Settings, data and security¶
Appearance¶
The visible themes are Garden, Minimal, Happy, Dark, Minimal Dark and Ultraviolet. Colors, wallpaper and glass transparency differ, while navigation and information hierarchy remain consistent. Selected controls stay clearly distinguishable across themes.
The interface also respects reduced visual effects:
- reduced-transparency preferences replace blurred glass with solid surfaces,
- reduced-motion preferences avoid decorative movement,
- the Android keyboard temporarily hides the bottom navigation so input fields remain usable.
Settings and personalization¶
Under More or Settings, you can manage:
- language, appearance and reduced visual effects,
- visible sections and fields,
- names, options, goal directions, field weighting and analytics permissions,
- assignment of sections to Life Wheel axes,
- optional change areas and counters,
- local reminders,
- milestones and badges,
- Companion providers, models, context and memory,
- app lock and screenshot protection,
- export, backup and restore.
Changes to fields that would alter the meaning of older values create a new field version. This keeps historical entries interpretable.
Backing up, exporting and restoring data¶
Encrypted backup¶
A complete JSON backup is encrypted with your own passphrase before it is saved. Steady suggests a filename in the format steady-backup-YYYY-MM-DD.steady.json.
Keep the passphrase safe
The passphrase is not stored and cannot be reset or recovered. Without it, the encrypted backup cannot be opened.
A complete restore replaces the current tracking data and settings with the backup contents. Review the displayed summary before confirming. Provider tokens, Companion chats and local reminders are not part of the normal tracking backup and are not overwritten by a restore.
Transferring configuration¶
A configuration file transfers settings and field structures without the complete tracking history. Its suggested filename follows the format steady-settings-YYYY-MM-DD.steady.json. Before importing, verify that the configuration matches the app version you use.
Excel export¶
Excel export is designed for analysis and further processing. Steady suggests steady-YYYY-MM-DD.xlsx as the filename. The file is not encrypted. Store exported files with appropriate protection. For protected storage, use the passphrase-encrypted backup.
Privacy and device protection¶
Steady is local-first:
- no mandatory account,
- no telemetry,
- no Steady backend,
- tracking data and settings remain on your device by default,
- Android tracking data is encrypted in the app-private database,
- provider tokens are stored separately,
- screenshots can be blocked and app access can be tied to the device lock.
Encryption protects data at rest. An already unlocked, tampered or rooted device is outside this protection model. Data intentionally transferred to an external AI provider is subsequently also subject to that provider's rules.
Frequently asked questions and problems¶
Why can I not see change tracking?¶
At least one change area must be enabled. Without one, change tracking and the urge and trigger inputs are hidden.
Why does an analysis show “No data”?¶
There are no suitable known values for the selected range or axis. Empty fields and skipped days are not filled in as zero.
Why does a value not appear immediately in the Life Wheel?¶
The Life Wheel uses only enabled signals. A field can be neutral or belong to a section without a Life Wheel axis. Quantity or momentum can also remain low even when a current quality value is already available.
Can I backfill a skipped day?¶
Yes, for today and up to the previous three calendar days. Older days cannot be changed freely through the normal daily check-in.
What happens after a save failure?¶
The current input remains visible and the save status shows the failure. Check the status before closing the app and try the change again.
Can Steady reset my backup password?¶
No. The passphrase is not stored and cannot be recovered.
Can the Companion change my data?¶
No. The Companion works with a read-only excerpt and has no write path to check-ins, counters, tasks or settings.
Are correlations recommendations?¶
No. They show observed relationships and prove neither causation nor medical significance.