Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are answers to the most common questions. If you can't find what you're looking for, feel free to contact us!
🔰 Basics
Q: Is Splitly free? A: Yes! All core bill-splitting features (creating groups, recording expenses, calculating settlements, collaboration) are forever free.
- To keep the service running, we may introduce ads in the future — with an option to pay for an ad-free experience.
- In the future, some features may have usage limits, and we may offer premium features for users who want more.
- We believe in being upfront: the core splitting experience will always be free, but we'll use the above to sustain the service long-term.
Q: Do I need to register an account? A: No. You can start using it immediately as a guest. Data will be stored temporarily in your browser.
- Recommendation: To sync data across devices or prevent data loss from clearing cache, we recommend logging in with your Google account.
Q: Is this an App? Do I need to download it from the App Store? A: We use the latest PWA (Progressive Web App) technology.
- No Download: Open it directly in your browser.
- Install on Phone:
- iOS (Safari): Tap the "Share" button -> Select "Add to Home Screen".
- Android (Chrome): Tap the menu (three dots) -> Select "Install App" or "Add to Home screen".
- Once installed, it works just like a native app, runs full screen, and even works offline!
💰 Features & Settlement
Q: How is the settlement calculated? A: We use a "Minimize Transactions" algorithm.
- The system calculates everyone's "Net Balance" (Receivable - Payable).
- It then finds the simplest path. For example: If A owes B $100, and B owes C $100, the system will suggest A pays C $100 directly, skipping the middle step.
Q: What about decimals? A: Splitly calculates with full precision first, then displays two decimal places.
- Some cases produce repeating decimals (e.g.,
1645 ÷ 3 = 548.333...), so you may see488.33or488.34. - The difference comes from rounding plus
0.01remainder allocation (assigning the remainder to one payment so totals balance exactly), not a math error. - For real transfers, your group can still agree to round to whole numbers if needed (e.g., pay 33 or 34 for 33.33).
Q: I paid my friend. How do I clear the debt? A: This is a manual action!
- Click on the debt item (or friend's name) in the "Settlement" section.
- In the details page, check "Mark as Settled".
- The debt will reset to zero and show as paid.
Q: Can I use multiple currencies? A: Yes. A bill can enable multiple expense currencies, and Paji Splitly converts them into the settlement currency before splitting.
- Choose the expense currency when adding an item. If that currency is not enabled yet, add its exchange rate first.
- Use bill exchange-rate management to fetch the latest rate, edit a manual rate, or remove a currency that no expenses use.
✈️ Travel Mode
Q: What is Travel Mode, and how is it different from regular splitting? A: Travel Mode replaces the list view with a "fishbone timeline" — ideal for multi-day trips.
- Trip start and end anchor the journey; each day column grows expense chips downward.
- Who paid, who owes, and how much each day cost stay on one line.
- The share view weaves a companion's note, settlement, and a daily spend overview into a recap you can share.
- Regular splitting keeps the list view — better for a single dinner or one-off IOU.
Q: How do I create a travel bill? Can an existing regular bill switch to Travel Mode? A: The mode is chosen when a bill is created and can't be switched afterwards.
- Create new: on the landing "Start splitting" split button, pick "Travel split" — or in the "+ New bill" dialog, choose "Travel" and fill in optional trip dates.
- Want a travel version of an existing regular bill? Start a new bill from it as a template — open the ▾ menu next to "+ New bill" on the home page, pick the bill under "Start a new bill with the same setup as before" (members and currency carry over, expenses don't), then choose "Travel" in the dialog.
Q: What if I don't know the trip dates, or an expense falls outside the trip range? A: It still works.
- Both dates optional: with neither set, the timeline auto-spans your earliest to latest expense date.
- Only one side set: the missing end is inferred from actual expense dates.
- Expense outside the trip: the timeline extends to that date and tags it with an "outside trip" chip.
- Undated expense: lives in an "Unscheduled" column on the far left — assign a date later.
Q: Can related expenses (a dinner, a museum admission) be grouped together? A: Yes — use "event nodes".
- At the bottom of any day column, tap "+ Add event" to create an empty event (e.g. "Shibuya dinner"); the new-expense dialog opens next so you can add the first cost into it.
- Event nodes render as larger chips showing the name, item count, total, and payers.
- You can keep adding expenses, rename, or dissolve the event (dissolving keeps the inner expenses as loose items — nothing is deleted).
Q: What are "a companion's note" and "daily spend overview" on the share page? A: The Travel Mode share view has 4 sections, top to bottom:
- Trip summary: three chips for trip dates + day count / travel partners / total spend.
- Companion's note: the description you filled in the trip intro shows as a large quote — warmer than a regular intro, designed to share with your travel partners.
- Settlement: who pays whom, same as regular splitting.
- Daily spend overview: each day's total as a vertical mini bar chart — the top-spending day fills the bar, no-spend days show a short faint placeholder (meaning "no spending that day", not "missing data").
Q: Who is the little chick on my travel bill? A: That's PachiPiyo, Splitly's travel buddy.
- Once your trip dates are set, the first in-trip expense hatches the egg; whether each trip day gets its expenses logged becomes light growth feedback.
- PachiPiyo only keeps you company — it never changes amounts, splits, or settlement. Drag it anywhere; to tuck it away, open its bubble and pick "Hide for this bill", then bring it back from the bill's "⋯" menu.
- Meet the character: PachiPiyo's page
🔒 Data & Privacy
Q: Is my data safe? A: Very safe.
- Guest Mode: Data exists only on your device. No record on our servers.
- Login Mode: Data is encrypted and stored in Google's Firebase cloud database, accessible only by group members.
Q: Can friends edit without an account? A: Yes! Use the "Share Link" feature. Friends can join and start editing immediately without registering.
Q: I changed my phone. Is my data still there? A:
- If Logged In: Log in with the same Google account on the new phone, and your data will appear automatically.
- If Not Logged In: Sorry, guest data is bound to the old phone's browser and cannot be transferred. Please log in on the old phone first to sync data.
🔧 Troubleshooting
Q: Why did my data disappear? A: Common reasons:
- Not Logged In: You might have cleared browser cache or used Incognito mode, deleting guest data.
- Wrong Account: Check if you logged in with the same Google account used to create the data.
Q: The screen is frozen or acting weird? A: Try refreshing the page. If in PWA mode, close the app completely from the multitasking menu and reopen it. If the issue persists, contact us.
Q: How to contact support?
A: For suggestions, bug reports, or partnership proposals, email us at: paji.contact [at] gmail [dot] com