Privacy Policy for Expense Tracker

1. Introduction & Core Philosophy

Synapse Technology ("we," "our," or "us") built the Expense Tracker application (Package Name: com.expensetracker.user) as a modern, privacy-focused financial tracking and budgeting solution for Android. We believe that your personal financial transactions, income statements, bank balances, and budgeting targets belong exclusively to you. The application is built from the ground up on an offline-first architecture, ensuring that full functionality is available without requiring an internet connection or transmitting your financial data to external servers.

2. Information We Process & How It Is Handled

Expense Tracker stores and manages information strictly to deliver user-initiated expense tracking features:

• Financial Transaction Records: Transaction amounts, titles, dates, categories (e.g. Dining, Groceries), payment methods (e.g. Cash, Card, UPI), payee names, and custom notes. By default, this data is saved exclusively inside a local SQLite database (powered by Drift) directly on your physical device.
• Wallet & Account Balances: User-defined accounts (e.g. Cash Wallet, Main Checking, Savings) and starting balances to provide consolidated net balance calculations.
• Budgets & Savings Goals: Monthly category spending caps, alert thresholds (80% and 100%), and milestone savings goals.
• App Preferences: Selected currency symbol (e.g. USD, EUR, INR, GBP), theme preferences (Light / Dark / System mode), and notification timing.

3. Optional Firebase Cloud Backup & Synchronization

Expense Tracker operates fully in Guest / Offline Mode without requiring any account or cloud connection. If you choose to enable cloud synchronization for multi-device access or backup:

• Authentication: Authentication is handled securely through Google Firebase Authentication (Email/Password or Anonymous Sign-in).
• Cloud Database: Synchronized records are stored in Google Cloud Firestore in isolated per-user collections accessible solely with your authenticated credentials.
• Optional Opt-In: Cloud backup is completely optional. You can disconnect cloud services or use the app indefinitely in offline mode.

4. Android Device Permissions

Expense Tracker requests only transparent, minimal Android permissions necessary for local utilities:

5. Security & Hardware Encryption

When you activate PIN protection, your 4-digit code is stored using Flutter Secure Storage, backed by the Android Keystore hardware-backed encryption system. This prevents other applications or unauthorized individuals from reading your passcode even on rooted devices.

6. Data Portability, Export & Erasure

You maintain complete, unconstrained ownership of your financial records:

• CSV Export: You can export your full transaction ledger as a standard CSV spreadsheet compatible with Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Apple Numbers at any time.
• JSON Full Backup: Full structured JSON backups can be generated and saved to your preferred backup drive or shared securely.
• Permanent Data Erasure: You can delete individual transactions, reset categories, or wipe all application data from device settings or within the app's backup settings menu.

7. Zero Third-Party Advertising & No Data Brokering

Expense Tracker does not incorporate third-party advertising SDKs, ad networks, or data monetization brokers. We do not track you across other apps, and we never sell, lease, or monetize your personal or financial data to any marketing agency or advertiser.

8. Children's Privacy (COPPA & GDPR)

Expense Tracker is a general audience financial utility and does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions, feedback, or data requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your financial data, please reach out to us: