Help and support

Join or return to a group

• Check that the code has six or eight characters. You can paste it exactly as it appears in the invitation.
• Anyone with the code can confirm that they wish to join. If you change phones or leave the group, you can rejoin using the current code while the group remains active.
• If a name is shown as unavailable, another installation may have claimed it. Someone in the group can review teams and members in Settings.

Protect or recover your account

• You can keep using Tokarea without linking any sign-in method.
• Before buying Tokarea Pro, you must protect the account so that you can recover it and restore the purchase without linking it to another technical account.
• If you link Apple, Google or an email address verified with a one-time code, Tokarea keeps the same technical account and the same groups; it does not create a parallel identity.
• On another device, use the same method to recover the account. If you did not protect it and lose this installation’s session, Tokarea cannot reconstruct it from a nickname, group code or email sent to Support.

Changes aren’t showing up

• Make sure the device is connected and wait a few seconds for synchronisation to finish.
• Close and reopen Tokarea if the app says an update is ready.
• If the issue affects only one group, check in Settings that you are still a member of it.

Notifications

Notifications must be allowed both in Tokarea and in the device settings. In Tokarea, you can choose the level of detail and pause specific groups.

The person who performs an action does not receive their own notification. Some general changes are sent only at the more detailed notification levels.

Leave or delete data

You can leave a group from Settings. This removes it from the device and releases the name, but the group continues for everyone else. The full group can be closed only when no other devices remain linked.

To delete the entire technical account, open Settings → Privacy and data → Delete account. You can also open Privacy and data from the start screen when no group is open.

In Settings → Privacy and data, you can also download a JSON copy, submit an access, portability, rectification, restriction or objection request, and view its status. If you cannot access the app, email support@tokarea.com. Do not send invitation codes, screenshots or any other personal data that is not needed.

Shopping-list photos

Adding or replacing a photo is a Pro feature shared with the group. Tokarea opens the system photo picker only when you choose that action, without requesting general access to your photo library; it re-encodes and sanitises the selected image, encrypts it on the device, and transmits only encrypted content. It does not use the camera or upload the original with its metadata.

The service may deliver the ordinary encrypted file for up to 30 days after preparation; it then keeps it inaccessible and queues it for asynchronous physical deletion with retries if deletion fails. Devices that already stored their encrypted local copy may continue to display it; after the cutoff it is not delivered to new or reinstalled devices. Removing a photo remains available if the group loses Pro. Uploading requires a connection and can be retried from the item details.

Chat photos

Adding photos to a message is free and does not require Tokarea Pro. Tokarea opens the system’s limited picker to select up to five images in order, separately re-encodes and sanitises each one, encrypts it on the device and transmits only encrypted content; each photo becomes a separate message and only the first retains prepared text or reply. It does not request general photo-library access, open the camera or upload the originals with their metadata.

The service may deliver each ordinary encrypted file for up to 30 days after preparation; it then keeps it inaccessible and queues it for asynchronous physical deletion with retries if deletion fails. Devices that already stored their encrypted local copy may continue to display it; a new or rejoining member and a device registered later do not receive historical keys. “Save photo” opens the system sheet with a sanitised decrypted JPEG; the selected copy is outside Tokarea’s encryption and lifecycle. Older versions that do not understand the photo retain the message text or caption —or the 📷 indicator— and quoted-message reference as a fallback.

Report content or conduct

On the detail screen for a task, shopping item or expense, tap “Report a problem”; in chat, long-press the message and choose “Report message”. The app will send private technical identifiers and display a TKR-… reference for follow-up. A reported message is hidden locally on that device but is not removed or hidden from the rest of the group: an authorised person reviews it before deciding.

To report a participant’s conduct or another issue, open Settings → Help and legal → Report a problem or email support@tokarea.com, saying which screen you were on, the approximate date and the minimum information needed. Do not send the invitation code.

Contact support

Email support@tokarea.com and explain what you were trying to do, the device model, the Android or iOS version, and the Tokarea app version and build shown at the bottom of Settings.

Do not include expense descriptions, real names, invitation codes or other private information unless it is essential to resolve or delete a group.