BudgetIQ – Privacy Policy

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Your financial data never leaves your device. BudgetIQ is built on a local-first principle — we do not operate a developer-owned server for your financial information. Everything stays on your device, under your control.

This policy explains what information BudgetIQ handles, how it is used, which third-party services are involved, and what choices you have as a user. We've written it in plain language so there are no surprises.

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Information You Provide

BudgetIQ only works with data you actively enter or import. Nothing is collected passively from your device.

→Profile details — display name, currency preference, monthly income, pay frequency, and in-app preferences like theme and dashboard layout.
→Financial records — transactions, accounts, credit cards, budgets, bills, debts, savings goals, categories, tags, and personal notes.
→Backup & restore files — files you create, share, save, copy, or import are entirely in your hands. BudgetIQ never touches them without your action.
→Notification preferences — daily expense reminders, bill due date alerts, weekly summaries, and monthly financial reports.

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How Your Information Is Used

Your data is used exclusively to power the app features you see and use — nothing else.

→Showing live balances, budget progress, charts, detailed reports, and personalised financial summaries on your dashboard.
→Generating PDF, JSON, and CSV exports on demand, built entirely from your local data.
→Scheduling local notifications and smart reminders based on your bill dates, goals, and notification settings.
→Restoring your full app state from a backup file when you choose to import one.
→Remembering preferences such as theme, currency, hidden balances, widget layout, and ad-free status between sessions.

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Local Storage

All finance data is stored on your device using Android Room database for structured records and DataStore preferences for app settings. No data is synced to a BudgetIQ server.

If Android's built-in backup or device transfer is enabled on your phone, app data may be included in your Android/Google account backup according to your own device settings — this is controlled entirely by you through Android system settings, not by BudgetIQ.

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Data Sharing & Third-Party Services

BudgetIQ integrates a small number of third-party services to deliver specific features. Here's exactly what each one does and what data is involved:

Service	Purpose	Data Involved
Google Mobile Ads	Shows banner ads unless you've purchased the ad-free plan	Device identifiers, ad interactions, approximate IP-derived location, diagnostics — per Google's own policies
Google Play Billing	Processes the optional ad-free subscription payment	Purchase status and subscription entitlement handled by Google. BudgetIQ only stores a flag to hide ads.
Currency Rate Providers	Fetches live exchange rates in the currency converter tool	Only selected currency codes are sent to public endpoints. Your IP address may be received as part of the standard internet request.
Android Share Sheet	Lets you save, share, export, or import backup and report files	Only the specific file you choose to share or import. Sent only to the app or destination you select.
Apryse PDF SDK	Opens locally generated PDF reports inside the app	Reports are generated entirely from local app data. No data is sent externally by this SDK.

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Advertising & Purchases

BudgetIQ includes banner ads in the free version. You can permanently remove all ads by purchasing the ad-free subscription through Google Play Billing.

All payments are processed entirely by Google Play. BudgetIQ never collects, stores, or transmits your full payment card details — we only receive a confirmation flag indicating whether ads should be hidden.

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Notifications

With your permission, BudgetIQ can send the following local notifications — all scheduled from your device, not from a server:

→Daily expense reminders — nudges to log your spending at a time you choose.
→Bill reminders — alerts before your tracked bills are due.
→Weekly summaries — a snapshot of your week's spending vs. budget.
→Monthly reports — a month-end overview of your financial activity.

You can manage or disable all notifications at any time in the BudgetIQ app settings or in Android system notification settings.

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App Permissions

BudgetIQ requests only the permissions it genuinely needs.

🌐 Internet

Required for ads, Google Play Billing, and live currency rate lookups in the converter.

🔔 Post Notifications

Used only for reminders and summaries when you enable them in settings.

👆 Biometric / Fingerprint

Used only if you choose to enable app lock or biometric security features.

💰 Billing

Required to process the optional ad-free subscription via Google Play.

⏰ Wake Lock

Used by the background reminder infrastructure to ensure scheduled notifications are delivered reliably, even when the screen is off.

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What BudgetIQ Never Does

We want to be explicit about the lines we don't cross — no exceptions, no fine print.

✕BudgetIQ does not read your SMS messages or bank notification texts.
✕BudgetIQ does not listen to or intercept push notifications from your bank or any other app.
✕BudgetIQ does not sell, rent, or trade your personal financial records to any third party.
✕BudgetIQ does not upload your transaction history or financial data to any developer-owned server.

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Your Choices & Controls

You are in full control of your data at all times.

✓Edit or delete any transaction, budget, goal, or other record directly inside the app at any time.
✓Export your complete financial data to JSON or CSV for use elsewhere, or as a personal archive.
✓Import a backup file to fully restore your data after a reset or on a new device.
✓Clear demo data, clear all transactions, or perform a full app reset from the built-in data-management tools.
✓Disable any or all reminders in the app settings or through Android system notification controls.
✓Remove all banner ads permanently by purchasing the ad-free subscription through Google Play.

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Data Retention

Your data lives on your device for as long as you keep the app installed. It is removed when you:

→Delete individual records inside the app.
→Use the app's clear or reset tools in data-management settings.
→Uninstall the app from your device.
→Clear app data from Android system settings.

Backup files you create are stored wherever you choose to save them — device storage, Google Drive, or elsewhere. BudgetIQ has no access to those files once they leave the app.

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Children

BudgetIQ is a personal finance tool intended for adults and is not directed at children under the age of 13. Please do not use the app to submit or store information about a child. If you believe a child's information has been entered into the app, use the data-management tools to clear or reset it.

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Security

BudgetIQ uses Android's standard app storage, which is sandboxed and inaccessible to other apps. You can add an extra layer of protection by enabling the optional app lock or biometric security feature within BudgetIQ.

No method of storage or data transfer is perfectly secure. We recommend protecting your device with a screen lock, securing your Google account, and keeping backup files stored safely. Treat your BudgetIQ backup file the same way you would treat a bank statement.

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Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated when app features are added or changed, legal requirements shift, or third-party services are added or removed. The effective date at the top of the policy will always reflect the most recent update. We encourage you to review the policy periodically.

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Have a privacy question or concern? Our team is happy to help. Reach us at:

[email protected]