A database from a phone app
Most mobile apps keep their data in SQLite: notes, history, settings, cache. If such a file ended up on your computer — from a backup or an export — you can open it as an ordinary table.
What this file is
Files with the .db extension from an app's folder are almost always SQLite databases. It is easy to check: the file begins with the string SQLite format 3. The app recognises a database by that signature, so the name and extension do not matter.
The android_metadata table
Databases of Android apps almost always contain an android_metadata table with a single row — the device language such as en_US. The system creates it; there is no app data in it. That is why the app skips it when opening the database and shows the first table that has data; the others can be chosen in the file parsing panel.
Databases built on the Room library are similar: the service table room_master_table is not opened first either.
The -wal and -shm files
Mobile apps usually switch their database to WAL journal mode. Then next to app.db you find app.db-wal and app.db-shm: new records go into the journal first and only later into the main file.
This is where a common surprise comes from: the database opened, but the latest records are missing — or there are no tables at all. They are in the journal. Copy both files from the phone, app.db and app.db-wal, and drag them into the app together: the journal is attached, and the database looks the way the app itself sees it on the phone. If you copied only the main file, the app warns you that changes may be sitting in the journal.
What you can do with the table
- filter and sort it, and search for a record by text across all columns;
- calculate totals by grouping — for example, how many records per day;
- export to Excel or CSV;
- fix values, add or delete rows and save the database.
Edit a copy, not the database the phone app is working from: a database put back must match what the app expects, and only the app itself knows that. Edits are saved by the official SQLite engine in a single transaction: if the database does not accept them, the file stays unchanged.
FAQ
How do I get the database off the phone?
That depends on the app and the device: some apps can make a backup or an export, while the folders of others cannot be reached without administrator rights on the device. We work with a file that is already on your computer.
Why is a time in the database a large number?
Many apps store time as a number of milliseconds or seconds since 1 January 1970. Such a number stays a number: it shows the order, but not a date.
Does the file go to a server?
No. The database is parsed in the browser and is not sent anywhere.
Free for personal use. Your file is not uploaded to a server. Windows version — 3.5 MB, no installation: details. Organizations: license.