How to Automatically Track Transactions via Android Notifications

Moneko can automatically capture completed expenses, income, refunds, and recurring payments from notifications sent by Android apps you select.

You can select banking, payment, shopping, and email apps such as Gmail. Moneko reads only the notification preview shown by Android. It does not connect to or read your mailbox.

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How It Works

When an enabled app sends a financially plausible notification:

1. Private candidate check: Moneko looks for monetary evidence on your device. Ordinary messages and security-code notifications are not uploaded.
2. AI classification: The visible notification preview is securely analyzed to determine whether it represents a completed expense, income, refund, recurring payment, promotion, pending event, or another message type.
3. Safe decision: Only high-confidence completed transactions are saved. Promotions, pending or declined payments, reminders, unresolved transfers, and uncertain messages are ignored.
4. Recurring reconciliation: A confirmed recurring payment creates a schedule only when one does not already exist. Existing schedules are not duplicated.
5. Notification: Moneko tells you when a candidate was ignored or matched to an existing recurring schedule.

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Setting Up Auto Capture on Android

Follow these steps to enable background tracking:

1. Enable the Feature

Open Moneko → Tap the three-dot menu → Settings → Auto Transaction Capture. Toggle on Enable Auto Capture.

2. Grant System Permissions

Android requires a special permission called Notification Access for apps to read notifications in the background.

• Tap Grant Access when prompted.
• Find Moneko in the list of apps.
• Toggle on Allow Notification Access.

3. Configure Destinations

Choose where your money should go:

• Destination Space: Select your Personal space or a Shared household.
• Wallet: Select the specific account (e.g., "Main Checking") that should receive these transactions.

4. Enable Specific Apps

Moneko will show a list of "Recent Apps" that have sent notifications.

• Scroll to the Supported Apps section.
• Toggle on only the apps you want Moneko to track.
• Note: If an app hasn't sent a notification recently, it might not appear in the list yet. Simply make a small transaction or wait for the next alert.

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Security and Privacy

We take your financial privacy seriously:

• Local Privacy Gate: Ordinary messages without monetary evidence and security-code notifications stay on your device.
• Secure AI Classification: Financial candidates from enabled apps are sent securely to Moneko's AI for classification.
• Targeted Monitoring: Moneko only looks at notifications from the apps you have explicitly enabled.
• No Mailbox Access: Enabling Gmail gives Moneko access only to visible Android notification previews, not your inbox or Google account.
• Limited Retention: Ignored raw notification text is not retained. Saved transactions keep only the derived transaction details needed by Moneko.
• No Data Selling: Your transaction data belongs to you. We never sell or share your information with third parties.
• Secure Sync: Background sync credentials are stored in your device's secure hardware enclave.

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Troubleshooting

Transactions are not being captured

• Check Permissions: Go to Android Settings → Apps → Special app access → Notification access and ensure Moneko is allowed.
• Check App Toggles: Ensure the bank app is enabled in Moneko's Auto Capture settings.
• Notification Content: Ensure your bank app notifications actually include the transaction amount and merchant name. If the notification just says "You have a new alert," Moneko cannot extract the data.
• Completed Transactions Only: Invoices, renewal notices, pending authorizations, declined payments, and promotions are not proof that money moved and will not be logged.
• Refunds and Income: Clear refund, reversal credit, salary, deposit, and payment-received notifications are logged as income rather than expenses.
• Battery Optimization: Some Android devices aggressively kill background tasks. Ensure Moneko is set to "Don't optimize" or "Unrestricted" in battery settings.

Captured transactions are in the wrong Space

You can change the destination at any time in the Auto Transaction Capture settings page. Existing transactions can be moved manually in the transaction details view.

Multiple currencies

Moneko detects the currency symbol or code in the notification. Ensure your Wallet's currency matches the notifications being received for the most accurate tracking.