Transaction Refresh

While Balance automatically syncs transactions from your bank accounts 1-2 times daily, you can manually refresh at any time to check for new transactions immediately. This guide covers how manual refresh works and when to use it.

Automatic vs Manual Syncing

Automatic Syncing (Default)

How it works:

• Balance syncs with your banks 1-2 times per day automatically
• Happens in the background
• No action needed from you
• Schedule controlled by Balance and Plaid

When it runs:

• Multiple times throughout the day
• Timing varies by bank
• Not at fixed times
• You don’t control the schedule

What it does:

• Checks all connected accounts
• Fetches new transactions
• Updates existing pending transactions
• Refreshes account balances
• Syncs across all your devices

Advantage: Completely hands-off, transactions appear automatically.

Limitation: Not instant - can take 2-24 hours after purchase to see transaction.

Manual Refresh (Pull-to-Refresh)

How it works:

• You manually trigger a sync check
• Happens immediately when you initiate it
• Checks for new transactions right now
• Takes 10-30 seconds to complete

When to use:

• Just made a purchase, want to see if it synced
• Checking for expected paycheck deposit
• Before reviewing budget for accuracy
• After connecting a new account
• When you haven’t checked app in a few days
• Troubleshooting missing transactions

What it does:

• Same as automatic sync, just on-demand
• Fetches latest transactions
• Updates pending transactions
• Refreshes balances
• Syncs with bank in real-time

Advantage: Get latest data immediately when you need it.

Limitation: Still depends on bank having reported the transaction.

How to Manually Refresh

On Mobile (iOS/Android)

Step-by-step:

1. Open Balance app
2. Go to Transactions tab
3. Pull down on the transaction list (swipe down from top)
4. You’ll see pull indicator with text “Check for new transactions”
5. Release when you see the indicator
6. Loading spinner appears
7. Wait 10-30 seconds
8. Transaction list updates with any new transactions

Visual feedback:

• Pull indicator shows during drag
• “Checking for new transactions…” message
• Spinning loader while fetching
• Message when complete: “Updated” or “X new transactions”

Pull-to-Refresh Mechanics

The gesture:

1. Place finger at top of transaction list
2. Drag down (pull down motion)
3. Continue pulling until you see refresh indicator
4. Release (lift your finger)
5. Refresh automatically starts

Pull stages:

1. Initial pull - Starts showing indicator
2. Sufficient pull - “Release to refresh”
3. Release - Begins refresh
4. Loading - Syncing with banks
5. Complete - Shows result

Tip: You can cancel mid-pull by not dragging far enough and releasing early.

What Happens During Refresh

Behind the Scenes

When you pull to refresh:

1. Request sent to Balance backend
2. Balance contacts Plaid (banking data provider)
3. Plaid connects to your banks via secure API
4. Banks provide latest transactions (if available)
5. Balance processes new data
6. Transactions appear in your list
7. Budget automatically updates

Time: Typically 10-30 seconds

What Gets Updated

Transactions:

• New transactions since last sync
• Updated pending → cleared status
• Changed amounts (pending adjustments)
• New merchant information

Account Balances:

• Current available balance
• Current balance
• Reflects latest bank data

Syncs Everywhere:

• Updates on your device
• Syncs to cloud
• Appears on partner’s device
• Available on web immediately

Status Messages

“Updated”

• Refresh completed successfully
• No new transactions found
• Everything is current

“X new transactions”

• Refresh found new transactions
• X = number of new items
• Scroll through list to see them

“Checking for new transactions…”

• Refresh in progress
• Be patient
• Usually finishes in 10-30 seconds

Error messages:

• “Unable to refresh” - Network issue
• “Bank not responding” - Bank system issue
• Try again in a few minutes

When to Manually Refresh

Daily Scenarios

Morning check:

• Review yesterday’s spending
• See if paycheck deposited
• Check pending transactions cleared
• Before budget review

After shopping:

• Just finished grocery shopping
• Made major purchase
• Want to categorize immediately
• Check if transaction appeared

Before budget review:

• Sitting down with partner
• Monthly budget review meeting
• Want most current data
• Ensure nothing is missed

Expected deposit:

• Paycheck should have arrived
• Waiting for refund
• Transfer should have completed
• Checking for pending income

Special Situations

After connecting new account:

• Just linked new bank
• First sync may take a few minutes
• Refresh to check progress
• See initial transactions load

Troubleshooting:

• Transaction not appearing
• Expected purchase missing
• Balance seems off
• Verifying sync is working

End of month:

• Want accurate month total
• Before closing out budget
• Ensuring all transactions caught
• Final categorization

Partner coordination:

• “Did you categorize that transaction?”
• Checking what partner just entered
• Verifying changes synced
• Real-time coordination

Refresh Frequency Best Practices

Recommended Frequency

Daily: Once per day

• Pick a consistent time
• Morning or evening routine
• Quick check and categorize
• Stays on top of budget

Too often (not recommended):

• Multiple times per hour
• After every purchase
• Constantly checking
• Creates unnecessary work

Why not constant refresh:

• Banks don’t report that quickly
• Transactions take hours to appear
• Refresh doesn’t make banks faster
• Can be stressful to check constantly

Healthy Refresh Habits

✅ Good habits:

• Once in morning, once in evening
• Before budget discussions
• When you know you’re behind on categorizing
• After you’ve been away from app for days

❌ Avoid:

• Compulsive refreshing
• Immediately after every purchase
• Late night anxiety checking
• More than 3-4 times per day

Remember: Automatic sync handles most of it. Manual refresh is for when you need current data NOW.

Technical Details

Network Requirements

Requires active internet:

• WiFi or cellular data
• Stable connection
• May use some data (minimal)

Won’t work without internet:

• No offline refresh
• Need connection to reach banks
• Error if no network

Data usage:

• Minimal per refresh
• JSON data only
• Not bandwidth intensive
• Safe to use on cellular

Refresh Limitations

Cannot force faster than bank reports:

• Refresh only checks what banks have reported
• If bank hasn’t reported transaction yet, refresh won’t find it
• Banks control their reporting schedule
• Balance can’t access transactions banks haven’t provided

Simultaneous users:

• If partner refreshes, you see their sync too
• All devices share same data
• Refresh on one device updates all
• Cloud sync within seconds

Rate limiting:

• Excessive refreshing may be rate-limited
• Prevents system overload
• Normal usage never hits limits
• Only affects abuse scenarios

Refresh vs Sync Timing

What Refresh Doesn’t Change

Bank reporting time:

• Transaction still takes 2-24 hours after purchase
• Refresh doesn’t make this faster
• Bank controls when they report
• Can’t be changed by Balance

Pending transactions:

• May appear quickly (minutes to hours)
• Or may not appear until cleared (24-48 hours)
• Depends on your specific bank
• Varies by bank and transaction type

Historical transactions:

• Refresh gets new transactions
• Doesn’t re-import history
• History imported on first connection only
• Up to 90 days typically

Learn more about sync timing →

Troubleshooting Refresh

Refresh Not Working

Spinner gets stuck:

1. Wait 60 seconds
2. Back out of transaction list
3. Return to transaction list
4. Try again

Nothing happens when pulling:

1. Make sure you’re on Transactions tab
2. Pull from very top of list
3. Pull down further
4. Try harder pull and release

Error message appears:

1. Check internet connection
2. Try again in 2-3 minutes
3. Restart app if persistent
4. Bank may be down temporarily

No New Transactions After Refresh

“Updated” but expected transaction missing:

Check:

1. How long ago was purchase? (May be too soon)
2. Is transaction actually cleared at bank? (Check bank website)
3. Are you viewing correct month?
4. Any active filters hiding it?
5. Is account connection still active?

If 24+ hours:

1. Verify account connected
2. Check account connection status
3. Try reconnecting account
4. See troubleshooting guide →

Refresh Takes Too Long

If more than 60 seconds:

1. Cancel by backing out
2. Check internet speed
3. Try different network
4. Restart app
5. Try again

May be slow if:

• Many accounts connected
• Bank systems slow
• First sync after connection
• Network congestion

Refresh Keeps Failing

Repeated errors:

1. Verify internet works (check other apps)
2. Try WiFi if on cellular (or vice versa)
3. Restart app
4. Restart device
5. Check if your bank’s website is accessible
6. Wait and try later (bank may have issues)

If persists 24+ hours:

• Contact support
• May be bank-specific issue
• May need to reconnect account
• Get help →

Working with Your Partner

Coordinated Refreshing

Before budget discussions:

1. One person refreshes
2. Updates sync to other automatically
3. Both see same current data
4. No need for both to refresh

Real-time coordination:

• One: “I’m going to categorize new transactions”
• Other: Refreshes to see the changes
• Changes appear within seconds
• Seamless collaboration

Refresh Etiquette

Communicate:

• “Refreshing transactions now”
• “Let me check for new ones”
• “Pull latest before we review budget”

Coordinate timing:

• Both refreshing doesn’t help
• One refresh updates both
• Save time by coordinating
• Reduces duplicate work

Next Steps

Now that you understand transaction refresh:

• Transaction Sync Timing - Understand sync schedules
• Missing Transactions - Troubleshoot missing items
• Bank Connection Troubleshooting - Connection issues
• Viewing Transactions - Master the transaction list

Need help? Contact our support team - we’re here to assist!