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Privacy Policy
The short version
SpareBudget is a budgeting app that keeps your financial data on your phone. There is no SpareBudget account, and SpareBudget does not run a server that receives your financial data in this version.
SpareBudget has no analytics, no advertising, no tracking and no crash reporting tools built in. It does not use cookies.
You can see, correct, export and delete your data inside the app at any time.
Who we are
SpareBudget is published by [PUBLISHER LEGAL NAME] ("we", "us"). This policy explains how the SpareBudget mobile app handles information about you.
Questions? Email [CONTACT EMAIL].
What data SpareBudget handles
SpareBudget only handles the information you enter, import or choose to turn on. The table "Your data" lists each kind of data, an example, why SpareBudget uses it, where it is kept and who it is shared with.
In short: your transactions, income and bills, budgets, goals, settings and Coach conversation are stored in an encrypted database on your device. We, [PUBLISHER LEGAL NAME], do not receive a copy.
SpareBudget does not ask for your name, email address, phone number, contacts, location, photos or bank login details.
Why SpareBudget uses your data
SpareBudget uses your data only to provide the features you see: tracking spending, building your plan, working out how much is safe to spend, forecasting the month, tracking goals, answering Coach questions and sending the reminders you turned on.
SpareBudget does not use your data for advertising, profiling, selling or training any AI model.
Where your data is stored and how it is protected
Your data is kept in a database on your device that is encrypted with SQLCipher. The encryption key is created on your device and kept in the iOS Keychain or Android Keystore, set so it is not synced to other devices or restored onto a new phone.
SpareBudget asks iOS to leave the database out of iCloud and computer backups, and app backups are turned off on Android. This means a new phone starts empty unless you restore from an encrypted backup file you made yourself.
You can turn on App Lock to require Face ID, Touch ID, a fingerprint or your device passcode to open SpareBudget. App Lock is a screen lock. It does not replace keeping your phone itself locked.
No security is perfect. Anyone who can unlock your phone and open SpareBudget can see your data, so keep your device passcode private.
No cookies, ads or tracking
SpareBudget is a native app with no website login and no web pages inside it, so it does not use cookies or similar browser tracking.
SpareBudget contains no analytics, advertising, attribution or crash reporting software, and it does not track you across other apps or websites. Because there is nothing to consent to, SpareBudget does not show a cookie or tracking consent banner.
Apple and Google may collect information when you download or update apps through their stores, under their own privacy policies. We do not receive your financial data from them.
If you allow it in your device settings, Apple or Google may share crash reports and aggregated, non-identifying usage statistics with us. These do not include your SpareBudget data.
SpareBudget does not track you over time or across apps or websites, so it does not respond to Do Not Track signals differently.
Permissions SpareBudget may ask for
Notifications: only if you turn on reminders. Reminders are scheduled on your device and their text never shows amounts, merchants or bill names. They may say whether you are near or over your daily limit.
Face ID or fingerprint: only if you turn on App Lock. Your phone does the check and tells SpareBudget only whether it passed.
Files: only when you choose a CSV file to import, choose a backup to restore, or export a file through the share sheet. SpareBudget reads the file you pick on your device and does not upload it.
When your data leaves your device
Your data leaves your device only when you export it. A CSV export is not encrypted, so treat it like a bank statement. A backup file is encrypted on your device with a passphrase you choose before it leaves the app. SpareBudget never stores that passphrase. Without the passphrase, we cannot open the backup. A short or common passphrase can be guessed, so use a long, unique one.
Once you save or send an exported file, it is handled by the app or service you chose, under its own terms.
We do not sell your personal information and we do not share it for targeted advertising.
Your choices: see, correct, export and delete
See and correct: every transaction, bill, budget, category and goal can be viewed and edited in the app. Settings can be changed at any time.
Export: Settings, then Back up & restore, creates an encrypted backup of everything. Activity lets you export transactions as a CSV file.
Delete: you can delete single items, clear the Coach conversation, remove demo data, or use Settings, then Delete all financial data. That erases the database, its key, scheduled reminders and any temporary export copies on this device. Deleting the app also removes its data from the device. Files you exported earlier are not affected.
Because we do not hold a copy of your data, we cannot look it up, change it or delete it for you. If you contact us with a privacy request, we will explain this and help you use the in-app tools.
How long data is kept
Your data stays on your device until you delete it or delete the app. On iPhone, the operating system may keep the encryption key after the app is deleted. Without the database it unlocks nothing, and a reinstall starts with empty data.
Exported files are kept for as long as you keep them wherever you saved them.
Bank connections (not offered yet)
This version of SpareBudget cannot connect to a bank. We may offer optional bank connections in the future through Plaid, a third-party service.
If we do, nothing will change for you unless you choose to connect. Before any connection, SpareBudget will ask for your separate consent, explain what is shared, and show Plaid's End User Privacy Policy, which governs what Plaid does with your data. We will also update this policy first.
Age requirement
SpareBudget is for adults aged 18 or older. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly allow anyone under 18 to use it. Because SpareBudget does not send personal data to us, we do not collect information from children.
If you believe a child under 13 has contacted us, email us at [CONTACT EMAIL] and we will delete that correspondence.
US state privacy rights
Some US states give residents rights to know, access, correct, delete or move personal information, and to opt out of its sale, sharing for targeted advertising or profiling. We do not sell, share for targeted advertising or profile, and we do not hold your SpareBudget data on our systems. You can exercise access, correction, portability and deletion directly in the app as described above. You may also contact us at [CONTACT EMAIL], and we will not treat you differently for asking.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy in a meaningful way, we will update the date at the top and ask you to review it in the app before you continue. If a change would let your data leave your device in a new way, it will only apply if you choose to use the new feature.
Contacting us
[PUBLISHER LEGAL NAME], [PUBLISHER ADDRESS]. Email: [CONTACT EMAIL].
If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you write, use it only to reply, and delete it within [RETENTION MONTHS] months.
Your data
| Data | Examples | Why SpareBudget uses it | Where it is kept | Shared with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transactions | Amount, date, merchant, description, category, type, notes and tags you add or import from a CSV file | To show your spending, budgets, safe-to-spend, insights and forecasts | Encrypted database on this device | No one. It stays on your device unless you export it. |
| Income and bills | Take-home pay, pay frequency, next payday, rent or mortgage, other fixed bills, whether a bill amount varies | To build your monthly plan and remind you before bills are due | Encrypted database on this device | No one. It stays on your device unless you export it. |
| Budgets, categories and rules | Category names and limits, merchant rules that sort transactions automatically | To group spending and apply your budget limits | Encrypted database on this device | No one. It stays on your device unless you export it. |
| Savings goals | Goal name, target amount, amount saved, target date | To track progress toward your goals | Encrypted database on this device | No one. It stays on your device unless you export it. |
| Profile and settings | Currency, region from your phone settings, savings and spending targets, cash on hand, reminder times, quiet hours, App Lock on or off, appearance, setup date | To run the app the way you set it up | Encrypted database on this device | No one. It stays on your device unless you export it. |
| Coach conversation | Questions you type to the Coach and its answers | To show your conversation history. Answers are produced on your device by fixed rules, not by an AI service | Encrypted database on this device | No one. It stays on your device unless you export it. |
| Database encryption key | A random 256-bit key created on your device | To encrypt and unlock your database | iOS Keychain or Android Keystore on this device, set so it is not synced or restored to another device | No one. It never leaves your device. |
| Scheduled reminders | Times and generic text such as "A bill is due tomorrow". No amounts, merchants or bill names. They may say whether you are near or over your daily limit | To show the reminders you turned on | Your phone's notification system, scheduled on the device | No one. SpareBudget does not use a push notification server. |
| Files you export | CSV file of transactions, encrypted backup file | To give you a copy of your data when you ask for one | Wherever you choose to save or send it. The temporary copy SpareBudget makes is deleted after sharing, or at the next launch if SpareBudget was closed first | Only the apps, services or people you choose in the share sheet |
| Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint | Your biometric data | Only if you turn on App Lock, to check it is you | Handled entirely by your phone's operating system. SpareBudget only learns whether the check passed | SpareBudget never receives it |