the account is owned by you. Participants cannot run or manage the owner's schedules.
  • Open the account's More menu and choose Recurring or Interest.
  • For recurring schedules, choose Add Due Transactions and read the status message.
  • Confirm that First Transaction Date or First Interest Date and the fixed time zone are what you expect.
  • A recurring or interest schedule imported from old Money Owed uses UTC and starts on its first future date after import.
  • Confirm that Money Owed Pro is active if you need to change or re-enable the schedule.

Only the account owner's iPhone, iPad, or Mac creates transactions when a schedule is due. The Watch app does not run recurring or interest schedules. Money Owed may process overdue dates in groups, so a status message may say that more due transactions remain.

A scheduled transaction cannot be changed

This is expected. Transactions added by recurring and interest schedules cannot be edited or deleted, so the schedule's history remains reliable. Disable or change the schedule instead.

Pro and Purchase Issues

Pro features are still unavailable after purchase

  1. Wait briefly for the purchase status to update.
  2. Close and reopen Money Owed.
  3. Open Settings > Money Owed Pro.
  4. Choose Restore Purchases.
  5. Confirm that the App Store account is the one used for purchase.

Purchase options cannot be loaded

Check the network connection and choose Try Again if it is shown. Messages such as No purchase options are available right now or Purchases are unavailable right now can indicate a temporary App Store problem. You can still try Restore Purchases for an earlier purchase.

CSV and PDF Issues

CSV import is unavailable

CSV import requires Pro and a writable account. The import action can still appear without Pro and then show a Pro access prompt. It is not available to a read-only participant.

The CSV file is rejected

  • Use a UTF-8 .csv or plain-text file.
  • Confirm that Column Separator is comma, semicolon, or tab.
  • On the Import Transactions screen, map Description, Amount, and Date.
  • Check that every row is valid. Money Owed does not import only the valid rows from a mixed file.
  • Use a period for decimal amounts and do not use grouping separators.
  • Make sure any CSV currency value matches the destination account currency.
  • Check the selected date format and time zone.

PDF export fails

PDF export requires Pro. Try exporting again from the account's More > Reports menu. A very large balance can prevent the statement from being created. If the problem continues, record the account, transaction count, and exact error message.

Notifications and App Lock

Notifications are not arriving

  • Confirm Money Owed Pro is active.
  • Open Settings > Notifications > New transactions in Money Owed.
  • Allow notifications for Money Owed in Settings on iPhone and iPad or System Settings on Mac.
  • Confirm the notification is for a new manual transaction from another person in a shared account.
  • Do not force-quit Money Owed. Force-quitting can delay alerts until you open it again.

Notifications are not sent for your own transactions, transactions created by a schedule, old history arriving on a new device, or updates to existing transactions.

App Lock will not enable or unlock

App Lock requires Pro and a usable device passcode or biometric authentication method. If authentication fails, choose Unlock and try again. If the device no longer has usable authentication, Money Owed disables App Lock rather than trapping access to your accounts.

Widgets and Apple Watch

Money Owed Pro Required

Widgets and the Apple Watch app require Money Owed Pro. Money Owed Pro Required means Pro is not active. Buy Pro or open Settings > Money Owed Pro in the main app and choose Restore Purchases if you already purchased it.

Open Money Owed and retry

This means Pro access has not yet been verified. For a widget, open the main Money Owed app on that device and allow Pro access to update, then retry. For the Watch, open Money Owed on the paired iPhone, allow Pro access to update, then retry on the Watch.

Widgets and the Watch hide account names and balances until Pro access is verified.

A widget is blank or says Balance unavailable

  • Confirm that Money Owed Pro is active and verified in the main app.
  • Open the main Money Owed app and allow it to sync.
  • Confirm that Money Owed still contains the selected account or currency.
  • Edit the widget and choose Select Account or Select Currency again.
  • Allow the operating system time to refresh the widget.

Widgets receive their account information from the main app rather than connecting to iCloud themselves. The operating system may hide widget account names and balances in privacy-sensitive locations.

Apple Watch says Can't Sync

If Pro access is active and the Watch says Can't Sync, tap Refresh, confirm that the Watch is signed in to the expected iCloud account, and give it network access through the paired iPhone, Wi-Fi, or cellular service. The Watch syncs directly through iCloud, so opening the iPhone app alone does not immediately update it.

Old Data Import Issues

The old-data importer is not shown

The importer appears only before 2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC and while the old Money Owed service is available. It may appear during onboarding or under Settings > Old Money Owed.

Old-service sign-in or attachment import failed

Check the old username and password. Some attachment warnings do not stop an account import, but connection, sign-in, service, or incomplete-download failures can. Review the import summary for missing files, unsupported types, incomplete information, or the 25 MB attachment limit.

An old recurring or interest schedule was skipped or needs review

Review the import summary. A recurring or interest schedule can be skipped when its name, amount, rate, frequency, or scheduled day is invalid. Imported schedules use UTC and begin with the first future date, so past automatic activity is not created again. A monthly schedule on the 29th, 30th, or 31st runs on the last valid day of shorter months; the summary calls out this behavior.

Before Contacting Support

Include:

  • The Money Owed version and build
  • The device model and OS version
  • The affected feature and account permission level
  • The exact message shown in the app
  • Steps to reproduce the problem
  • Whether the problem affects the main app, widgets, or Watch

Do not include passwords, App Store credentials, private account data, or iCloud invitation links in a support request.