Gem Help Guide

About the beta

Notice

Oct 2026: Gem 5.0 has an all-new sharing that's more reliable. Please update the app and reinvite your partner

With Gem, you can manage budgets and expenses together with a partner. Here's how it works:

  • You can invite 1 person to collaborate with you in Gem

  • You and your partner will share the same data: all transactions, categories, wallets, budgets, reports… You can’t share only a specific budget or wallet

  • Your data is saved to your private iCloud wallet, and counts against your iCloud storage size

  • Only you and your partner can access this data, not Gem developers nor Apple

  • While in beta, Gem syncs your data every time you open the app

  • If you’re encountering sync issues, tap the button in your Journal screen, then Sync now

  • Gem Together is free during beta, but it may become a paid service in the future

  • Beta testers get a lifetime of "Gem Together" for free. Please share feedback and bugs at human@shelftwo.com

Troubleshooting

Notice

Available on Gem 5.0 (released Oct 25, 2026)

If changes aren't showing up between you and your partner, Gem can check your sync and show you what's wrong.

  1. Go to Settings > Share with someone
  2. Tap Sync status

Gem runs 4 checks, in order. If a check fails, the checks after it are skipped. Green means all good, yellow means something is still in progress, and red means something needs your attention.

iCloud

Gem syncs through your iCloud account, so your iPhone needs to be online and signed in to iCloud.

  • No internet connection: connect to Wi-Fi or cellular data. If you're on cellular, go to iPhone Settings > Apps > Gem and make sure Cellular Data is on

  • Not signed in to iCloud: open iPhone Settings, tap Sign in at the top and sign in with your Apple Account

  • Update your iCloud account: open iPhone Settings and tap your name. If you see a message asking you to enter your password or accept new terms, follow it

  • iCloud access is restricted: Screen Time or a work/school profile may be blocking iCloud. Check iPhone Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions

Sharing

Checks that your shared data is set up and that your partner joined.

  • Waiting for partner to accept invite: your partner needs to open the invite link on their iPhone, with Gem installed and signed in to iCloud

  • Expired or Missing: the invite isn't active anymore. If you sent it, tap on the Share with someone screen, then Re-invite partner. If you got invited, ask your partner to re-invite you

  • Your iCloud storage is full: shared data is saved to the iCloud of the person who sent the invite. Free up space or upgrade your plan in iPhone Settings > your name > iCloud

  • Sync is off: sharing isn't set up on this iPhone yet. Go to Settings > Share with someone to start

Incoming changes

Checks that Gem can receive your partner's latest changes. Yellow means new changes just arrived, which is normal. If you see red, please contact us so we can help.

Outgoing changes

Checks that all your changes were sent to your partner. Yellow means some changes are still waiting to be sent: go back and open Sync status again in a few moments. If it stays yellow or turns red, please contact us so we can help.

Tip

To contact us, tap the share button on the top-right corner of the Sync status screen and send the sync log to human@shelftwo.com. It helps us find the problem faster

Limitations

The person receiving and accepting the invitation is considered the “partner”, and has limited capabilities. Partners can’t do the following:

  • Change currency

  • Use alternative currencies (will change in a future update)

  • Set repeating transactions. You can edit details of existing repeated transactions, but not their “repeat” behavior

  • Set backups, restore or manage the data

Notice

Gem doesn't sync attachments, so it's best to avoid adding them to expenses when sharing with a partner.

  • Receipts uploaded by your partner won’t be visible to you
  • Editing such expenses could remove the attachment on their end

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