I can't connect or reconnect my bank

I can't connect or reconnect my bank

Fireball connects to New Zealand banks through Akahu. This article explains the actions Fireball recommends for its connection messages. If a retry does not work, contact support rather than repeatedly reconnecting or deleting data.

Retry the connection once

1. Return to Fireball and start a new connection:
- For your first bank, open Accounts and tap Connect with Akahu.
- To reconnect, tap Reconnect with Akahu when Fireball prompts you.
- To add another bank, open the menu, choose Bank Connections, then tap the + button.
2. On How we use your data, tap Continue to Akahu.
3. In the Akahu browser page, choose your bank, sign in, select the accounts Fireball can read, and approve access.
4. Return to Fireball.

Use the new Akahu page created by your latest attempt. An older page may contain an expired authorisation request. Fireball waits up to five minutes for Akahu to return you to the app. If the new attempt fails, contact support.

If Fireball shows an error

• “Couldn’t open Akahu. Please try again.”

Return to Fireball and tap Continue to Akahu once more. If Akahu still does not open, contact support.

• “Akahu connection timed out. Please try again.”

Fireball did not receive the Akahu result within five minutes. Start one fresh connection from Fireball. If it times out again, contact support.

• “Akahu authorisation expired. Please try again.”

Start once more from Fireball. Do not retry from the old Akahu browser page because its one-time authorisation has expired or has already been used. If the new attempt fails, contact support.

• “Your bank connection expired. Please reconnect Akahu.”

Tap Reconnect with Akahu and approve access again. This is Fireball's prescribed action for restoring live balances and new transaction updates. Your saved bank history remains in Fireball while live access is unavailable. If reconnecting fails, contact support.

• “An active subscription is required to connect Akahu.”

Connecting or reconnecting a bank requires an active Fireball subscription. Follow the subscription screen to choose a plan or restore an existing purchase. If Fireball still reports that a subscription is required, contact support.

“This Akahu connection is already linked to another Fireball account.”

The connection is already associated with a different Fireball account. The message in Fireball prescribes these steps:

1. Sign in to the Fireball account that already uses the connection.
2. Open the menu and choose Bank Connections.
3. Choose Disconnect all banks and confirm the disconnection.
4. Sign in to the Fireball account you want to use, then connect again.

If you cannot access or identify the other Fireball account, contact support.

• “We couldn’t verify your Akahu connection” or “Akahu authorisation failed”

Fireball recommends trying again. Make one new connection attempt from Fireball. If the same message appears again, contact support so the team can check the failed connection.

• The connection completed, but an account is missing

Open Fireball's menu and choose Bank Connections. If Fireball shows
Accounts needs attention, follow its Reconnect or review action.

If no message explains the missing account, or the account is still absent
after completing that action, contact support. Include the bank and the type of
account that is missing, but do not include a full account number.

Do not disconnect all banks or delete saved bank history to make the account
appear. Neither action is a normal missing-account recovery step.

• “New bank connections are temporarily paused”

Fireball has temporarily paused new connection attempts. Your existing saved data and the bank disconnect controls remain available. Contact support if you need to know when connections will resume.

If the problem happens inside your bank's sign-in

Fireball never sees your online banking password. Your bank sign-in and any verification steps happen through Akahu's secure connection. Follow only the instructions shown by your bank or Akahu. If that flow does not complete, contact Fireball support and describe where it stopped.

Never send Fireball your banking password, PIN, or one-time security code.

Before you disconnect or delete anything

Do not choose Delete saved bank history just to fix a failed connection. It is not part of Fireball's normal reconnect flow and deletes saved history.

If you intentionally choose Disconnect all banks, Fireball revokes Akahu's live access. Follow the confirmation carefully if Fireball also offers a choice about removing saved transaction history.

Contact support

If the same connection error continues:

1. Open Fireball's menu.
2. Choose Support.
3. Choose Contact support.
4. In the email, add:
- whether this was a first connection or a reconnect;
- the bank you were connecting;
- the exact message Fireball showed; and
- the last step you completed before the problem appeared.

The in-app support email adds privacy-safe technical details such as your app version, platform, timestamp, and the latest failed diagnostic trace when one is available.

Do not include passwords, bank login details, full account numbers, or raw transaction details. If the email option does not open, email support@heliosstudio.app.