The average Indian makes 8 to 12 digital payments per day: UPI transfers, GPay payments, PhonePe transactions, and bank deductions. Logging each one manually takes 2 to 3 minutes per entry, which adds up to over an hour a week just on data entry. Automatic expense tracking eliminates that entirely. Here's how to set it up.
How automatic UPI expense tracking works
When you make a UPI payment, your bank sends an SMS confirmation. Apps like Trakio read these alerts in two ways: notification access detects new payments in real time as they arrive, and SMS read permission powers the rescan feature that can detect past transactions already in your SMS history. In both cases, only bank and payment SMS are processed. Every detected transaction goes into a pending review queue. You confirm, edit, or dismiss each one. Nothing is saved automatically.
Step-by-step: Set up automatic UPI tracking with Trakio
- 1
Download Trakio from Google Play
Search for "Trakio" on Google Play and install the app. It's free no credit card needed.
- 2
Create your account
Sign up with your email and password. Your data is tied only to your account and encrypted.
- 3
Grant the required permissions
Trakio uses two permissions: notification access for detecting new payments in real time, and SMS read permission for the rescan feature that scans your existing SMS history. Both are one-time setups. Only bank and payment SMS are processed, not personal messages from contacts.
- 4
Make a UPI payment as normal
Pay via GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, or your bank app as you normally would. Your bank will send an SMS confirmation.
- 5
Review the auto-detected transaction
Open Trakio and go to the Pending tab. Your transaction will appear with the amount, currency, and a suggested category already filled in. Tap Confirm to save, Edit to change anything, or Dismiss to skip it.
Which UPI and bank SMS formats does it support?
Trakio supports SMS and notification formats from all major Indian banks and payment apps including SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak, Bank of Baroda, GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, and Amazon Pay. It reads SMS in 10 languages English, Hindi, Arabic, German, French, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Malay.
Are the permissions safe to grant?
Trakio uses two Android permissions: notification access and SMS read permission. Notification access is a standard permission used by many apps and only processes bank and payment notifications. SMS read permission is used specifically for the rescan SMS feature, which scans your existing SMS history to detect past transactions. Neither permission is used to read personal messages, WhatsApp, or any non-financial SMS. Every detected transaction appears in a review queue before being saved, so you are always in control of what gets added to your expense history.
What if my bank SMS is in Hindi or another language?
Trakio automatically detects the language of your bank SMS and parses it accordingly. Hindi, Arabic, German, French, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Malay are all supported in addition to English. You do not need to configure anything the language detection is automatic.
Frequently asked questions
Can I automatically track GPay and PhonePe transactions?
Yes. Trakio reads push notifications from GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, and bank SMS alerts. Every UPI transaction is auto-detected and added to your pending review queue.
What permissions does automatic expense tracking require?
Trakio uses two permissions. Notification access detects new payments in real time as they arrive. SMS read permission is used for the rescan SMS feature, which scans your existing SMS history to catch past transactions you may have missed. Both permissions are used only for bank and payment SMS, never for personal messages.
Will Trakio save transactions automatically without my approval?
No. Every detected transaction goes into a Pending Review queue first. Nothing is saved to your expense history until you tap Confirm. You can edit the category, amount, or date before confirming.
Which banks does automatic UPI tracking support in India?
Trakio supports SMS and notification formats from SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak, Bank of Baroda, PNB, Canara Bank, and most other Indian banks, as well as GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, and Amazon Pay.