Help & Support

When you open OgreBill for the first time, a step-by-step setup wizard guides you through configuring your business. Each step has a unique colour theme and a progress indicator at the top.

Step 1 — Welcome

A welcome screen introduces OgreBill's key features: professional invoicing, expense tracking, analytics, multi-sharing, and local backups. Tap Get Started to begin.

Step 2 — Backup Destination

Choose where your backups will be saved. Pick a folder on your device — ideally inside iCloud Drive for automatic cloud sync. If a previous backup is found, you can restore it right here.

Step 3 — Location

Select your Country and Currency. OgreBill offers dedicated profiles for 10 countries — Hong Kong, United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland — with tax labels, currency formatting, and field configurations set automatically. A Generic International profile is always available.

Step 4 — Business Information

Enter your business name, owner name, phone, email, and address. Optionally upload a business logo from your photo library — it will appear on all your PDF invoices.

Step 5 — Tax Configuration

Configure your tax rates. Country profiles pre-fill tax names (e.g. GST for NZ, Sales Tax for US). You can add multiple tax rates and set a default. You can also enter your Tax ID / GST number here.

Step 6 — Payment Methods

Add your bank details, PayPal, or other payment methods. You can attach QR code images to payment profiles. These appear on your invoices so clients know how to pay you. Optional — you can skip and configure later.

Step 7 — Network Sharing

Set up Wi-Fi or Personal Hotspot sharing for transferring invoice PDFs to nearby devices. Add trusted network details only if you want clients to join through a QR code. Optional — you can skip and configure later.

After finishing setup you'll see a celebration screen. You can choose OgreBill Professional with a monthly or yearly plan, or continue with the free version and its limited feature set.

The home screen has a bottom navigation bar with tabs for each major section:

• Invoices — your invoice list
• Clients — customer management
• Services — reusable line items
• Expenses — expense tracking
• Analytics — business insights (premium)
• Settings — all configuration

At the top of the Invoices, Clients, and Expenses lists you'll see summary cards showing quick stats — this month's revenue, outstanding amounts, invoice counts, etc.

To keep them permanently collapsed, go to Settings → Collapse Summary Cards.

The invoice list shows all your invoices with colour-coded status badges:

• Draft — grey, still editable
• Sent — blue, shared with client
• Paid — green, payment received
• Overdue — red, past due date
• Cancelled — muted, voided

Features on this screen:

• Search — type client name, invoice number, or amount to filter instantly.
• Status filter chips — tap a status to show only those invoices.
• Sort — sort by date, amount, due date, status, or invoice number.
• Summary card — total invoiced, outstanding, and this month's stats.

Tap the + button (bottom right) to create a new invoice.

The invoice form lets you build a complete professional invoice:

1. Select a client — pick from your saved clients or add a new one on the spot.
2. Add line items — for each item enter a description, quantity, unit price, and optional item-level discount (% or fixed). You can also pick from saved Services for instant fill.
3. Invoice discount — optionally apply a discount to the full invoice (percentage or fixed amount).
4. Due date — set when payment is expected.
5. Notes — add any extra information or terms for the client.
6. Review totals — subtotal, discounts, tax, and grand total are calculated automatically in real-time.
7. Tap Save — the invoice is saved as a Draft.

Tap any invoice to see its full detail. This screen shows:

• Status badge with colour and icon
• Client information — name, email, address
• Invoice number & date
• Due date — highlighted in red if overdue
• Line items table — description, quantity, unit price, item discount, line total
• Totals breakdown: Total before discounts, line item discounts, subtotal, invoice-level discount, tax, grand total
• Notes
• Audit log — a timeline of every action (created, edited, sent, paid, etc.)

Actions available:

• Share — opens the Share screen with PDF preview (see Section 4)
• Edit — modify the invoice (only when Draft)
• Delete — remove the invoice (only Draft invoices — Sent/Paid/Cancelled cannot be deleted for audit integrity)

Status transitions:

• Draft → Sent — mark as sent after sharing
• Sent → Paid — record payment received
• Draft / Sent → Cancelled — cancel the invoice

From any invoice detail, tap Share to open the Share screen. Here you see:

• A live PDF preview of your invoice in the selected template theme.
• A template picker — switch between 5 colour themes: Ocean Blue (default), Graphite, Emerald, Coral, Violet.
• Your business name, logo, and contact details in the PDF header.
• Your payment method details (bank, PayPal, other payment links, QR images) in the PDF footer.

Below the preview are the sharing action buttons.

1. Share via Email — Sends the PDF as an email attachment using your customisable email template. Recipient email is pre-filled from client data. (Premium feature)
2. Share via WhatsApp — Opens WhatsApp sharing for your client's invoice message or PDF when available.
3. Share via Device (Share Sheet) — Opens your device's native share sheet: AirDrop, Messages, Telegram, Signal, Files, clipboard, etc.
4. Print — Print the invoice PDF directly to any AirPrint-compatible printer.
5. QR Code — Generate a QR code that links to the invoice.
6. Local Network Sharing — Share over Wi-Fi or Personal Hotspot to nearby devices. The receiver scans a connection QR code when needed, then a PDF QR code to download the invoice from your device. The PDF link expires after 10 minutes or when OgreBill moves to the background. Configure in Settings → Network Sharing.

The Clients tab shows all your customers. Features:

• Search — find clients by name, email, or company.
• Sort — alphabetical, by most invoices, or by revenue.
• Quick stats — each client card shows total invoices and outstanding amount.

Tap + to add a new client with their name, email, phone, and address.

Tap any client to see their full profile and business metrics.

Contact Information: Name, email, phone, and address — with quick-action buttons to call or email.

Client Metrics Cards:

• Total Revenue — total billed across all invoices
• Outstanding Amount — total unpaid
• Invoice Count — number of invoices for this client
• Total Tax Collected — sum of tax from their invoices
• Total Expenses — expenses linked to this client

Related Invoices: A full list of every invoice for this client. You can:

• Filter by date range — presets: All, This Week, This Month, This Year, or Custom date range.
• Sort — by date, amount, due date, status, or invoice number.
• Tap any invoice to jump to its detail screen.

Actions:

• Edit — update client details
• Create Invoice — start a new invoice pre-filled with this client
• Delete — remove the client (only if no invoices are linked)

Services are reusable line items that you can add to invoices with one tap. Each service stores:

• Name / Description
• Unit Price
• Tax Rate (optional)
• Default Quantity (optional)

Creating a Service:

1. Go to the Services tab and tap +.
2. Fill in the name, price, and optional tax rate.
3. Tap Save.

Using Services in Invoices:

1. When creating or editing an invoice, tap "Add from Services".
2. Search or browse your saved services.
3. Tap to select — the line item is filled automatically.
4. Adjust quantity or price if needed for this particular invoice.

Service Detail Screen: Tap any service to view usage stats (how many invoices reference it), and edit or delete it.

The Expenses tab lets you log and track all your business expenses:

• Search — find expenses by description or category.
• Sort — by date, amount, or category.
• Summary card — total expenses at a glance.

Tap + to log a new expense.

Adding an Expense:

1. Tap + on the Expenses tab.
2. Enter the amount.
3. Choose a category (e.g. Office Supplies, Travel, Software, Marketing, Utilities).
4. Set the date.
5. Add a description.
6. Optionally link it to a client — linked expenses appear in that client's detail metrics.
7. Tap Save.

Expense data feeds into the Analytics dashboard for category breakdowns and trend analysis.

The Analytics dashboard gives you a comprehensive view of your business performance:

• This Month Summary — total revenue, invoices sent, payments received, expenses.
• Monthly Revenue Chart — visual chart showing revenue trends month by month.
• Payment Health — collection rate, average days to pay, outstanding and overdue amounts.
• Client Performance — ranks your clients by total revenue and contribution.
• Service Profitability — which services generate the most revenue.
• Expense Breakdown — expenses broken down by category.
• Year-to-Date Tax Summary — total tax collected for the current year, useful for tax filing.

The Settings screen is organised into clear sections. At the top:

• Summary card — your business name, country, and key stats.
• Subscription card — current plan status, upgrade button, restore purchases, and manage subscription.

Below are two main groups: BUSINESS and APP settings, followed by DATA & DOCS.

Edit your business name, owner name, phone, email, address, and Tax ID / GST number. Upload or change your business logo — it appears on every PDF invoice header.

Configure tax rates. Country profiles pre-fill common names and rates. 10 dedicated profiles available including:

• Hong Kong — no GST/VAT by default
• United States — Sales Tax
• New Zealand — GST (15%)
• Australia — GST (10%)
• United Kingdom — VAT (20%)
• Plus Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland

Add multiple tax rates, set a default, or configure custom rates.

Add your bank details, PayPal, or other payment methods. Attach QR code images. Configured methods appear on your invoices so clients know how to pay you.

Customise the email subject, message body, and signature sent when sharing via email.

Placeholders: {client_name}, {invoice_number}, {invoice_date}, {invoice_total}, {business_name}, {owner_name}, {phone}, {email}, {address}, {signature}

Placeholders are filled automatically with real data. (Premium feature)

Configure Wi-Fi networks or one Personal Hotspot for local invoice sharing. OgreBill uses the saved network name and password to build the connection QR code; the invoice PDF itself is served only over the current local connection while sharing is active. The PDF link expires after 10 minutes or when the app moves to the background.

• Language — English and German (Deutsch). Follows device language automatically.
• Dark Mode — toggle dark/light theme. All screens fully styled for each.
• App Lock — require Face ID or Touch ID to open OgreBill. Biometric data stays on device.
• Collapse Summary Cards — keep summary cards compact by default.
• Default Invoice Template — choose from 5 themes: Ocean Blue, Graphite, Emerald, Coral, Violet. Override per invoice on the Share screen.
• Navigation Menu Order — drag and reorder the bottom navigation tabs.

At the bottom of Settings:

• Data Safety — backup, restore, export (see Section 10)
• Help & Support — this user guide
• About — app version, privacy policy, terms of service, impressum, open-source licences

Your invoices, clients, and financial records exist only on your device. OgreBill is offline-first — nothing is stored on a server.

Without a backup you could lose everything if your phone is lost, stolen, broken, factory-reset, or if the app is accidentally deleted.

Create a backup file on demand and store it wherever you like.

1. Open Settings → Data Safety.
2. Tap "Set Backup Destination" and choose a folder. For cloud protection pick a folder inside iCloud Drive or another trusted Files-compatible cloud folder.
3. Tap "Create Local Backup Now".
4. A timestamped .db file (e.g. backup_20260418T143022.db) is saved to your chosen folder.
5. You will see a confirmation with the file name and size.

Let the app back up on a schedule so you never forget.

1. Go to Settings → Data Safety.
2. Make sure a backup destination folder is set.
3. Toggle "Auto Backup" on.
4. Choose a frequency: Daily (recommended), Weekly, or Monthly.
5. Optionally enable "Incremental Backup" — saves only changes since the last backup.

Auto backups run silently. Check the last backup date on the Data Safety screen.

Restore from a backup file that lives anywhere on your device, or received via AirDrop, email, or messaging.

1. Go to Settings → Data Safety.
2. Tap "Import Backup from File".
3. Browse to the .db file and select it.
4. The app validates the file, then asks you to confirm.
5. Your current data is replaced and the app restarts.

Browse all backups saved to your destination folder and restore any one.

1. Go to Settings → Data Safety.
2. Scroll to "Available Backups" — sorted newest first.
3. Tap the backup you want to restore.
4. Confirm. Your current data will be replaced.
5. The app restarts with the restored data.

Every OgreBill backup is a standard .db file visible in the Files app on your iPhone.

Option A — iCloud Drive (easiest, automatic):

1. Set your backup destination to a folder inside iCloud Drive.
2. All backups sync to iCloud automatically.
3. On your Mac: Finder → iCloud Drive — same folder, same files.

Option B — AirDrop:

1. Open Files app → navigate to your backup folder.
2. Long-press a .db file → Share → AirDrop → select your Mac.

Option C — USB cable (Finder):

1. Connect iPhone to Mac with USB.
2. Finder → select iPhone → Files tab.
3. Expand OgreBill → drag backup files to your Mac.

Export a human-readable Excel workbook with all your data:

1. Go to Settings → Data Safety → Export All Data.
2. An .xlsx workbook is generated with sheets for Invoices, Clients, Services, Expenses.
3. Save or share the file via the share sheet.

1. Back up at least once a week — daily if you invoice frequently.
2. Use a cloud-synced folder such as iCloud Drive or another trusted Files-compatible cloud folder.
3. Keep multiple backups — don't delete old ones too soon.
4. Treat .db backups like financial records — keep them only in trusted storage.
5. Test a restore occasionally — verify your backups actually work.
6. Export to Excel periodically — a spreadsheet is a readable safety net.
7. Enable Auto Backup so you're protected even when you forget.
8. Copy at least one backup to your Mac.

Send us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Please include your device model, OS version, and a description of the issue.

Email: support@ogrelabs.de