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A guide for first-time users and invited members.

The DONDOKHAM story

The name comes from the Korean word dondokham (돈독함) — the noun form of dondok-hada(돈독하다), which describes a relationship that is warm and close-knit. So in Korean, DONDOKHAM literally means "the closeness of a relationship". By a happy coincidence, the word begins with don (돈), the Korean word for money. DONDOKHAM took that coincidence as its direction: money matters must be settled cleanly for a relationship to stay close.

Every trip and gathering ends with settling up. When it stays vague who paid what and who owes whom, the relationship turns awkward before the money does. DONDOKHAM does that last step for you — record the shared expenses, and it works out exactly who sends how much to whom, down to the smallest unit, so the next get-together can be promised lightly.

Two principles follow. Money, exactly — calculations without error, and only as many transfers as needed. Relationships, warmly— we say "to send" and "to receive" instead of debt or dunning, and settlement data lives only in users' own Google Drive, never on the operator's servers.

How it works

  1. 1

    Create a room

    Set the name, schedule, and base currency — a room spreadsheet is created in your Google Drive.

  2. 2

    Invite participants

    Register participants and share the invite link. Invitees sign in with Google and pick the room file once to enter.

  3. 3

    Record expenses

    Log who paid and who shares each expense. Even splits work, and so do detailed splits mixing fixed amounts and ratios.

  4. 4

    Settle and mark as sent

    The Settle tab suggests a minimal list of transfers. After sending, press [Sent] — only the remaining difference stays tracked.

Terms

Settlement room
The unit for settling one trip or gathering. Each room is stored as one spreadsheet in Google Drive.
Participant
A person sharing expenses in the room. Invite by Google account email; people without an account can still be added by name and included in splits.
Settlement manager
The hub of the settlement. All remaining transfers go through the manager — people who owe send to the manager, and people owed receive from the manager.
Storage keeper
The owner of the Google Drive where the room's files live. Initially the room creator; ownership can be transferred to another participant in room settings.
To receive · To send
What you paid minus your share. If you paid more, you have money to receive; if less, money to send.
Amount adjustment (round down/up)
Tidies transfer amounts to units like ₩10 or ₩100. The small differences created by adjustment are absorbed by the settlement manager.
Guest view
Lets someone without an account read the settlement using a view link and a 6-digit passcode. Only the storage keeper can turn it on or off; turning it off permanently invalidates the existing link.
Friends
Saves people you settle up with often to a list only you can see. It is stored only in your Google Drive — the other person gets no notification and is never added to their list.

FAQ

Q.I was invited — why do I have to pick a file?

DONDOKHAM uses Google's minimal-access permission (drive.file), which only reaches files you explicitly allow. That is why you pick the room's file once for each newly invited room. After that, the room opens right away.

Q.Where is my settlement data stored?

All data of a room is stored as a spreadsheet in the Google Drive of the person who created it (the storage keeper). The DONDOKHAM operator does not keep your settlement data on any separate server or database; the server only handles sign-in.

Q.It says I can only view the room. Why?

The Google account you are signed in with is not linked to any participant in the room. Ask the person managing the room to check that your email is entered correctly in the participant list.

Q.Can I edit the Google Sheet directly?

You can open and read it anytime. However, changing the header names in row 1 or the column order makes the room unreadable — it becomes read-only or unusable. Use the sheet for viewing, and make changes in DONDOKHAM.

Q.What do I do after sending money?

Press [Sent] on the suggested transfer in the Settle tab. The payment is recorded in the ledger and applied to balances immediately, so even if new expenses are added later, only the remaining difference is suggested. If you pressed it by mistake, cancel it in the sent records.

Q.What happens when a room is archived or deleted?

Archiving hides the room from the default list view and locks expense and settlement editing; you can unarchive anytime. Deleting is available only to the storage keeper and moves the room folder and sheet to their Google Drive trash, where they can be restored within 30 days.

Q.Can I show the settlement to someone without an account?

Yes. When the storage keeper turns on guest view in room settings, a view link and a 6-digit passcode are created. Anyone with both can read the settlement without signing in to Google. Account information such as participant emails is not included, and turning guest view off immediately invalidates the link.

Q.Sign-in fails when I open the link inside KakaoTalk.

Google blocks sign-in inside in-app browsers (KakaoTalk, Instagram, etc.) as a security policy. Use the button in the banner at the top, or choose "Open in external browser" from the browser menu to open the page in Chrome or Safari and sign in normally.

Q.Can I install it as an app on my phone?

Yes. On Android Chrome, use "Add to home screen" (or "Install app") in the menu; on iPhone Safari, use "Add to Home Screen" from the share button. Once installed, it runs full-screen and opens straight from the home screen icon.

Q.How is this different from the settlement feature in my messenger app?

In-messenger settlement is fastest when there are only one or two expenses. DONDOKHAM is built for settlements that accumulate — pick who shares each expense, mix fixed amounts and percentages, let every participant record their own payments, and settle in several rounds with only the remaining balance recalculated. See "What makes DONDOKHAM different" for details.

Still have questions?

Contact us at modping373@gmail.com.

Service operator

The DONDOKHAM website and apps are all operated by MOD PING. All three channels are the same service and share the same settlement data.

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