mooolaKeeping up with your spending should take less effort than collecting the statements behind it. Once you have downloaded a statement, finding it again in a file picker is another small job to remember. Repeat that across several accounts and every month starts with the same routine.
Automatic folder imports remove that repeated selection step. Choose one folder, save your supported statements there, and mooola checks it for files to import when you open the app or return to it. You keep control of which statements you provide, without linking a bank account.
Why we introduced automatic folder imports
Statement imports give you a useful boundary: you decide what to download and share with the app. We wanted to make that approach easier to maintain. A folder gives your statements a regular destination and gives mooola somewhere to look without asking you to choose each file again.
It also works with a routine you may already have. You might download statements on your phone, or save them from your computer to a folder in Google Drive. Once that folder is accessible through your phone’s file picker, mooola can read the supported statements you put there.
You still obtain the statements from your bank. Automatic imports do not sign in to online banking, fetch statements from your email, or keep a live connection to your account. They automate the next step: bringing those saved files into mooola.
What happens when mooola checks the folder
You can select one folder at a time. mooola looks through it and its subfolders for PDF and CSV files, then uses the same statement-import process as a manual import. The bank and statement layout still need to be supported; putting an arbitrary PDF or spreadsheet in the folder does not make it importable.
The first check starts as soon as you select the folder. Existing supported statements in that folder are included, so you can use it to bring in earlier months as well as future statements.
After that, mooola checks when the app opens or becomes active again. You can also tap Check now in Automatic imports.
You can leave imported statements in the folder
mooola remembers files it has processed and checks file contents to recognise a statement it has already seen, even if the same file is copied or renamed. You do not need to empty the folder after each import. Changed files and imports that need reprocessing can be checked again.
Importing reads a temporary local copy. It does not move, rename or delete the original statement in your chosen folder. Imported payments remain in mooola if you later remove the source file from that folder.
Start with a dedicated statement folder
Create a folder you can find easily, such as mooola or Bank statements. Put the original supported PDFs or CSV exports there. A dedicated folder keeps unrelated documents out of the scan; subfolders can help you organise statements by bank or year.
Cloud folders depend on the storage provider making their files available to your phone. A statement that has not downloaded yet may need an internet connection before mooola can read it.
How to set it up on Android
These screenshots follow the Google Drive example. The available storage locations depend on the apps and accounts configured on your phone.
1. Open Automatic imports
In mooola, go to Settings → Imports & capture → Automatic imports.
Automatic imports sits alongside manual statement imports and Import history.
View the settings screenshot at full size2. Tap Choose folder
Tap Choose folder to open Android’s system folder picker.
You choose a folder once. mooola remembers it for subsequent checks.
View the Choose folder screenshot at full size3. Choose where your statements are stored
Open the picker’s navigation menu and choose your phone’s storage or a provider such as Drive. If more than one Drive account appears, select the account containing your statement folder.
The system picker connects you to the storage locations available on your phone. In this example, the statements are in Drive.
View the storage picker screenshot at full size4. Select the folder and allow access
Navigate into your statement folder, tap Use this folder, and confirm the system’s access prompt if one appears. Select the folder itself; you do not need to select each statement.
Check that you are inside the intended folder before tapping Use this folder. mooola begins its first scan after the selection is saved.
View the folder selection screenshot at full size5. Review the first import
Keep mooola open while it reads the files. If a supported PDF needs a password, the app asks for it. Review the import result and check Import history under Imports & capture. Compare imported amounts with the original statements, especially when trying a new statement layout.
For later statements, save the new file into the same folder and return to mooola. If you are already in the app, use Check now.
Using a folder on iPhone or iPad
On iPhone and iPad, follow the same path in mooola: Settings → Imports & capture → Automatic imports → Choose folder. iOS opens its system folder picker, where you select an accessible folder and confirm the selection.
The screens above are Android screenshots, so the picker and confirmation controls will look different on iOS. Which cloud folders you can select depends on the file provider’s support for folder access. The same scan timing applies: after selection, when you open or return to mooola, or when you check manually.
Check again, change the folder, or stop
Return to Automatic imports to see the selected folder and its latest status.
- Check now scans again. When files have failed, this control shows Retry with the number of files needing attention and retries failed imports.
- Change lets you choose a different folder and starts a check of that folder.
- Stop disables automatic folder imports. Previously imported payments and your original statement files remain.
If a file needs attention
Check the reason shown in the import result. A missing password, unreadable PDF, unsupported statement layout, or mismatch in statement totals can prevent an import. Other files in the scan can still be imported successfully.
If the folder itself cannot be checked, make sure its storage provider is available and signed in, let any cloud downloads finish, then try again. Use Change to select the folder again if access has been lost or its location has changed.
For a file that still fails, try Import a statement to review it individually and consult the relevant bank import guide. Automatic imports use the same supported formats and do not bypass the checks that protect your imported data.
A simpler routine, with the same control over your statements
Choosing a folder gives mooola a source for statement imports. It does not connect your bank account or require your banking login. Statement processing happens on your device.
If you choose Google Drive or another cloud provider, the files you save there are held by that provider. mooola reads them through your device’s file picker and downloads a local copy when needed. A cloud folder is therefore a separate storage choice from keeping the originals only on your phone.
Folder selection does not itself enable mooola’s optional financial uploads. Those choices, and optional import diagnostics, remain separate. See our Privacy Policy and the explanation of mooola accounts and your data for their respective scope.
The routine is simple: save your next supported statement in the folder you chose, open mooola, and review the result. Less time finding files leaves more time to understand what they tell you about your spending.