Custom Categories

Reading Time: 4-5 minutes

Overview

Learn how to configure Custom Categories in Akili Apps to personalize your experience and maintain account security.

What You'll Learn

• Accessing and updating settings
• Customization options
• Security best practices
• Managing your account data

Accessing Settings

Navigate to settings:

1. Click your profile icon (top right)
2. Select Settings from dropdown
3. Or use keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+, (Cmd+, on Mac)

Profile Settings

Personal Information

Editable Fields:

• Full name
• Email address (used for login)
• Phone number
• Profile photo

Business Information:

• Business name
• Business type (sole proprietor, corporation, etc.)
• Business address
• Province (for tax calculations)
• Tax ID (business number)
• GST/HST number

Updating Profile:

1. Go to Settings > Profile
2. Click Edit on field to change
3. Update information
4. Click Save Changes

Account Preferences

Language:

• English

Timezone:

• Auto-detected from browser
• Manual override available
• Affects date/time displays

Date Format:

• MM/DD/YYYY (US)
• DD/MM/YYYY (European)
• YYYY-MM-DD (ISO)

Currency:

• CAD (default for Canada)
• USD
• Other currencies

Number Format:

• 1,000.00 (North American)
• 1.000,00 (European)

Email Preferences

Notification Emails

Configure which emails you receive:

Account Activity:

• ☐ Login from new device
• ☐ Password changed
• ☐ Two-factor authentication enabled/disabled

Invoice Notifications:

• ☐ Invoice sent successfully
• ☐ Invoice payment received
• ☐ Invoice overdue

Expense Notifications:

• ☐ Receipt processed
• ☐ Expense requires approval
• ☐ Monthly expense summary

Bank Sync Notifications:

• ☐ New transactions imported
• ☐ Bank connection requires attention
• ☐ Sync errors

System Notifications:

• ☐ Feature updates
• ☐ Maintenance schedules
• ☐ Tips and best practices

Marketing Emails:

• ☐ Newsletter
• ☐ Product updates
• ☐ Special offers

Email Frequency

Choose notification frequency:

• Real-time: Immediately as events occur
• Daily Digest: Once per day summary
• Weekly Digest: Weekly summary
• Never: Disable specific notifications

Updating Preferences:

1. Go to Settings > Email Preferences
2. Toggle notifications on/off
3. Select frequency for digests
4. Click Save Preferences

Custom Categories

Creating Custom Categories

Why Custom Categories:

• Match your business expenses
• More specific than default categories
• Better reporting accuracy
• Industry-specific needs

Create Category:

1. Go to Settings > Categories
2. Click Add Custom Category
3. Enter category details:
   • Category name
   • Description
   • Tax deductibility (Yes/No/Partial)
   • Parent category (optional)
   • Color coding
4. Click Create Category

Examples:

• Photography: "Camera Equipment," "Studio Rental," "Photo Software"
• Consulting: "Client Travel," "Research Materials," "Professional Memberships"
• Food Truck: "Ingredients," "Truck Maintenance," "Commissary Fees"

Managing Categories

Edit Category:

• Update name or description
• Change deductibility
• Modify color

Merge Categories:

• Combine similar categories
• All expenses moved to merged category
• Useful for cleaning up duplicates

Delete Category:

• Category removed from list
• Existing expenses keep category (archived)
• Cannot delete if expenses using it

Reorder Categories:

• Drag and drop to reorder
• Most-used categories at top
• Affects dropdown order

Password and Security

Changing Password

Strong Password Requirements:

• Minimum 12 characters
• Mix of uppercase and lowercase
• Include numbers
• Include special characters
• Not previously used password

Change Password:

1. Go to Settings > Security
2. Click Change Password
3. Enter current password
4. Enter new password
5. Confirm new password
6. Click Update Password

Password Reset:

• Forgot password? Use "Forgot Password" on login
• Reset link sent to email
• Link valid for 1 hour
• Create new password

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Highly Recommended for Security

Enable 2FA:

1. Go to Settings > Security > Two-Factor Authentication
2. Click Enable 2FA
3. Choose method:
   • Authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy)
   • SMS (text message)
4. Follow setup instructions
5. Save backup codes
6. Verify setup

Using 2FA:

• After password, enter 6-digit code
• Code from authenticator app or SMS
• Valid for 30 seconds
• Backup codes for emergencies

Backup Codes:

• 10 one-time use codes
• Download and store securely
• Use if lose phone or authenticator app
• Regenerate after use

Active Sessions

View Active Sessions:

• See all devices logged into your account
• Location and device type
• Last activity timestamp

End Session:

• Click Log Out next to session
• That device logged out immediately
• Useful if lost device or suspicious activity

Account Activity Log

View Login History:

• Date and time of logins
• IP address
• Device and browser
• Location (approximate)
• Success or failure

Security Alerts:

• Login from new location
• Multiple failed login attempts
• Password change
• 2FA disabled

Data Export

Exporting Your Data

Why Export:

• Backup your records
• Tax filing
• Accountant needs data
• Switching software
• End of year archive

Export Options:

Full Account Export:

• All expenses, receipts, invoices, clients
• CSV or Excel format
• Includes all metadata
• Receipt images in ZIP file

Selective Export:

• Choose date range
• Select specific data types
• Filter by category or status

Export Process:

1. Go to Settings > Data Export
2. Choose export type
3. Select date range and filters
4. Choose format (CSV, Excel, PDF)
5. Click Generate Export
6. Receive email when ready
7. Download from link (valid 7 days)

What's Included:

• Expenses with all fields
• Receipt image URLs or files
• Invoice data
• Client information
• Payment records
• Transaction history

Scheduled Exports (Professional Plan)

Automatic Exports:

• Schedule regular exports
• Monthly or quarterly
• Automatically emailed
• Backup purpose or accountant sharing

Setup Scheduled Export:

1. Go to Data Export > Scheduled
2. Click Create Schedule
3. Select frequency
4. Choose data types
5. Add recipient emails
6. Save schedule

Data Privacy

Your Data Rights

Under Canadian privacy laws (PIPEDA), you have rights to:

• Access your data
• Correct your data
• Delete your data
• Export your data
• Restrict processing

Exercise Rights:

• Most actions in Settings
• For deletions, contact support
• Compliance within 30 days

Data Retention

Active Account:

• Data stored indefinitely
• You control deletions

Cancelled Account:

• Data retained 6 months after cancellation
• Download before cancelling
• After 6 months, permanently deleted

Privacy Settings

Data Sharing:

• ☐ Share anonymous usage data (helps improve product)
• ☐ Allow AI model training on my data
• ☐ Participate in research studies

All Optional - You Control

Common Questions

Q: Can I change my email address?

Yes, in Profile Settings. Verification email sent to new address.

Q: What if I lose my 2FA device?

Use backup codes. If lost those too, contact support with identity verification.

Q: Can I have multiple profiles?

One profile per account. For multiple businesses, use organizations or separate accounts.

Q: How do I delete my account?

Contact support to permanently delete account and all data.

Q: Can I customize the dashboard?

Yes, add/remove widgets and reorder them on dashboard.

Q: Is my data backed up?

Yes, daily backups on our servers. Recommend personal exports too.

Q: Can I undo changes?

Some changes reversible (like categorization). Others (like deletions) permanent after confirmation.

Related Articles

• Getting Started
• Data Export
• Security Best Practices

Need Help?

Email: support@akiliapps.com
Privacy: privacy@akiliapps.com

Akili Apps - Intelligent Expense Tracking for Canadian Businesses