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APSense documentation

First-time setup guide

Getting started with APSense

APSense is an AI-powered expense management solution that helps you organize receipts, track business mileage, and build professional reports. This guide walks you through the initial setup to ensure your account is configured for your regional requirements and accounting needs.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

  • A mobile device (iOS or Android) or a modern web browser.
  • A valid email address or an existing Google or Apple account for authentication.

Configuration steps

Follow these steps to set up your APSense environment.

1. Create your account

Establish your identity to sync your data across mobile, web, and desktop platforms.

  1. Open the APSense app or navigate to the web login page.
  2. Select your preferred sign-in method: Continue with Google, Continue with Apple, or enter your email and password.
  3. Follow the on-screen prompts to verify your email if required.
  4. Watch the brief onboarding video tutorials that appear to learn the basics of tracking expenses and mileage.

Expected Result: You are logged into the APSense dashboard and greeted by the onboarding wizard.

2. Verify your default workspace

Workspaces allow you to separate expenses by client, project, or entity.

  1. Locate the workspace switcher in the top navigation bar.
  2. Confirm that a workspace named Personal is active.
  3. (Optional) Tap the workspace name to customize its color or icon to make it easily identifiable.

Expected Result: A “Personal” workspace is automatically available for your first entries.

3. Set your currency and distance units

Configure the app to match your regional financial and travel requirements.

  1. Navigate to the Settings menu.
  2. Select Currency and choose your local currency code (e.g., USD, EUR, GBP).
  3. Select Distance Unit and toggle between Miles or Kilometers.

Expected Result: All totals and mileage logs reflect your chosen currency and unit of measure.

4. Activate your personal receipt inbox

Enable the ability to forward digital receipts from your email directly to your APSense account.

  1. Go to Settings and select the Personal Inbox section.
  2. Tap Generate Address to create your unique APSense email.
  3. Copy this address to your email contacts for easy forwarding.

Expected Result: A unique @apsense.app email address is generated for your account.

5. Grant mobile permissions

Allow the app to access hardware features required for automated scanning and tracking.

  1. Tap the Camera icon on the main screen; when prompted, select Allow to enable receipt scanning.
  2. Navigate to the Mileage tab and start a test trip; when prompted, select Allow while using the app (and ideally Change to Always Allow for background tracking) to enable GPS logging.

Expected Result: The camera opens for receipt capture and GPS tracking initializes for trips.

6. Customize your expense categories

Align the app’s organization with your specific accounting or tax filing needs.

  1. Go to Settings > Expense Settings > Categories.
  2. Tap Add Category to create a new label.
  3. Use the Icon Picker to assign a visual marker to your new category.
  4. Save your changes.

Expected Result: Your custom categories appear in the dropdown menu when you create or edit expenses.

Next actions after setup

Now that your account is configured, you can begin managing your business finances:

  • Capture your first receipt: Use the AI scanner to automatically extract vendor and total amount data from a paper receipt.
  • Start a GPS trip: Log your next business drive to ensure you capture every deductible mile.
  • Create your first report: Group your recent expenses into a draft report to prepare for your next reimbursement cycle.

Support

If you encounter issues during setup, please contact our support team: