We believe your financial data is yours alone. Here's exactly what we collect, what we don't, and why.
SmartSpend stores all your expense data locally on your device only. We do not have a server. We do not sync your data to the cloud. We do not sell your data. The only external services we use are Google AdMob (ads for free users) and Google Play Billing (for Pro upgrade).
SmartSpend is a personal finance and expense tracking application developed as an independent Android app. References to "we", "us", or "our" in this policy refer to the SmartSpend developer.
This Privacy Policy explains how SmartSpend handles information when you use our Android application. By using SmartSpend, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
SmartSpend is designed with a local-first, privacy-first architecture. The app does not require any account, sign-in, or personal identification.
All expense records, categories, budget goals, settings, and preferences are stored in a local database on your device. This data never leaves your phone unless you explicitly export it.
Data you create within the app:
Data we do NOT collect:
SmartSpend requests only the permissions necessary for its features. Here is what each permission is used for:
| Permission | Why it's needed | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 📷 Camera | To capture photos of receipts for OCR scanning. Images are processed on-device using ML Kit and are never uploaded. | Optional |
| 📩 Read SMS | To scan incoming bank debit messages and suggest automatic expense entries (Pro feature only). Messages are read locally and never transmitted. | Optional · Pro |
| 🎙️ Microphone | To enable voice-based expense entry ("500 food at KFC"). Speech is transcribed on-device via Android's RecognizerIntent API. | Optional |
| 🌐 Internet | Required only to load banner advertisements (AdMob) for free-tier users, and to process the Pro upgrade purchase via Google Play Billing. | Required |
If you grant SMS permission, SmartSpend reads messages only from your local inbox to identify bank transaction patterns. No message content is ever sent to any server. You can revoke this permission at any time in your Android Settings → Apps → SmartSpend → Permissions.
All information processing in SmartSpend happens entirely on your device. Specifically:
We do not use your information for advertising profiling, analytics reporting, machine learning training, or any purpose beyond powering the app features you use.
SmartSpend integrates with the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy policy that governs how they handle data.
Free-tier users see banner advertisements served by Google AdMob. AdMob may collect device identifiers (advertising ID), IP address, and ad interaction data to serve relevant ads. This is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. Pro users see no ads and AdMob is not loaded for them.
The Pro upgrade is processed entirely by Google Play. SmartSpend only receives a purchase confirmation token — we never handle your payment information directly. This is governed by Google Payments Privacy Notice.
Receipt scanning uses ML Kit Text Recognition, which runs entirely on-device. No images or text are sent to Google's servers. This is governed by ML Kit Terms of Service.
Your expense data is stored in a SQLite database on your device, managed by Android's Room persistence library. The database is stored in your app's private data directory, which is only accessible to SmartSpend (and to you via Android's backup features or manual export).
Because we store no data on servers, we cannot recover your data if your device is lost or damaged without a prior export or Android backup. We recommend using the Export feature regularly.
Since all data is stored locally on your device, you have complete control:
SmartSpend is a personal finance application intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from or direct services to children under 13 (or the applicable age in your jurisdiction).
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has used SmartSpend, please contact us and we will assist with deletion of any locally stored data. Since the app requires no account, uninstalling the app removes all data entirely.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the app's functionality or applicable laws. When we make material changes, we will:
We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of SmartSpend after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Previous versions of this policy are available upon request by contacting us at the email below.
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how SmartSpend handles your data, please reach out:
We're happy to help. Send us an email and we'll respond within 48 hours.
✉️ support@smartspend.app