Signing in
Signing in is optional. It buys you free cloud backup and the same book on every device — nothing else changes.
Businessly works completely without an account. Signing in adds two things and takes nothing away:
- a free backup of your book in the cloud, so a lost phone is not a lost khata
- the same book on your other phone and on your PC, kept in step automatically
You can sign in on day one, or after a year of using it offline.
Two ways in
Both are free and both give you the same backup and sync.
| Good for | |
|---|---|
| Sign in with Google | Fastest on Android. Also unlocks Google Drive backup. |
| Sign in with email | Any address — Outlook, Yahoo, a work address. No Gmail needed. |
Signing in with Google
Before anything happens, Businessly shows a plain-language screen — Cloud backup & sync — telling you what it will ask for:
- Google Drive, to keep your encrypted backup in your own Google account
- Contacts, only used if you later choose to add a customer from your phone
Then Continue with Google, or Not now to stay offline.
Google's account picker opens inside the app. Pick an account and you are done.
Your web browser opens for you to approve, then hands you back to Businessly. This is normal — it is how desktop apps sign in to Google. After the first time it is silent.
Signing in with email
No password to remember — Businessly emails you a code instead.
- Tap Sign in with email and type your address.
- Check your email for the code and type it into Verification code.
- Tap Verify & sign in.
If the mail does not arrive, wait for the countdown and tap Resend code, or Change email if you mistyped. The code is emailed, so it works the same on a PC as on a phone — which makes email the easier option on Windows.
If you already have entries on this device
This is the important one. When you sign in after using Businessly offline, it asks whether to keep the book already on this device or use the one in your account.
There is also a related choice when you create a business: Keep this phone's data only on this device makes that business local-only — it never syncs and never reaches the cloud, even while you are signed in. Useful for an old book you want to keep private. See Multiple businesses.
Signing out
Settings → Sign out. Your data stays on the device. Signing back in brings the cloud copy down again.