Fix common problems in AceMoney Receipts

This page collects the problems people ask about most, each with the message the app shows and what to do. If nothing here helps, the end of the page says how to send diagnostics and what to put in a support request.

Before you start

Update the app from the App Store or Google Play; many problems are already fixed in the current version.
Check the phone is online. Mileage, the Filing Cabinet and splits work offline, but saving a receipt, cloud reading, voice, pairing and purchases need a connection.
Check who you are signed in as under More > Settings > Account. Receipts belong to the account, so a different sign-in shows a different (often empty) list.

Scanning fails or the camera will not open

Nothing happens when I tap Camera. Camera access was denied (on iPhone the prompt said the camera is used to photograph receipts and scan device enrolment codes). iOS: open Settings, find AceMoney Receipts, turn on Camera. Android: Settings > Apps > AceMoney Receipts > Permissions > Camera.
“Scanner failed, using standard camera:” followed by a reason. The document scanner could not start, so the plain camera opened. Take the photo as usual; the receipt is still read.
“Photo quality warning” (blurry or glare). Tap Retake, flatten the receipt, move away from direct light and hold still. Use Anyway keeps the photo, with poorer reading.
A page titled Crop Receipt appears. The edges were not found automatically. Drag the corners to the receipt and confirm.
Photo Library will not open. The phone’s photo picker needs no permission prompt on iOS 14 and later or on recent Android. If it still shows no photos, check Photos for AceMoney Receipts in the phone’s Settings.
“Capture was interrupted — try again.” (Android). The system closed the app while the camera was open, usually to free memory. Scan again; close other apps if it repeats.
The scan sheet only offers Enter manually. That is the web version, which has no camera.

The app read my receipt wrong

Wrong payee, amount or date. Correct the field before you tap Save. The app learns payee, category and account names you type, so the next receipt from the same shop is suggested. When the read text is close to a known merchant the app asks “Did you mean” with a Yes button; when subtotal plus tax does not equal the total, a hint under Amount ($) asks you to double-check it.
Free plan. Reading happens on the phone. A flat receipt, good light and the whole receipt in the frame make the biggest difference.
Receipts Pro, but reading seems no better. Check More > Settings > Capture & OCR > Automatic cloud reading. It shows “Used 12 of 250 scans this month”; past the monthly limit the phone reads the receipt instead until the counter resets.
No item list in the Comment. Item extraction needs Receipts Pro and Extract Item List switched on in Capture & OCR.
The account is not filled in. The app fills Account from the last four card digits only once you have chosen the account yourself on a receipt paid with that card.
Voice read-back does nothing. Voice needs Receipts Pro, Voice Interaction on in Capture & OCR, microphone permission (on iPhone the prompt says the microphone is used when you speak a command and the recording is sent to AceMoney’s service to be turned into text) and a connection. A denied microphone fails silently: allow it in the phone’s settings.

Saving a receipt fails

“Failed to upload image. Please check your connection.” The picture could not be uploaded within 30 seconds. Reconnect and tap Save again; nothing was lost.
“Error saving receipt:” followed by a message. Try again online; if it repeats, note the message for support.
“Please enter payee” / “Please enter amount” / “Please enter a category”. A receipt without a picture needs those three fields. With a picture, blanks are allowed.
“Invalid amount” / “Amount cannot be negative”. Type digits with a decimal point; refunds cannot be entered as negative receipts.
The receipt shows in the list, then an ad appears. On the free plan a full-screen ad follows saving or cancelling a new receipt. Your receipt was saved.

Syncing with AceMoney on the desktop does not work

“Sync code not found” in AceMoney Classic. The code was mistyped or has expired (codes last 30 seconds and renew by themselves). Type the code the phone shows now.
“This feature is available with licensed version of AceMoney”. AceMoney Lite cannot pair.
Paired, but nothing arrives on the PC. Receipts arrive only when you open AceCloud > Get AceReceipts… in AceMoney Classic; check the PC is online and the phone is signed in to the account it paired with.
Receipts never show the grey computer icon. The PC must save its file after recording them.
“No AceMoney data synced yet.” on the Charts tab. Turn on Mobile Sync in AceCloud > Cloud Settings… and save the file.
The Sync tab names a computer I no longer use. Pair again from the current PC.
Connecting to AceMoney Studio. The 8-digit code is for AceMoney Classic only. Connect to Studio under Settings > Sync > AceMoney Studio, which needs AceMoney Cloud; see Pair with AceMoney on your desktop.

My purchase is not recognized

Tap More > Settings > Account > Restore Purchases on a phone signed in to the Apple ID or Google account you bought with, then reopen the app. Every purchase message (“No active Pro entitlement found”, “Subscription products are currently unavailable”, “Purchase failed:”) and the missing Manage Subscription row are explained in the Troubleshooting section of Receipts Pro and the Mileage plan.

The biometric lock misbehaves

“Authentication failed. Please try again.” Tap Unlock again. The phone’s passcode is accepted when Face ID, Touch ID or the fingerprint fails.
The lock never appears. It locks the next time the app goes to the background after you turned on Biometric Authentication (“Use FaceID/TouchID to unlock”) under Settings > Account. Phones without biometrics or a passcode, and the web version, never lock.
Face ID is not offered. iOS: allow Face ID for AceMoney Receipts in the phone’s Settings.
I am locked out. Use the passcode. Log Out on the lock screen signs you out instead; a guest who taps it loses their receipts, so avoid it unless you have linked your account.

Notifications

The app asked for notifications right after installing. That permission covers announcements from MechCAD and, if you turn it on, a notification when a drive is detected. Denying it changes nothing else.
No notification when a drive starts. Turn on Notify me when a drive is detected under Settings > Mileage and allow notifications in the phone’s settings.
I want fewer notifications. Turn them off in the phone’s settings; the app’s Notifications tab has no settings of its own (“No notification settings yet.”).

Storage and space

Where is my data? Receipts and their pictures are stored in your account online, so they take little room on the phone and survive a reinstall. Mileage trips and vehicles and splits stay on this device only. Filing Cabinet documents stay on it too, unless the phone is connected to an AceMoney Studio document through AceMoney Cloud, which holds a copy. All of them are removed from the phone with the app, so do not uninstall to fix a problem without weighing that.
“Free plan is limited to 5 documents in AceMoney Filing Cabinet.” Delete a document, or subscribe to Receipts Pro for unlimited documents.
“Locked — unlock to classify” on trips. You passed 20 automatically detected trips this month. They are kept; the Mileage plan unlocks them.

A wrong password, “No account found with this email.”, an address that is already registered, a verification e-mail that never arrives, a failed Google, Apple or Microsoft sign-in, receipts that vanished after a sign-out, and “Account deletion cancelled.” or a failed deletion of the account are all covered in the Troubleshooting section of Sign in and your account.

Mileage tracking problems

Drives that are not detected, “Currently tracked by another app on this device”, “Reduced detection — battery saver is limiting background checks” and “Location permission is needed to record a drive.” are covered in the Troubleshooting section of Mileage tracking.

The app crashes or freezes

Update the app, then restart the phone.
Free some space on the phone if it is nearly full.
Turn on diagnostics (below), reproduce the problem once, and contact support.
As a last resort, reinstall. Sign in with the same account to get your receipts back; trips, documents and splits on the device are lost, so add trips you need to your desktop first.

Send diagnostics

Diagnostics are off by default. To help support:

Tap More > Settings > About.
Under Privacy & diagnostics, turn on Share crash & diagnostic reports. The switch says what is sent: crash reports and anonymized error types and counts, never amounts, receipts, locations or anything that identifies you.
Reopen the app once (“Crash reporting starts fully after the next app start”) and repeat what went wrong.

Turn the switch off again whenever you like; error reports stop immediately.

Contact support with the right details

Open a request at the support portal (opens in a new tab) or e-mail support@mechcad.net. Include:

The product and platform: AceMoney Receipts on iPhone, iPad, Android or the web version, and the phone model and its system version.
The app version, as shown on its App Store or Google Play page under your installed apps.
Your User ID: More > Settings > Account > Show User ID, then Copy.
What you did, what you expected and what happened, with the exact message and the time it happened.
A screenshot; cover card numbers first.
Whether you have Receipts Pro or the Mileage plan, and whether the app is paired with AceMoney Classic (its version and the PC name from the Sync tab).

Suggestions and wrong-reading examples are welcome at feedback@mechcad.net.

Common questions

Will reinstalling the app lose my data?

Receipts and their pictures come back when you sign in. Mileage trips and vehicles, Filing Cabinet documents and splits are stored on the device only and are deleted with the app, unless Android’s own backup restores them.

Why is there an ad after I cancel a new receipt?

On the free plan a full-screen ad follows saving or cancelling a new receipt; it never follows opening an existing one. Any paid plan removes it.

Why are amounts only in dollars?

Receipts are recorded in US dollars. Convert foreign receipts by hand before typing the amount.

Is there a dark mode or another language?

No. The app is in English with a light theme; the Language row in Settings > About shows “English” only.

Where do I find the app’s version number?

The app does not show one. Look at the app’s page in the App Store or Google Play, or in the phone’s list of installed apps.

Troubleshooting

If nothing above matched, work through these three steps before writing to support:

The app behaves oddly in one place only. Close it fully and reopen it; then sign out and in again if the problem is in the receipts list.
The problem started after an update. Restart the phone; if it persists, turn on diagnostics, reproduce it once and report it with the app version.
The problem is a message not listed on this page. Copy it word for word into your support request together with what you tapped just before.