Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 2025

Welcome to Expense Tracker. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your data when you use our mobile application.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Expense Data: Amount, date, merchant name, category, payment method, and optional descriptions you enter
• Budget Information: Budget limits, categories, and time periods you set
• Photos: Receipt images you capture or select from your photo library for expense tracking
• Preferences: App settings, currency selection, theme preferences, and notification settings

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Usage Statistics: Number of expenses created per month (to enforce free tier limits)
• Device Information: Operating system version, app version, device type (for compatibility)
• Subscription Status: Whether you're a free or premium user (managed by RevenueCat)

2. How We Store Your Data

2.1 Local Storage Only

All your personal data is stored locally on your device using:

• SQLite Database: Expenses, budgets, categories
• Device Storage: Receipt photos, preferences, app settings
• No Cloud Sync: We do not upload your expense data to any servers

Important: If you delete the app or clear app data, all your information will be permanently deleted. We recommend regularly exporting your data (premium feature).

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may process your data:

3.1 OpenAI API

• Purpose: AI-powered receipt scanning and text extraction from photos/PDFs
• Data Shared: Receipt images you choose to scan
• Usage: Only when you use AI scanning features (premium)
• Privacy Policy: OpenAI Privacy Policy

3.2 RevenueCat

• Purpose: Subscription and in-app purchase management
• Data Shared: Anonymous user ID, purchase transactions, subscription status
• Usage: To manage premium subscriptions and restore purchases
• Privacy Policy: RevenueCat Privacy Policy

3.3 Expo Services

• Purpose: App framework, push notifications, app updates
• Data Shared: Push notification tokens, device identifiers
• Privacy Policy: Expo Privacy Policy

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide expense tracking and budget management features
• Process receipt images with AI (when you use this feature)
• Generate analytics and insights about your spending
• Send budget alert notifications (premium users only)
• Enforce free tier limitations (20 expenses/month, 2 budgets)
• Manage your subscription status
• Improve app performance and fix bugs

5. Permissions We Request

• Camera: To capture receipt photos for expense tracking
• Photo Library: To select existing receipt images
• Storage: To read/write PDF and CSV files for import/export
• Notifications: To send budget alerts (premium feature, opt-in)
• Network: To communicate with OpenAI API and RevenueCat

You can manage these permissions in your device settings at any time.

6. Data Security

We implement security measures to protect your data:

• All data stored locally on your device with OS-level security
• HTTPS encryption for all network communications
• No passwords or sensitive credentials stored
• Receipt images processed securely via OpenAI API

7. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your data:

7.1 Access Your Data

You can view all your data within the app at any time.

7.2 Export Your Data

Premium users can export expenses to PDF or Excel format.

7.3 Delete Your Data

Delete individual expenses within the app, or delete all data by uninstalling the app.

7.4 Manage Notifications

Control notification preferences in the app's Settings screen or device settings.

7.5 Cancel Subscription

Manage subscriptions through Apple App Store or Google Play Store settings.

8. Children's Privacy

Expense Tracker is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately.

9. International Users

If you are using our app from outside the United States, please note that your information may be transferred to and processed in countries where our third-party services operate. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data.

10. Data Retention

• Expense Data: Stored locally until you delete it or uninstall the app
• Receipt Images: Stored locally until you delete them
• Subscription Data: Retained by RevenueCat per their policies
• OpenAI Processing: Images are not retained after processing

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

California residents have additional rights:

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to delete personal information
• Right to opt-out of data sales (we do not sell your data)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights

13. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

European users have additional rights:

• Right of access to your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to withdraw consent at any time