The whole of Kemback on your iPhone, even offline

What it does

Most day-to-day money moments happen on a phone: checking what’s left in the grocery envelope at the till, noting cash you’ve just spent, glancing at a bill reminder. Kemback’s iPhone app is built for those moments, and it isn’t a cut-down companion. It does what the web app does.

The app is in beta. It’s native SwiftUI, not a website in a wrapper, and it runs on the same shared core as every Kemback client, so the arithmetic on your phone is the same arithmetic as in the browser.

How it works in Kemback

Sign in with the same account you use at kemback.com. Your households, accounts and budget are already there.

• Every screen. The overview, accounts and registers, the budget, bills, goals, reports, rules, the review inbox, reconciliation, import, alerts, members, the activity log, your data and security. Kemback keeps a list of every web screen with its iPhone screen, and a check fails if a new web screen arrives without one.
• The register, as on the web. Spend, receive or transfer; one category or splits that must add up exactly. Change a category, toggle cleared, and turn a change into a rule.
• Alerts as notifications. Over budget, unusual spending, large purchases, bank fees, low balance and bills due can come to your iPhone as well as by email. The notification says only how many alerts there are, never amounts or account numbers.
• Import and switch. Import OFX, QFX, QIF or CSV files from the phone, or bring your history across from Mint and other apps’ exports.
• Download your data. Export everything as JSON or CSV, then save it to Files or share it.

Offline, by design

The web app needs a connection. The iPhone app keeps a copy of your household on the phone, so the parts you reach for most still work when you don’t have signal.

• Accounts, registers and the budget are read from the on-phone copy. Offline, the app says so: “Offline: showing what’s on this phone.”
• Add simple entries offline. A spend or a receipt with an amount, payee, category and date is saved on the phone and marked “waiting to sync”. Transfers and split entries need a connection.
• Sync when you’re back. The app syncs when you return to it, after you make a change, or when you pull down to refresh. Each change is sent with its own key, so a retry on a patchy connection never creates a duplicate transaction.
• Other screens need a connection, including reports, rules and the review inbox, and the budget can be edited only online.

Locked when you leave it

Turn on unlock, and the app locks whenever you leave it, then opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode. The app also pins the certificate authorities kemback.com’s certificates come from, a step beyond ordinary HTTPS. Passkeys, two-factor sign-in and the list of signed-in devices are all on its Security screen.

Where it runs

The iPhone app is in beta, and it uses the same account and plan as kemback.com, including the Free plan. In a browser, Kemback works on any computer, tablet or phone, online. Android and Windows apps are in development.

Transactions come in from files you download from your bank, or that you enter yourself; automatic bank sync is coming with the Plus plan. For what the alerts on your phone can tell you, see Kemback alerts and the weekly summary. New to Kemback? Your first week is a good place to start.

Questions

Is the iPhone app finished?

It's in beta. It has every screen of the web app, and it's still being refined before a full release.

What works without a connection?

Your accounts, each account's register and the budget come from a copy kept on the phone, so you can read them offline. You can also add a simple entry, with an amount, payee, category and date, and it syncs when you're back online. Other screens need a connection.

Does the web app work offline?

No. The web app at kemback.com needs a connection. Offline use is an iPhone app feature.

Can I lock the app with Face ID?

Yes. Turn on unlock and the app locks when you leave it, then opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.

Is there an Android or Windows app?

Not yet. Android and Windows apps are in development. Until then, Kemback works in any browser on those devices.

Does the iPhone app cost extra?

No. It uses the same account and the same plan as the web app, including the Free plan.