Android

Phone and tablet tips — permissions, fingerprint lock, battery settings, and Play Store updates.

The Android app matches iPhone features for daily tracking — encrypted storage, fingerprint unlock, and full notifications when battery settings allow.

Install

Download from Google Play. See Install guide.

Element	Action
Bottom tabs	Dashboard, Transactions, Reports, Settings
Center +	Add expense, income, or savings
Back gesture / button	Return from inner screens

Permissions

Android may ask for:

Permission	Why
Notifications	Budget, bills, goals, household alerts
Biometric	Fingerprint / face for app lock
Storage / files	Saving export backups you choose
Local network	LAN sync

Review under Android Settings → Apps → Expense Trail → Permissions.

Fingerprint and app lock

Settings → Account → Security — enable PIN and biometric unlock.

Notifications and battery

Android may delay notifications to save battery.

Settings → Alerts — turn on alert types you need
If reminders are late, open the battery optimization shortcut from Alerts (when shown)
Set Expense Trail to Unrestricted or Not optimized (wording varies by phone brand)

Optional: Persistent notification in Alerts shows sync progress in the notification shade (Android only).

Background sync

Open the app occasionally if you expect instant cloud sync. Some manufacturers (Samsung, Xiaomi, etc.) aggressively kill background apps.

Settings → Alerts may offer:

Sync offline changes in background
Silent background tasks (hide success toasts)

Clipboard suggest

Settings → General → Preferences → Clipboard suggest — pre-fill from copied bank messages. Android only.

Widgets and shortcuts

Add Goals or IOU widgets to your home or lock screen, or long-press the app icon for quick actions. See Widgets & shortcuts.

Updates

Install from Google Play. Critical updates may show a blocking update screen until you upgrade.

Tips for tablets

Settings tabs may wrap on wide screens — all six tabs visible at once
Same Google account sign-in as phone for sync

Troubleshooting

Issue	Try
Delayed notifications	Disable battery optimization for Expense Trail
Sync not uploading	Open app on Wi‑Fi, Sync now
Clear cache	Export backup first — only if support advises
More help	Common issues