Choose your notifications and Home Screen widgets
Choose your Fireball alerts, add Home Screen widgets, keep amounts private and troubleshoot missing notifications or outdated widget numbers.
Fireball can tell you when money comes in or goes out, when a budget is nearly used, when a balance may run low, and when something needs your attention. You choose each alert separately. Home Screen widgets show key numbers, such as net worth or Safe to Spend, without opening the app.
Change your notification settings
- Open the menu, then Settings.
- Under Notifications, choose Push notifications.
- Turn each alert on or off.
Each alert has its own switch. There is no single switch for everything, and there are no quiet hours. Most scheduled alerts arrive around 9am in your own time zone.
Every notification also appears in your Inbox. Tap the bell on the toolbar to see it. The Inbox keeps notifications for 90 days.
Which notifications are available?
Most alerts need a Paid plan. Account needs attention is free.
| Notification | What it tells you | Starts |
|---|---|---|
| Income notifications | Money arrived in a connected account | On |
| Expense notifications | Money left a connected account | On |
| Budget limit alerts | A budget reached 80%, then 100% | Off |
| New budget period | A new period started, with what is planned and carried over | On |
| Upcoming payments | Confirmed payments expected in two days | Off |
| Projected low balance | An account may fall below your safety buffer | Off |
| Notify me when ready | Your Weekly Review is ready | Off |
| Account needs attention | A bank connection needs fixing or has stopped refreshing | On |
| Document expiry reminders | A document you saved is about to expire | On |
| Price alert notifications | A share or fund reached a price you set | On |
| Home-loan rate alerts | A home loan rate you are watching changed | On |
| Collaborator activity | Someone with Editor access changed your finances | On |
Income and expense notifications
These arrive soon after your bank shares a transaction, so timing depends on your bank. They need a connected bank account.
Use Set minimum amount to be told only about larger amounts. Transfers between your own accounts are not notified, and neither are transactions dated more than 10 days ago.
Budget limit alerts
You get one alert when a budget reaches 80% of its limit and another at 100%. Each alert is sent once per budget, per period.
Upcoming payments
One morning reminder for confirmed payments expected in two days. Payments come from your recurring activity, so keep it up to date for accurate reminders.
Projected low balance
When you turn this on, choose:
- How far ahead to look: 3, 7, 14 or 30 days. 7 days is recommended.
- Which accounts to watch: turn on each account separately.
- A safety buffer for each account: this starts at $500. You are alerted if the account is expected to drop below it.
You get one alert for each projected low date, and one while an account is already below its buffer. If notifications are off on your phone, the warning still shows on Home.
Weekly Review
Your Weekly Review covers Monday to Sunday. Turn on Notify me when ready to be told when it is ready, usually on Monday evening or the next morning. Turning this on asks you to agree to the data sharing used to prepare the review.
Account needs attention
This tells you when your bank has stopped sharing data, needs you to reconnect, or an account has not refreshed for more than 7 days. It is free.
Messages that do not have a switch
Some messages are about your account rather than your money, so they are always sent. These include security alerts, subscription and trial reminders, and a message when your first bank import finishes.
If notifications are off on your phone
The Notifications screen shows System notifications off and the switches are greyed out.
- If Fireball has not asked yet, choose Enable system notifications.
- If you turned them off before, choose Open notification settings and allow notifications for Fireball in your phone's settings.
Fireball checks again when you come back to the app.
Keep amounts private on your Lock Screen
Notifications can include amounts, merchant names and account names. If other people can see your phone, change your phone's notification settings to hide previews until it is unlocked.
Add a Home Screen widget
On iPhone: touch and hold your Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget. Search for Fireball and choose a widget.
On Android: touch and hold an empty area of your Home Screen, choose Widgets, then choose a Fireball widget.
You can preview every widget in Fireball first. Open the menu, then Settings, Appearance and Home Screen widget. This is also where you choose which goals and spending monitors your widgets show, up to two of each.
Which widgets are available?
| Widget | What it shows | Sizes |
|---|---|---|
| Total Net Worth | Your net worth. Medium adds assets and liabilities | Small, Medium |
| FIRE Progress | Progress to your FIRE number. Medium adds your target | Small, Medium |
| Safe to Spend | What is left after budgets, bills and goals | Small |
| Budget Pulse | Spending against your budget and forecast | Small |
| Budget Overview | Safe to Spend and Budget Pulse together | Medium |
| Upcoming Money | Expected income and bills for the next 7 days | Small, Medium |
| Goal Progress | Your main goal. Medium adds a second goal | Small, Medium |
| Debt-Free Countdown | Debt left and your estimated debt-free date | Small, Medium |
| Spending Monitor | Your main monitor. Medium adds a second | Small, Medium |
On Android, resize a small widget to see the medium layout. Fireball does not have Lock Screen widgets.
Widgets are free on every plan.
Hide the numbers on a widget
Tap the eye button on a widget to conceal or show its numbers. Each widget is set separately. On iPhone, the eye button needs iOS 17 or later, and iPhone can also hide widget amounts while your phone is locked.
How widgets stay up to date
Widgets update whenever Fireball updates its numbers, and when your bank data changes. With a Paid plan, they also refresh in the background about every 12 hours. Your phone decides the exact timing.
Each widget shows when it was last updated. After 24 hours without an update, it shows Stale.
Common problems
I'm not getting notifications
Check these in order:
- Notifications are allowed for Fireball in your phone's settings.
- The alert is turned on. Budget limit alerts, Upcoming payments, Projected low balance and Notify me when ready start off.
- You have a Paid plan.
- For income and expense notifications, your bank is connected and the transaction is from the last 10 days.
- You have opened Fireball on this phone recently. Opening the app registers your phone for notifications again.
My widget shows old numbers or says Stale
Open Fireball so it can recalculate. Check that your phone allows background activity for Fireball. Background refresh also needs a Paid plan.
My widget shows a message instead of numbers
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sign in to calculate | Open Fireball and sign in |
| Open Fireball to refresh | Open Fireball once |
| Set up a budget or Choose a goal in Fireball | Finish that setup in Fireball |
| Amount concealed or Details concealed | Tap the eye button on the widget |
| Unavailable in Demo Mode | Leave Demo Mode |
Common questions
Can I get notified about large purchases only?
Yes. Turn on Expense notifications and use Set minimum amount.
Is there a payday or goal notification?
Not at the moment. Upcoming payments reminds you about confirmed payments, and widgets can show goal progress.
Do people I share my finances with get my notifications?
No. Your notification settings stay with you. When you view someone else's finances, their notifications are not available to you.
Can I set quiet hours?
Not in Fireball. Most scheduled alerts arrive around 9am. Use your phone's Focus or Do Not Disturb settings for more control.
Still need a hand?
Browse the Help Centre or contact support and we will help you find the next step.