Geo Payees
The Geo Payees feature saves the location you're in when you enter a transaction on a mobile device. That way, the next time you're in that location, YNAB saves you time by filling in the payee—as well as the category and account you chose last time. Magic!
In This Article
Enable Geo Payees
To use Geo Payees, you'll first need to authorize YNAB to use location information on your mobile device.📍You can turn it off at any time if you change your mind!
iOS
Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and follow these steps:
- Scroll down and tap on Privacy.
- Select Location Services (at the very top).
- Make sure Location Services is toggled on/green.
- Then, scroll down to YNAB in the list and choose While Using the App.
If you already have location data enabled on iOS, you can use a shortcut by tapping on the More Menu (three dots icon) in the YNAB app, then Location Services.
Android
Controls are accessed in your device settings. Go to Settings & Location to turn on the Location feature.
- On the home screen, press and hold the YNAB icon.
- Drag it onto the App info and drop it.
- Tap Permissions: Location
- Toggle the Location setting on.
Forget Saved Location
When Geo Payees is enabled, each time you enter a transaction using the mobile app, you can choose whether or not to save the location of that payee.
Let’s say you’re at home, and you don’t want to save the location—tap the "x" on the blue location icon.
If a payee pops up and it's associated with the wrong location, tap on it to open your payee list. At the top you'll see a "Near You" section where you can choose to "Forget Location" for that payee.
Raise your hand if the kitchen table is a popular spot to enter transactions... and a Geo Payee location in your list. ✋🏽
iOS
In the Near You section, swipe left on a payee and then tap Forget Location.
Android
In the Near You section, tap Edit and then Forget Location.
Disable Geo Payees
If you'd prefer to select the payee each time you enter a transaction, follow these instructions to disable Geo Payees:
iOS
Open the YNAB app on your iPhone or iPad and follow these steps:
- Tap the More Menu (three dots icon) in the Budget
- Choose Location Services from the menu
- Then select Location and change to Never.
Android
Navigate to your Settings menu, find YNAB under Apps, and adjust the location settings, or use the handy shortcut below:
- On the home screen, press and hold the YNAB icon.
- Tap "App Info" or "i", depending on your version of Android
- Tap "Permissions"
- Tap "Location" and tap on "Deny" or toggle the location setting off
FAQs
- Does every payee location have to be saved?
- Nope! When entering your transaction, tap the X on the blue location icon to prevent it from being saved.
- How many locations are stored for a payee?
- There is no limit to the number of locations you can store per payee. You can enter as many as you'd like! Your grocery store around the corner, the one across town or another store hours away—each are saved as separate locations. If you remove one, the others aren't changed.
- How close do you have to be?
- YNAB will consider payees as far away as 1640 feet (500 meters) to display. Payees within that range are listed at the top, under the "Near You" section, sorted by closest to furthest from the current location.