How it works
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A customer pays you with M-Pesa.
To your own number, Pochi la Biashara or a Till: any payment whose confirmation SMS reaches your phone.
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PesaBell reads the SMS on your phone.
It only acts on messages from M-PESA. To reach the speaker it sends just the amount and the M-Pesa code, never names or phone numbers.
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The speaker says the amount.
Usually within a second or two. If the speaker doesn’t answer, because the power or the internet is off, the phone says the payment instead and marks it for you to check.
A fake SMS is never announced as money.
Real M-Pesa confirmations come from M-PESA. When someone sends a copy from an ordinary phone number, PesaBell doesn’t announce a payment. It warns you, so you don’t hand over goods for money that never came.
UJT9XK2LMN Confirmed.You have received Ksh5,000.00 from JOHN KAMAU 0712***345 on 29/10/26 at 2:31 PM New M-PESA balance is Ksh13,460.00.
Fake SMS – no money received
This message did not come from M-Pesa. No money arrived: don’t hand over goods for it.
A speaker for the counter
Keep your phone in your pocket, or charging in the back. The PesaBell speaker sits by the till and says every payment loud enough for a busy shop.
Wi-Fi speaker
Joins your shop’s Wi-Fi. You set it up from the app in a few steps.
4G speaker
Has its own SIM card, so it works where there is no Wi-Fi.
No speaker? The phone can announce on its own. Ask about speakers on WhatsApp
Every payment, written down
- Today’s total, and every payment with the payer’s name.
- Look back by day, week or month, or pick your own dates.
- Payments the speaker didn’t say are marked for you to check.
- Money from family and friends stays out of your sales, with the personal list.
- Send your records as an Excel file by email or WhatsApp, or save it on the phone.
- JOHN KAMAU2:15 PM+1,250
- MARY WANJIKU1:52 PM+300
- ALI HASSAN1:40 PM To check+2,000
- GRACE ACHIENG12:05 PM Personal+1,500
- PETER OTIENO11:31 AM+1,300
Install the app
PesaBell is installed from this website, not from the Play Store, so Android asks a few extra questions. Here is what to tap.
Tap Download for Android. If Chrome warns that the file may be harmful, tap Download anyway.
Open the downloaded file. If Android says Chrome isn’t allowed to install apps, tap Settings, turn on Allow from this source, then go back.
Tap Install. If Play Protect warns about the app, tap More details, then Install anyway. If it says the app was blocked, message us on WhatsApp and we’ll help you install it.
Open PesaBell, log in with the account we gave you and follow the setup. It asks for SMS access and a few phone settings, so payments aren’t missed when the screen is off.
After that, the app updates itself.
Questions
Do I need a speaker?
No. The phone can say every payment on its own. A speaker helps when the phone is in your pocket, far from the counter, or when the shop is noisy.
Which phones does it work on?
Android phones with Android 8 or newer. It doesn’t work on iPhone, because iPhones don’t let apps read SMS.
Can PesaBell touch my money?
No. It only reads the confirmation messages. It never asks for your M-Pesa PIN and cannot send money.
What does your server keep?
Your account and your speakers. For each payment it gets only the amount and the M-Pesa code, passes the amount to your speaker and stores neither, apart from a scrambled fingerprint of the code for 30 days so that no payment is announced twice. Your records stay on your phone. The details are in the privacy policy.
What if the internet goes off?
The phone still gets the SMS and says the payment itself. Payments the speaker didn’t say are marked for you to check.
Which languages?
The app is in English, Kiswahili and Chinese, and the phone can announce in any of them. The speaker announces in English, and in Chinese on some models.
How do I get an account?
Message us on WhatsApp at 0141 643 185. We create your account and, if you want one, set up your speaker.