Debit & Credit 7.0: Apple Wallet Integration
Since the beginning, Debit & Credit was designed for manual transaction entry. Direct bank integration was never on the cards due to security and privacy concerns.
This year Apple has released a new framework called FinanceKit. It allows developers to request direct access to transactions made with Apple Card, Apple Cash, and Apple Savings accounts. This approach eliminates security and privacy concerns since it is a direct access that happens on-device.
Once the framework was open for all 3rd party developers, I applied for the FinanceKit entitlement and was successfully approved by Apple. Few months later, I am pleased to show how FinanceKit was implemented in Debit & Credit to allow direct integration with Apple accounts.
How It Works
While detailed instructions are available in the user guide, the idea behind the integration is quite simple. Once you enable it in the app settings, you will be asked if you want to create new accounts in Debit & Credit and or assign existing accounts for your Apple Card/Cash/Savings accounts in Apple Wallet.
Once this is done, transaction import will be done automatically whenever you open the app.
Import Rules
Import rules are a powerful tool that can make your transaction import as smooth as possible.
Once you open the import rules screen, the app will download all previously used merchant names from your Apple Wallet and suggest creating an import rule for each of them. In a single import rule, you can assign a description, category, payee, and tag for every merchant name.
For those merchant names that don’t have import rules, the app will use them as payees and try to guess the right category.
Transaction rules are synced via iCloud and backed up by all your devices. They are definitely worth setting up.
Daily Cash
Daily cash transactions in the Apple Cash account should be processed correctly (as refunds with the right categories) as long as categories are assigned to original expenses in the Apple Card account. So as long as you have created import rules, you should see correct daily cash transactions.
Transfers between accounts should also be imported as such (instead of being two separate expense and income transactions).
Daily cash adjustments (when an expense was refunded) should also have correct categories in your account.
Your Feedback Is Welcome
If you have a question about the integration, I first recommend having a look at the user guide. There is a separate article on how to submit diagnostics which is the best way to contact me if you require assistance.
What Is Next
I am currently looking at new technologies available for developers in iOS 18, macOS 15, and watchOS 11. As happens every year, it is important to find what could be implemented as new features and what has to be fixed to ensure compatibility.
