Privacy Mode
Hide sensitive amounts on screen with a single tap so you can use Cadence in public.
What Privacy Mode Does
Privacy mode masks every monetary amount across the app with dots (••••) so someone glancing at your screen can’t read your balances, spending, or net worth. Layouts, charts, category names, and merchants stay fully visible, which means you can still navigate and review your finances - you just can’t see the dollar figures at a glance.
The masking is applied at the display layer, not to the underlying data. Nothing is encrypted or hidden differently behind the scenes; this is purely a visual shield for moments when your screen might be observed.
Turning It On or Off
Tap the eye button in the app header (the action bar) to toggle privacy mode on or off instantly. To read your amounts again, toggle privacy mode back off - there is no tap-to-reveal for individual figures.
The setting is stored per device, so turning it on at home on your laptop won’t affect what your phone shows on the train. Because it’s device-global rather than tied to your account, everyone who uses a shared device sees the same privacy mode state.
What Gets Masked
Privacy mode targets anything that reveals how much money is moving or sitting around:
- Transaction amounts in lists and details.
- Account and card balances.
- Net worth, asset values, and liability totals.
- Budget limits, spent amounts, and remaining amounts.
- Income figures and goal progress numbers.
Chart shapes are still visible so you can see trends, just without the numbers on the axis labels. Category names, merchant names, dates, and account nicknames stay readable so the app remains useful even with everything masked.
When to Use It
Privacy mode is built for situations where you want the app open but don’t want the numbers exposed:
- Cafes, libraries, and other public spaces.
- Public transit, especially during commute hours.
- Screen sharing on a video call or in a meeting.
- Recording a screencast or capturing screenshots for support.
- Showing a friend a feature without showing your balance.
Many people leave it on by default on their phone and only flip it off when they sit down to do focused finance work.
Working in Privacy Mode
You can still use the app normally with privacy mode on. When you need to check the numbers again, toggle privacy mode off from the header - there’s no per-amount reveal, so amounts stay masked until you switch the whole mode back off.
Since category, merchant, and account names stay visible, you can still review transactions, recategorise spending, and confirm that everything looks right. The only thing you lose is the ability to read amounts at a glance, which is exactly the trade-off privacy mode is designed to make.