Mint upgrades iPhone app

Source: Mint

Mint.com, a leading online personal finance service, today announced an update to its free iPhone application, available now in the iTunes App Store.

With this new version, Mint.com's users with iPhones can get mobile access to the award-winning website's services, and new features including an added layer of device-level security; on-the-go tagging and categorization of purchases and other transactions; and "push" alerts of bank account balances, unusual transactions, and more.

"Our iPhone app has been very well received by our users - over 85% of those owning an iPhone have downloaded the Mint.com app," said Aaron Patzer, founder and CEO. "And they're finding it useful in their daily lives - using the app to access Mint.com an average of twice a day."

The application enhancements introduced today were selected in response to the most frequent user requests, and take advantage of the iPhone's new OS3 software. This new functionality includes:

Editing transactions from the iPhone: Users can now modify the description or date of any transaction tracked in their Mint.com account, select the spending category they'd like a purchase to be assigned to, tag a transaction with any label they select (e.g. reimbursable or tax-deductible expenses, etc.) and add notes. This on-the-go editing allows greater precision with budgeting, virtual real-time tracking of cash expenditures, and makes the preparation of expense reports simpler and more accurate from the road.

Mobile access to Mint.com's enhanced budgeting features: Mint.com's most recent product release improved users' ability to create and stick to budgets and to see how doing so impacts long term savings goals. With the new iPhone app, users can see how they're tracking versus their budgets virtually anytime and anywhere, allowing users to answer the important question "Can I afford this?" right from the store aisle.

Extra layers of device-level security: Users will now have an application-level passcode, which builds on the application's existing security protections, which include the ability to disable iPhone's access to a user's account at any time from the Mint.com website should their iPhone get lost or stolen.

"Push" alerts on important financial activity: Users will receive notification of new Mint.com alerts right on their iPhone home screen, similar to how notifications of new voicemail or instant messages are received today. This new feature, enabled by the iPhone's new OS3 software, gives users faster updates on the activity in their accounts that they've determined most time-critical, whether they're watching out for large purchases or deposits, account balances, fees charged, or unusual charges.

"Feedback from our avid iPhone app users, and the introduction of new the iPhone OS, drove our decision to enhance the existing application with the new features introduced today," added Patzer. "Continuous product improvement is central to our mission of helping people find ways to better understand, save and do more with their money."

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