SpendSense is built with a privacy-first architecture. All your shopping lists, item details, monthly budgets, and spending metrics are stored locally on your device. We do not operate external databases, run analytics servers, or sell your personal data.
Flexible Storage (Offline & Cloud Sync)
Guest users enjoy 100% offline local device storage. Registered users signing in via Google Authentication can optionally sync their receipts and budgets securely to Google Firebase Firestore cloud storage for multi-device access.
Gemini Chat AI Safety
Conversations with the AI budget assistant are kept offline on your device. Chat payloads are sent securely to Google Gemini APIs only when submitting queries and are never logged or stored by us.
On-Device Receipt Scanning
Invoice text reading is processed on-device. The text matches are temporarily formatted via Google Gemini APIs to populate your lists. Captured receipt images are deleted immediately after scanning.
Data Backup & Ownership
You maintain complete ownership of your historical metrics. You can export a JSON backup file to your own storage at any time and import it to restore your profile on a new device.
Coin Economy & Anti-Fraud Policy
SpendSense uses a transparent Coin Economy for premium AI services. Manual entry is 100% free and ad-free. Coins are deducted ONLY upon successful feature execution (5 🪙 per AI Scan/Voice/Chat/CSV export, 100 🪙 per Cloud Backup). Rewarded ads are strictly limited to 10 per day with a 15-second cooldown.
Group Splitter & Local Contacts
Track shared bills (trips, dining, flatmates, office lunches) with Equal, Custom, Percentage, and Shares calculations. Phonebook contacts are accessed 100% locally on-device. No contact data is ever uploaded, shared, or sold.
Firebase Auth & Cloud Sync
Guest data remains 100% local on device. Registered users can optionally authenticate via Google / Firebase Sign-In for cloud backup sync. Account data is transmitted via encrypted HTTPS directly to Firebase Firestore.
Coin Economy & Monetization Rules
To provide a fair, transparent, and Google Play & AdMob compliant experience, SpendSense operates under strict monetization policies:
- 100% Ad-Free Manual Entry: Creating, editing, and saving expense items manually is 100% free and never triggers interstitial ads, rewarded ads, or coin charges.
- Success-Only Coin Deductions: Coins are deducted ONLY when an operation completes successfully and results are confirmed. Zero coins are charged if an operation fails or is cancelled by the user.
- Feature Coin Pricing: AI Voice Parsing (10 🪙), Camera/Gallery OCR Scan (10 🪙), CSV Export (10 🪙), PDF Statement Export (10 🪙), AI Financial Insights (10 🪙), AI Chat Assistant (10 🪙), Scheduled Bill Reminders (10 🪙), and Full Cloud Firestore Database Backup (100 🪙).
- AdMob Anti-Fraud Limits: Rewarded ad watches are limited to a maximum of 10 ads per day per user, with a mandatory 30-second cooldown timer between requests to prevent fraudulent click behavior.
- Sign-In Bonus: Users receive a one-time +100 Coins Bonus upon registering or signing in via Firebase / Google Authentication.
Information Collection & Device Permissions
We respect your privacy and request device permissions solely for essential local capabilities and optional cloud backup features:
- Camera (`android.permission.CAMERA`): Used exclusively to capture physical paper receipt bills for instant AI OCR scanning. Receipt photos taken in-app are processed locally.
- Google Maps & Nearby Stores (`ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION` & `ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION`): Used exclusively to display nearest supermarkets, marts, and store route directions on the Google Maps canvas tailored to your active grocery list. Your location coordinates (latitude/longitude) are processed locally to query Google Places API endpoints for store markers. Location data is NEVER stored, tracked across sessions, or shared for advertising.
- SMS Auto-Parsing (`RECEIVE_SMS` & `READ_SMS`): Prominent Disclosure: Used exclusively for local offline bank & fintech transaction SMS detection to auto-log grocery and utility expenses. Incoming SMS messages are parsed 100% locally on your device using offline pattern matching. Message content, sender phone numbers, and financial SMS data are NEVER collected, stored on cloud servers, or shared with any third party.
- Device Contacts (`android.permission.READ_CONTACTS`): Prominent Disclosure: Optional permission used exclusively when you choose to import member names into the Group Splitter bill feature. Selected contact names are read 100% locally on your device. We NEVER upload, sync, sell, or transmit your contact book to any server. You can also manually type any member name without granting contacts access.
- Firebase Authentication & Cloud Storage: Optional Google Sign-In collects your basic user profile (Email, Display Name, UID) to authenticate and securely back up your grocery receipts and budgets to Firebase Firestore.
- Notifications: Used to display native local bill payment reminders and automated expense notifications on your device.
- Advertising Identifiers: Used by Google AdMob SDK for ad serving and frequency cap enforcement.
Third-Party Services
SpendSense integrates industry-standard third-party SDKs:
- Firebase (Google LLC): Used for secure user authentication and cloud database backup synchronization.
- Google AdMob (Google LLC): Used for banner ads and rewarded video ad delivery under Google's publisher policies.
- Google Gemini API (Google LLC): Used to format invoice text and power AI assistant responses.
Account & Data Deletion Rights
You maintain total control over your data and can request deletion at any time:
- Instant In-App Data Wipe: Permanently erase all local receipts, budgets, and saved preferences instantly by tapping Settings → Danger Zone → Clear All Data.
- Account & Cloud Data Deletion Request: Registered users who wish to permanently delete their Firebase cloud account, email, and synced Firestore backups can send an email to naeemliaqat.spendsense@gmail.com with the subject "Delete Account Request". All account data and cloud backups will be permanently purged within 48 hours.
Children's Privacy
SpendSense does not knowingly collect or solicit personal data from children under 13.
Changes to This Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy periodically. Continued use of the app constitutes acceptance of any policy updates.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding our Privacy Policy or Coin Economy rules, please contact us via our official support channel or GitHub repository.