How UPI auto-capture works
When you pay by UPI, your payment app and bank usually show a notification. Tindra turns those alerts into draft expenses, on your phone:
- You turn it on. Tindra asks you to allow Notification access in Android settings. This is the only permission auto-capture uses.
- You pay as usual. Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm and 40+ Indian UPI, bank and wallet apps post their usual payment alert.
- Tindra drafts it. On your phone, Tindra reads the alert and drafts the expense with the amount and merchant into its Capture inbox.
- You approve it. Review each draft, pick a category or account if needed, and add it with one tap, or edit or dismiss it.
Why notifications, not SMS
Many expense trackers in India read your SMS inbox. That means an app can see your one-time passwords and every personal message, just to find bank alerts. Google Play also restricts SMS permissions to a small set of app types.
Tindra takes the other route. It never requests SMS or call-log access. It works from the notifications your payment apps already show you, and it does that on your device.
| SMS-based trackers | Tindra | |
|---|---|---|
| Permission | Read SMS | Notification access, optional |
| Access to your OTPs and personal texts | Yes, through SMS access | No SMS access at all |
What stays on your phone
- Your amounts, balances and accounts stay on your phone. Tindra doesn't link to your bank and doesn't need a bank login.
- The raw alert text is cleared once you've reviewed the draft. Only the expense you approve is kept.
- Nothing is added without you. Every captured payment waits in the Capture inbox until you approve it.
Payments that don't show a notification on this phone, such as cash, need to be added by hand. That's about three taps, or one with the home-screen widget.
Questions about UPI tracking
Does Tindra need SMS permission?
No. Tindra never asks for SMS or call-log access. Auto-capture works from the payment notifications your apps already show.
Which apps does auto-capture work with?
Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm and 40+ Indian UPI, bank and wallet apps. If a payment shows a notification on your phone, Tindra can usually draft it.
Do I have to turn it on?
No. Auto-capture is optional. Without it you add expenses yourself, in about three taps, and every feature still works.
Does auto-capture work offline?
Yes. It reads notifications on your phone, so it needs no internet connection.
How do I turn it off?
Revoke Tindra's Notification access in your phone's settings. Capture stops immediately; everything you've already saved stays.
Track UPI spending without giving up your SMS.
Tindra is a private UPI expense tracker and budget planner for Android, with optional auto-capture from payment notifications.
Free · Works offline · Android 8.0+