YNAB You Need A Budget

[stefan70usa]

I installed and cloud synced the android app. I set a passcode, and found that if I quit the app and then restart the app from a homescreen shortcut, or restart the app by holding the home icon until recent apps show and then select YNAB from there, the app doesn't request a password, but reopens where I left off. Rebooting the device resets this behavior, as does choosing manage apps and selecting "Force Stop". Once the app is opened again, and the password is re-entered, the app again opens without requesting a password, unless I choose the app icon from the apps menu. There should be a way to quit YNAB, that enforces the passcode. Maybe a popup that says "quit now?" when you switch to another screen, or a routine that automatically syncs and forces a stop.
Otherwise, great product.

Motorola Droid Razor,
Android Version 4.04

Let me know if you need any other information.

[stefan70usa]

Okay, after making the above post, I went to show my wife the odd behavior I described above. The first time I demonstrated the problem, the problem showed up. Starting the app by selecting the "home" icon, and selecting YNAB from there opened the app without requesting a passcode. I tried to confirm the behavior again, and the app DID ask for a passcode like it should. Before I made the above post, I confirmed the non-passcode asking behavior at least a dozen times. To check the behavior again, I reset to a new passcode, opened the app and entered the passcode. I quit the app (returned to homescreen) and held down the "home" icon, selected YNAB and it again didn't ask for a passcode. So, the behavior is intermittent.

[samuelbritt]

It may be different when you use the back button to exit the app, vs just hitting the home button (which sort of pauses it). Might that explain the inconsistency?

[litterbug]

It took me a while to find exactly that: if I hit the 'back' button until I'm out of the app, it requires me to enter the outside again, no matter whether I get there from a shortcut, the recent programs bar, or the app menu. If I leave the app by jumping to the home screen or to another app, I'm not prompted to enter the passcode when I return to it.

[HaploAW]

Sorry to hear that you are having this problem. That can be a scary thing to have your financial information not on locked down. Definitely sounds like a flaw in how the Android app handles multi-tasking.
Unfortunately I can't give any advice (Apple user here). On Apple devices, the second I go to switch apps or if I close out in any way, the app locks. Sounds like they need to find a way to "see" when the Android app has lost focus and lock down the app. I have dabbled in Apple iOS programming but not Android so I don't even know if such a thing exists.

[samuelbritt]

In Android's defense, all Android apps go through a multi-level cascade of stages when the app is closed. Roughly speaking, an app goes from "fully running" to "paused" and then to "closed." If they YNAB devs put the "re-lock the data" code in the transition from fully running to paused, then it should work as you desire. Instead, it looks like that code was placed in the transition from paused to closed, so it only runs when you fully exit the app. Of course, I'm way over simplifying and only speculating---I don't have access to the the YNAB source code.

[HaploAW]

Yeah. I was pretty sure that there should be an event handler showing the app is no longer the one the user is interfacing with. Just not an Android programmer... Hopefully the devs fix the glitch on this so Android users can sleep soundly.

[litterbug]

Does backing out of the program not work? It does for others who've talked about the same thing.

[gborland]

We are aware that this behaviour is confusing, and will be addressing it.

Technical notes: when you press the Home screen, you haven't actually "backed out" of the Android app; you've just switched away from it. Android treats the two scenarios completely differently. The solution in the meantime, if this behaviour concerns you, is to switch away from YNAB using the Back key rather than the Home key.