Privacy Policy

Who is responsible for your information?

BudgetGoal is developed and operated by:

Samie Syed
United Kingdom
Email: privacy@budgetgoal.org

Most budgeting and financial information entered into the Application is stored locally on your device. We do not receive, store or have access to that locally stored information.

For the limited personal information processed through third-party services selected for the Application, including RevenueCat, Samie Syed is the data controller. This means that we determine why those services are used and the types of information the Application sends to them.

Google and RevenueCat process certain information to provide their services. They may also process limited information for purposes such as security, fraud prevention, legal compliance and service administration in accordance with their own privacy practices.

Information you enter into the Application

The Application allows you to enter budgeting and financial-planning information, including:

• savings goals;
• goal names;
• target and current savings amounts;
• savings plans;
• salary and income amounts;
• outgoing and recurring bill amounts;
• spending and saving entries;
• transaction descriptions and categories;
• budget preferences; and
• related Application settings.

This information is used to provide the Application's budgeting, planning, spending-impact and purchase-impact features.

The information is stored locally on your device unless you choose to use the optional cloud-backup feature described below.

Local device storage

Budgeting and planning information is stored locally using your device's storage.

We do not operate a BudgetGoal server that receives or stores this information. The Application does not currently provide a BudgetGoal user account or separate BudgetGoal cloud account.

Locally stored information may be removed when you:

• delete records within the Application;
• use an in-app reset or clear function;
• clear the Application's storage through your device settings; or
• uninstall the Application.

The effect of uninstalling the Application or clearing its data may depend on your device, operating system and device-backup settings.

Receipt scanning and statement imports

You may scan a receipt using your device's camera or import a supported bank or card statement file, including CSV, QIF or PDF files.

Receipt images, imported statement files and recognised text are processed on your device. They are not uploaded to or received by the Service Provider.

Recognised information is shown to you for review before it is added to your budgeting records.

You are responsible for ensuring that you have permission to import and process any document or information relating to another person.

On-device text recognition

The Application uses on-device text-recognition technology to read text from receipt photos and, where required, imported statement files.

On iOS, this uses Apple's Vision framework. On Android, it uses Google ML Kit configured for on-device processing.

This processing takes place on your device. Receipt images, imported statement files and recognised text are not sent to us or uploaded to an external artificial-intelligence service for this purpose.

Apart from this on-device text recognition, the Application does not use external artificial-intelligence services to process the budgeting or financial information you enter.

Optional cloud backup

The Application includes an optional cloud-backup feature. It is switched off unless you choose to enable or use it.

When you create or enable a cloud backup, a copy of your budgeting and planning information is stored in your own personal cloud-storage account:

• Google Drive on Android; or
• iCloud on iOS.

The cloud account used is the account already signed in on your device.

The contents of your backups are not sent to servers operated by us, and we do not have an administrative system through which we can view them.

The backups remain within your personal Google or Apple account and are subject to the security, storage and account controls provided by Google or Apple.

On Android, backups may be stored in Google Drive's application-data storage and may not appear as ordinary files within Google Drive.

On iOS, backups are stored using the Application's designated iCloud storage.

If you have purchased Pro features, the Application may keep a limited number of dated historical backup snapshots in the same cloud account. These allow you to restore an earlier version of your information.

Backups remain in your cloud account until they are deleted using controls available within the Application or any applicable controls made available by Google or Apple.

Uninstalling the Application may not automatically delete backups already held within your cloud account.

Your use of Google Drive or iCloud is also governed by the relevant provider's terms and privacy practices.

Analytics and earlier versions

BudgetGoal 5.3.8 does not include Firebase Analytics or Firebase Crashlytics and does not collect or send app-usage analytics.

Earlier versions that include Firebase Analytics may continue to send Google technical and usage information, including installation identifiers and approximate region, until you update or stop using those versions.

BudgetGoal does not display third-party advertising.

Purchases and Pro features

If you purchase the Application's Pro features, your payment is processed by the store through which you obtained the Application:

• Apple's App Store; or
• Google Play.

Apple or Google may process payment, account, transaction and device information in accordance with their own terms and privacy practices.

We do not receive or store your complete payment-card or bank-account details.

RevenueCat

The Application uses RevenueCat to validate purchases, restore purchases and determine whether Pro features should be available on your device.

RevenueCat may receive and process limited information, including:

• an anonymous or pseudonymous Application user identifier;
• device and platform information;
• Application version;
• product identifiers;
• purchase and transaction information;
• Apple receipt or Google Play purchase-token information;
• purchase and entitlement status;
• refund or cancellation status; and
• limited technical information needed to operate and protect its service.

Where the Application uses an anonymous RevenueCat identifier, that identifier is not intended to directly reveal your name or email address.

RevenueCat does not need to receive your savings goals, salary, spending entries, receipt images, imported statements or other budgeting information stored within the Application.

RevenueCat processes purchase-related information to provide purchase validation, entitlement management, purchase restoration, fraud prevention, support and service security.

Information collected when you contact us

When you contact us by email or through another support channel, we may receive:

• your name, if you provide it;
• your email address;
• the contents of your message;
• screenshots or attachments you choose to provide;
• information about your device or Application version; and
• any other information you voluntarily provide.

We use this information to respond to your enquiry, provide support, investigate technical issues, resolve purchase problems, protect the Application and maintain appropriate records.

Please avoid sending complete bank statements, payment-card numbers, banking credentials, passwords or other information that is not necessary for us to respond to your enquiry.

Location information

The Application does not request or collect precise, real-time GPS location information.

Information we do not intentionally collect

We do not intentionally collect through servers operated by us:

• your complete payment-card details;
• online-banking credentials;
• precise GPS location;
• contact lists;
• text messages;
• call history;
• health information;
• biometric information;
• receipt images;
• imported bank statements;
• the contents of your cloud backups; or
• the financial records stored locally within the Application.

The Application does not directly connect to your bank account or automatically retrieve transactions from your bank.

How information is used

Limited information processed through the Application and its service providers may be used to:

• provide and maintain Application functionality;
• validate and restore purchases;
• unlock Pro features;
• improve usability and performance;
• diagnose technical problems;
• maintain reliability and security;
• prevent fraud and misuse;
• respond to support requests;
• comply with legal obligations; and
• establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

Lawful bases for processing

Where United Kingdom or European data-protection law applies, we may rely on the following lawful bases.

Performance of a contract

Limited purchase, entitlement and support information may be processed where necessary to provide Pro features, validate or restore purchases, or provide services you have requested.

Legitimate interests

Where permitted by law, limited technical, security and support information may be processed for our legitimate interests in operating, understanding, improving and protecting the Application.

We consider the nature and necessity of the processing and its potential effect on users before relying on legitimate interests.

Consent

Where applicable law requires consent for particular processing, we will rely on consent or another legally permitted basis.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent. This does not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

Legal obligations

Limited information may be processed or retained where necessary to comply with applicable legal, accounting, tax, consumer-protection or regulatory obligations.

How information may be disclosed

Limited information may be disclosed:

• to RevenueCat in connection with purchase validation and entitlement management;
• to Apple or Google in connection with app-store purchases;
• to Apple or Google when you use optional personal cloud storage;
• to professional advisers where reasonably necessary;
• where required by law, legal process or a lawful request;
• where reasonably necessary to protect users, prevent fraud, investigate security incidents or defend legal rights; or
• as part of a sale, transfer or reorganisation of the Application, subject to appropriate protections.

We do not sell the budgeting or financial information you enter into the Application.

Because locally stored budgeting information is not sent to us, we are generally unable to access or disclose it.

International processing

Google, Apple and RevenueCat operate internationally and may process limited information outside the United Kingdom or the country where you live.

Where required by applicable law, international processing will be subject to recognised legal safeguards or other permitted transfer arrangements.

Further information is available in the relevant provider's privacy and data-processing terms.

Data retention

Locally stored budgeting and financial information remains on your device until you delete it, reset the Application, clear its storage or uninstall it, subject to your device and operating-system settings.

Cloud backups remain in your Google Drive or iCloud account until they are deleted using the Application or any applicable controls made available by Google or Apple.

Uninstalling the Application may not automatically delete existing cloud backups.

Purchase and entitlement information processed through RevenueCat may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to validate purchases, restore Pro access, maintain entitlement records, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, provide support and meet legal or accounting obligations.

Support communications are retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to the enquiry, investigate relevant issues, maintain appropriate records and meet applicable legal obligations.

Information may be deleted, anonymised or aggregated when it is no longer reasonably required.

Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live and the applicable law, you may have rights relating to personal information processed about you, including rights to request access, correction or deletion, and to object to or restrict certain processing.

Most budgeting and financial information is stored only on your device and is not accessible to us. You can normally access, correct or delete this information directly within the Application.

Cloud backups are stored in your own Google Drive or iCloud account and can be managed using controls available within the Application or through your cloud-storage provider.

To ask a privacy question or exercise an applicable right, contact:

privacy@budgetgoal.org

You may also have the right to raise a concern with the data-protection authority responsible for your location. In the United Kingdom, this is the Information Commissioner's Office.

Children's privacy

BudgetGoal is a general budgeting Application and is not directed to children under 13.

The Application does not currently provide BudgetGoal account registration, and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 through a BudgetGoal account.

If you believe that a child under 13 has provided personal information to us, contact us so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.

Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the limited information processed through the Application and its service providers.

The Application's local-storage design means that core budgeting information is not routinely transmitted to or stored on servers operated by us.

Optional cloud backups are protected by the security and access controls associated with your personal Google or Apple account. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your device and cloud account.

No device, electronic storage system, cloud service or method of transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Third-party services

The Application may use the following third-party services:

• RevenueCat;
• Apple App Store and StoreKit;
• Google Play and Google Play Billing;
• Apple iCloud;
• Google Drive;
• Apple Vision; and
• Google ML Kit.

These providers operate under their own terms and privacy practices and may update their services independently.

Discontinuation of the Application

We may discontinue, remove or stop supporting BudgetGoal or any of its features.

If the Application is discontinued:

• it may be removed from the App Store or Google Play;
• cloud-backup, purchase-validation, support or other services may stop operating;
• locally stored information may remain on your device;
• existing backups may remain within your personal Google Drive or iCloud account until you delete them; and
• limited information may be retained where reasonably necessary for legal, accounting, security, purchase-support or other legitimate purposes.

The Application, website and support channels are not guaranteed to remain available indefinitely.

Where reasonably practicable, updated contact or privacy information may be made available through the Application, its store listing or another available channel before an existing website or contact address is closed.

Once information is no longer reasonably required, it will be deleted, anonymised or otherwise handled in accordance with applicable law.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to the Application, its features, third-party services, legal requirements or our privacy practices.

An updated Privacy Policy will include a revised effective date.

Where a change materially affects how personal information is collected or used, an additional notice may be provided where reasonably required.

Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy or the Application's privacy practices, contact:

Samie Syed
United Kingdom
Email: privacy@budgetgoal.org