Pro — free for everyone until 31 December 2026

On-Device AI

The On-Device AI tab does two things on your phone: Capture turns a bank message, a receipt photo, a card email, or a sentence you type into a logged expense, and Ask answers questions about what you've already logged. Share something to Pocket Clear, paste it, snap a photo, or say it out loud, and Capture reads it on your phone and either logs it or hands you a card to confirm.

Turn it on

On-Device AI is a beta you switch on yourself: open the On-Device AI tab, read what it does, and tap Enable On-Device AI. The same toggle at the top of the tab turns it off again — nothing you've logged is removed. Until it's on, sharing to Pocket Clear and the Siri phrase will ask you to enable it first.

What it reads

Capture is built for the kind of text and photos a bank or a shop actually sends you:

Bank debit and credit SMS, and card alerts — including Indian UPI formats and US, UK, Canadian and Australian card notifications.
Card and order confirmation emails.
Receipt photos and screenshots.
A typed sentence, like "450 coffee at Starbucks".

Three ways in

All three land in the same place — a confirm card or an instant save with Undo.

Share. From Messages, Mail, or Photos, tap Share and choose Pocket Clear.
Quick Log. The button on Home — paste, type, scan, or choose a photo.
Siri, Shortcuts and Control Center — iPhone only. Say "Log an expense in Pocket Clear" and speak the amount and merchant. The same thing is available as a Shortcut, as a Control Center control, and as a result row in Visual Intelligence. None of these exist on Android, where Capture is reached through Share, Quick Log and the camera — there is no voice entry point.

The Quick Log sheet with a typed expense in the text field, and Paste, Scan and Choose Photo buttons above the Read it button.

What happens after

When Capture is confident it has read a message correctly, it saves the expense immediately and shows a 5-second Undo toast at the bottom of the screen — tap Undo and it's gone, do nothing and it stays. Anything Capture isn't sure about — an unclear amount, an unfamiliar format — stops on a card for you to confirm or edit before it saves anything.

If a capture looks like something you've already logged, Pocket Clear flags it as a possible duplicate rather than saving it twice.

Every transaction Capture created shows "captured from …" in Edit, so you can always see where it came from. It can be edited or deleted like any other transaction.

Ask about your spending

Type a question in the Ask box on the On-Device AI tab — or tap one of the suggestions — and Pocket Clear answers from your own ledger, on your phone. Nothing you ask, and nothing it answers, leaves the device.

Questions it answers exactly, with the numbers taken straight from your transactions:

Totals. "How much on food this month?", "Total spent in the last 30 days", "How much by UPI in August?"
Comparisons. "Am I spending more than last month?", "Compare food in August with July"
Top lists. "Biggest merchant this year?", "Top categories this month"
Lookups. "When did I last pay Uber?", "How much was the Apollo bill?"
Budgets. "Am I over budget?", "How much is left in Transport?"

"This month" follows your budget start day, the same way Home does; a named month is the calendar month. If you use a word that isn't one of your categories or payees, Ask searches your transaction notes for it instead — except in budget questions, where it tells you it couldn't find the budget and shows all of them.

Open-ended questions — "Where can I cut back?" — are different: the on-device model writes a short answer from a summary of your last six months. Every number it uses is checked against that summary before you see it, and the answer is marked as AI-generated. If it can't answer from your data, it says so. These questions need on-device AI on your phone (iPhone with Apple Intelligence, or a Pixel or Galaxy with Gemini Nano); the exact questions above work on every phone.

With a partner linked, answers cover your own transactions unless you switch to Ours above the box. Tap See transactions under any answer to open the rows behind it. Ask never edits anything.

On iPhone you can also ask Siri: "Ask Pocket Clear about my spending", then say the question.

How it decides the category

Capture picks a category in this order: first, your own history — if you've filed a merchant before, it uses that category again. Second, a built-in list of well-known merchants. Third, simple keyword rules for the payments your history can't learn: rides like Uber, Ola, Rapido, autos and the metro go under Transportation, and food words like café, restaurant or ice cream go under Food & Dining, even when each ride pays a different UPI ID. Fourth, the on-device model, when one is available on your phone. Whatever it picks, you can always change it — Capture never locks a category in.

For UPI payments, Capture also remembers each UPI ID (like shop.qr@paytm or a friend's number): once you've filed a payment to that UPI ID under a category and subcategory, the next payment to the same UPI ID gets both, and if you change them later, the next payment follows your change. And when a payment names nobody it knows — like a daily auto ride paid to a different UPI ID each morning — Capture files it like a payment you made in the past week at about the same time of day (within 45 minutes), for a similar amount, on the same kind of day (weekday or weekend), instead of leaving it under Other.

Quick Log after reading a bank alert: a logged card for $6.10 at Blue Bottle filed under Food & Dining › Coffee & Cafe, Card, Oct 13, 2026, with the from-history mark. — Filed somewhere before? The capture comes back with the same category and subcategory.

Privacy

Capture reads the text or photo on your device using Apple's on-device model on iPhone and Google's on-device model on Android. Nothing you share is uploaded to Pocket Clear or to any AI company. Only the expense you confirm is saved — and it leaves your phone only if you have cloud sync turned on.

A share or paste you don't confirm isn't kept: an unconfirmed draft is discarded within a day.

Set it up

A few small setup steps make Capture faster to reach next time.

Add it to your Home Screen. Add the Pocket Clear widget or shortcut to your phone's Home Screen so Quick Log is one tap away, without opening the app first.
Add it to Control Center. On iPhone, add Pocket Clear's Capture control to Control Center for a swipe-down shortcut from anywhere, including the Lock Screen.
Pin it in the share sheet. The first few times you share to Pocket Clear, iOS and Android tuck it into a "More" list — pin it to the visible row so it's one tap instead of two.
Set up the Siri phrase. On iPhone, say "Log an expense in Pocket Clear" to Siri once so it's recognised as a shortcut going forward.
Auto-log Apple Pay taps. On iPhone, a one-time Shortcuts automation logs every Apple Pay payment for you — see Auto-log Apple Pay payments below.
Auto-log bank SMS. On iPhone, a one-time Shortcuts automation logs each debit or card-spend text from your bank — see Auto-log bank SMS below.

Plain-English questions, answered from your own ledger on your phone.

“How much on food this month?” — or tap one of the suggested questions.

Siri, share sheet, paste or scan, shortcut — ticked as you use each one.

Added Quick Log to Control Center or your Home Screen? Mark it done.

On-Device AI is a beta you switch on yourself — read what it does first.

Enable it here; the same switch at the top turns it off again.

Beside Money Out — paste, type or scan an expense.

A bank message, a receipt photo, or just a line of text.

Auto-log Apple Pay payments

On iPhone, Pocket Clear can log each Apple Pay payment the moment you tap — no typing, no sharing. Apps aren't allowed to create automations themselves, so you set it up once in Apple's Shortcuts app. It needs iOS 26 or later and On-Device AI switched on. It doesn't need Apple Intelligence: the payment is logged by Pocket Clear's own rules (see Requirements).

First, turn on On-Device AI: open the On-Device AI tab and tap Enable On-Device AI (see Turn it on). The app shows these same steps when you tap Watch how on the Auto-log Apple Pay taps row.

Start a shortcut. Open Shortcuts, tap All Shortcuts, then tap +. If a "Describe a shortcut" box opens, close it with ×.
Pick the trigger. In the action list, tap Automation and pick Wallet ("When I tap a Wallet Card or Pass"). Leave Any Card, or tap it to pick your cards.
Add the Pocket Clear action. Search for Pocket Clear and add Log Apple Pay Payment.
Connect each field — this is the step people miss. Tap Amount, then in the bar above the keyboard tap Shortcut Input. Tap the token and choose Amount. Do the same for Merchant (→ Merchant) and Card (→ Card or Pass).
Check it. Amount, Merchant and Card or Pass now show as solid blue tokens, not pale placeholders. The "Receive … from Nowhere" line Shortcuts adds at the top is normal.
Test it with a real tap. The ▶ button in the Shortcuts editor never passes a payment, so a test run from there always says "not logged".

Step 1: The All Shortcuts screen in Shortcuts with the + button highlighted — 1. Open Shortcuts, tap All Shortcuts, then tap +. If a “Describe a shortcut” box opens, close it with ×.

Step 2: The Automation trigger list with Wallet, When I tap a Wallet Card or Pass, highlighted — 2. In the action list, tap Automation and pick Wallet. Leave Any Card, or tap it to pick your cards.

Step 3: Pocket Clear's Shortcuts actions with Log Apple Pay Payment highlighted — 3. Search for Pocket Clear and add Log Apple Pay Payment.

Step 4: The Log Apple Pay Payment action with Amount selected and Shortcut Input highlighted in the bar above the keypad — 4. Tap Amount, then tap Shortcut Input in the bar above the keyboard. Tap the token and choose Amount. Do the same for Merchant, and for Card choose Card or Pass.

Step 5: The finished automation: Amount, Merchant and Card or Pass shown as solid blue tokens — 5. Set up right, Amount, Merchant and Card or Pass show as solid blue tokens. The “Receive … from Nowhere” line Shortcuts adds is normal.

Step 6: The Automation list with the Wallet automation switched on — 6. Test it with a real tap. The ▶ button in the editor never passes a payment, so it always says “not logged”.

If a payment says "Not logged — no amount came through. In the automation, tap Amount and pick Shortcut Input → Amount", step 4 wasn't done: open the automation and connect the fields.

The setup checklist on the On-Device AI tab — **Watch how** walks you through it, **Open Shortcuts** takes you there.

Every auto-logged payment lands in Recent captures, where you can edit or undo it.

From then on each tap is logged in the background. The category comes from how you've filed that merchant before (or Pocket Clear's list of well-known merchants, or the on-device model when your iPhone has one); anything it can't place goes under Other. The card is matched to your payment types by name, so a payment type called "Apple Card" or "Chase Sapphire" is picked up automatically. Every auto-logged payment appears under Recent captures on the On-Device AI tab, where you can edit or undo it, and the setup checklist ticks Auto-log Apple Pay taps after the first one.

It never interrupts you. Instead of asking a question, it skips a payment it can't log safely:

a zero amount or a declined tap;
a refund — log it by hand under Money In with the Refund switch on, so it goes back into its category;
a payment that looks already logged — the same amount at the same merchant on the same day;
a payment in another currency — unless Travel Mode is on for that currency and Pocket Clear holds a recent exchange rate, in which case it's converted to your currency. While Travel Mode is on, a payment with no currency is skipped too, since it could be in either.

If On-Device AI is off — or no longer included in your plan — nothing is logged, and Pocket Clear tells you once, the next time you open it, rather than on every tap. The same goes for payments skipped because of their currency.

Banks may send details late. The automation runs when you tap, with whatever your bank has passed to Wallet at that moment. Some banks send the merchant name or the final amount later (restaurant tips, fuel pre-authorisations), and some cards send very little. Check the Recent captures list now and then and edit anything that looks off.

Auto-log bank SMS

On iPhone, Pocket Clear can log each debit or card-spend text your bank sends — UPI debits, card spends, account debits — the moment it arrives. As with Apple Pay, you set it up once in Apple's Shortcuts app. It needs iOS 26 or later and On-Device AI switched on. It doesn't need Apple Intelligence: the message is read by Pocket Clear's own rules (see Requirements).

First, turn on On-Device AI (see Turn it on). The app shows these same steps when you tap Watch how on the Auto-log bank SMS row.

Start a shortcut. Open Shortcuts, tap All Shortcuts, then tap +. If a "Describe a shortcut" box opens, close it with ×.
Pick the trigger. In the action list, tap Automation and pick Message. Tap Sender, switch it to Message, and type debited so it reads "Message contains debited". Later, make two more the same way for Spent and used at (and any other word your bank uses, such as Sent or Debit).
Add the Pocket Clear action. Search for Pocket Clear and add Log Bank Message.
Connect the message — this is the step people miss. Tap Message, then in the bar above the keyboard tap Shortcut Input.
Check it. Message now shows a solid blue Shortcut Input token, not a pale placeholder. The "Receive … from Nowhere" line Shortcuts adds at the top is normal.
Test it with a real message. Text yourself something that matches, such as "Rs 10.00 debited at TEST". The ▶ button in the Shortcuts editor never passes a message, so a test run from there always says "not logged".

Step 2: The message trigger set to Message contains debited — 2. In the action list, tap Automation and pick Message. Tap Sender, switch it to Message and type debited. Later, repeat for Spent and used at.

Step 3: Pocket Clear's Shortcuts actions with Log Bank Message highlighted — 3. Search for Pocket Clear and add Log Bank Message.

Step 4: The Log Bank Message action with Message selected and Shortcut Input highlighted in the bar above the keyboard — 4. Tap Message, then tap Shortcut Input in the bar above the keyboard.

Step 5: The finished automation with a solid blue Shortcut Input token in Log Bank Message — 5. Set up right, Message shows a solid blue Shortcut Input token. The “Receive … from Nowhere” line Shortcuts adds is normal.

Step 6: The Automation list with the debited message automation switched on — 6. Test it by texting yourself a matching message. The ▶ button in the editor never passes a message, so it always says “not logged”.

If a message says "Not logged — the message was empty. In the automation, tap Message and pick Shortcut Input", step 4 wasn't done.

Auto-log bank SMS sits right under Apple Pay in the same checklist.

The rules aren't written per bank. They're tested on real texts from HDFC Bank, HSBC, Axis Bank, Kotak and SBI, and any bank's text is logged when it has a debit amount and wording like "debited", "spent" or "used at". A message the rules can't read as a completed payment is skipped.

From then on each debit is logged in the background, with the amount, merchant, date and payment type (UPI or card) read from the message. The category comes the same way as for Apple Pay: how you've filed that merchant before, then Pocket Clear's own rules (a hospital bill goes under Health; Uber, Ola, Rapido and auto rides go under Transportation, and food words like ice cream under Food & Dining, even when every ride pays a new UPI ID), then the on-device model; anything it can't place goes under Other. Every logged message appears under Recent captures on the On-Device AI tab, where you can edit or undo it, and the setup checklist ticks Auto-log bank SMS after the first one.

It only logs money that has left your account. These messages are ignored:

credits, salary, money received, refunds and reversals;
one-time passwords and verification codes, even ones that name an amount;
ATM cash withdrawals — log what you spend the cash on instead (sharing or pasting an ATM text still logs it as Cash, if you want that);
future or scheduled debits, declined or failed payments, payment requests and bill reminders;
anything without a debit amount Pocket Clear can read.

The same payment is never logged twice. If you paid with Apple Pay and your bank also texts you about it — or two of your automations fire on one message — Pocket Clear logs it once: a payment with the same amount at the same merchant on the same day is skipped. When one of the two has no merchant name, they only count as the same payment if they arrived within 10 minutes of each other — so two separate ₹50 payments hours apart are both logged. Merchant names are matched loosely, so "APARNA CINEMAS" in a text matches "Aparna Cinemas" from Apple Pay.

If On-Device AI is off — or no longer included in your plan — nothing is logged, and Pocket Clear tells you once, the next time you open it. The same goes for a message in a currency it can't store safely (see the currency rule under Apple Pay).

Requirements

iPhone. iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence turned on gets the on-device model for reading receipt photos and less structured text. Every iPhone on iOS 17 or later — including older models — still reads bank messages and card alerts using Pocket Clear's own built-in rules.
Android. Phones with Gemini Nano — Pixel 9 and newer, Galaxy S25 — get the on-device model. All other Android phones read bank messages and card alerts using the built-in rules.
Siri. The Siri phrase works everywhere Siri does. Apple decides where Apple Intelligence itself is available, by device, country and language.
Apple Pay and bank SMS auto-log. iPhone only, on iOS 26 or later. Earlier versions of iOS don't show the Log Apple Pay Payment and Log Bank Message actions in Shortcuts. Apple Intelligence isn't needed: amounts, merchants and dates are read by Pocket Clear's own rules, and the on-device model, when your iPhone has one, only helps pick a category. On-Device AI has to be switched on. Neither is limited by region.
No SMS reading on Android. Pocket Clear doesn't read your texts on Android. Share a bank message to Pocket Clear or paste it into Quick Log instead.

Free until 31 December 2026

Capture is a Pro feature, and it's free for everyone until 31 December 2026. After that date it becomes part of Pro — anything you've already captured stays exactly as it is.

Still need help? Email us at [email protected]