Privacy Policy

Effective date: 30 September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Apna Budget Manager (also listed on Google Play as "Apna Budget: Expense Tracker", package com.tj.budget_manager) handles your information. "We", "us" and "our" refer to the developer of the app. If you have any question, write to shashankshah042@gmail.com.

In short: your financial records are stored on your phone. Some optional features send limited data to Google services (Firebase and Google Drive) so they can work. The app shows ads through Google AdMob. We do not sell your personal data.

1. Data stored only on your device

The following stays in the app's local database on your phone and is not uploaded to our servers:

Transactions (amount, category, date, note, payment method), budgets, recurring payments and bills
Savings goals and contributions, assets, debts and net worth history
Financial setup details you enter (income, fixed expenses)
Notes and any photos you attach to notes or transactions
App settings such as currency and backup preferences

If you uninstall the app or use Settings → Erase all data, this local data is deleted.

2. Data we process and why

Feature	Data	Sent to
App sign-in (automatic)	A random anonymous user ID. No name or email is needed.	Firebase Authentication (Google)
Trip expense splitting (optional)	Your name and phone number; device OS, OS version and app version; approximate location derived from your IP address (IP address, city, region, country, internet provider). Trip details (name, destination, description, dates), trip members' names and phone numbers that you add, and trip expenses (amount, title, category, who paid and how it is split).	Cloud Firestore (Google). Your IP address is looked up once at registration through ip-api.com to find the approximate location.
Google Drive backup (optional)	An encrypted backup of your app data and a CSV of your transactions.	Your own Google Drive account (see section 3)
Voice entry (optional)	Your speech while the microphone button is active.	Your device's speech recognition service (on most Android phones this is provided by Google)
Receipt scanning (optional)	The receipt photo is read on your device.	Not uploaded. Text recognition runs on-device using Google ML Kit.
Feedback (optional)	The name and message you type, and your device platform.	Cloud Firestore (Google)
Analytics	App usage events, screens viewed, device model, OS version, app version, approximate country and an app instance identifier.	Google Analytics for Firebase
Advertising	Advertising ID, device information, IP address and ad interaction data.	Google AdMob

Trip sharing

When you share a trip, other people who join it can see the trip details, the members' names and phone numbers, and the trip expenses. Only trip members can read a trip. Please add other people's phone numbers only with their consent.

3. Google Drive and Google user data

If you connect Google Drive in Settings → Google Drive backup, the app asks for the drive.file and drive.appdata permissions. With them the app:

creates a folder named Apna Budget Manager Backup in your Drive,
writes apna_budget_backup.enc (encrypted app backup) and apna_budget_transactions.csv (your transactions) into that folder,
reads the backup back only when you tap Restore (older versions of the app stored the backup in the app's hidden Drive folder, which is also read during restore).

The app can only access files it created. It cannot see any other file in your Drive. The app also reads your Google account email address to show which account is connected. Backups go directly from your phone to your Google Drive and are never sent to our servers or shared with anyone.

If you turn on a backup reminder (every 3 days, weekly or monthly), the app shows a local notification on the due day. Nothing is uploaded until you open the app and the backup runs.

Apna Budget Manager's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We do not use Google user data for advertising or share it with anyone.

You can disconnect at any time with Sign out in the app, or by removing Apna Budget Manager from your Google Account permissions. Files already in your Drive stay there until you delete them.

4. Device permissions

Notifications: budget alerts, goal milestones, bill reminders and backup reminders. These are created on your device.
Microphone: only for voice entry, while you hold the microphone button.
Camera and photos: only when you choose to scan a receipt or attach a photo.
Storage: to save or open backup and CSV files you export or import.
Run at startup / wake lock: so scheduled reminders still appear after your phone restarts.
Internet: for the online features listed above and for ads.

5. Third-party services

These services process data under their own privacy policies:

Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Analytics): firebase.google.com/support/privacy
Google AdMob: policies.google.com/technologies/ads
Google Drive and ML Kit: policies.google.com/privacy
ip-api.com (approximate location lookup): ip-api.com/docs/legal

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with the services listed above, to provide the app's features, or when required by law.

6. Data security

Data sent to Firebase and Google Drive is encrypted in transit. The backup file created by the app is encrypted. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so please protect your phone with a screen lock.

7. Data retention and deletion

Local data: kept until you erase it in the app or uninstall the app.
Trips: kept until the trip creator deletes the trip in the app.
Trip profile (name, phone, device and location details) and feedback: kept until you ask us to delete them.
Google Drive backups: kept in your Drive until you delete them.
Analytics and advertising data: kept according to Google's retention settings.

To request deletion of any data stored in our Firebase project, email shashankshah042@gmail.com from any address and include the phone number you used for trips. We will delete it within 30 days.

8. Your choices

All online features except analytics and ads are optional. You can use the app without trips, voice entry or Drive backup.
You can reset or opt out of personalised ads in your Android settings under Google → Ads.
You can turn notifications off in your Android app settings.

9. Children

Apna Budget Manager is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will update it on this page and change the effective date above.

11. Contact

Email: shashankshah042@gmail.com