Privacy Policy

BudgetBhaiya collects only what is necessary to provide you with expense tracking and budgeting features. We do not collect any data beyond what is listed below.

* SMS reading requires explicit permission grant. You can skip this permission and the app will work in manual entry mode.

This is the most sensitive aspect of our app, so we explain it in full detail.

When you grant the READ_SMS permission, BudgetBhaiya will:

• Read SMS messages only from known Indian bank and UPI sender IDs (e.g. AM-HDFCBK, AM-SBIINB, AM-ICICIB, GPAY, PHONEPE, etc.)
• Extract only the transaction amount, merchant name, UPI reference number, and available balance from matching messages
• Store the extracted transaction data locally on your device using encrypted local storage (Hive database)
• Never read, store, or process personal SMS, OTPs, or messages from contacts
• Never transmit any SMS content to any server or external service
• Immediately discard the full SMS text after extracting transaction data — only the parsed fields are retained

You may revoke SMS permission at any time from Android Settings → Apps → BudgetBhaiya → Permissions. The app will continue to work in manual entry mode after permission is revoked.

We use your data only for the following purposes:

• Transaction tracking: To log, categorize, and display your income and expenses within the app
• Budget calculations: To calculate spending against your set budget limits and savings goals
• Balance display: To show your last known bank balance parsed from bank SMS alerts
• Reminders: To send local notifications for upcoming EMI and bill due dates — no data leaves your device for this
• Cloud backup (Pro only): To securely back up your transaction data to Firebase Firestore so you can restore it if you change devices
• App improvement: Anonymous, aggregated analytics (e.g. "60% of users use the UPI parser") to improve features — no individual user data is analyzed
• Crash fixes: Crash reports via Firebase Crashlytics to identify and fix app bugs

Free users: All data is stored exclusively on your device using Hive, an encrypted local database. Nothing is sent to any server. Uninstalling the app permanently deletes all data.

Pro users: With cloud backup enabled, your complete app data is exported as a structured JSON file and securely stored in Firebase Firestore (Google Cloud, Mumbai region — asia-south1). This backup can be restored to any device you sign in to. Data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.3 and at rest using AES-256 encryption.

How backup works: When you tap "Backup Now" or when auto-backup runs (daily for Pro users), the app packages your data into a single JSON file and uploads it to your private Firestore document at backups/{your_user_id}/data. Only you can access this document — it is protected by Firebase Security Rules tied to your authenticated user ID.

Backup history: We keep your last 3 backup snapshots in Firestore under backups/{your_user_id}/history/. This means if a backup is accidentally corrupted, you can restore from an earlier point. History snapshots older than the 3 most recent are automatically deleted.

How restore works: When you sign in on a new device and tap "Restore Backup," the app downloads your JSON file from Firestore, clears local storage, and rebuilds your complete transaction history, goals, EMIs, and settings on the new device. SMS data and bank balances are not restored — they will be re-populated from your new device's SMS messages.

Data retention: We retain your cloud backup for as long as you have an active Pro subscription plus 90 days after cancellation. After that, your Firestore document and all history snapshots are permanently and irreversibly deleted. You can also request immediate deletion at any time (see Section 8).

BudgetBhaiya uses the following third-party services. Each has their own privacy policy which we link below:

We do not integrate with any financial institutions, banks, or payment processors directly. We do not share your SMS data, transaction data, or balance data with any third-party service.

The free tier of BudgetBhaiya displays banner advertisements powered by Google AdMob. The following applies to ads:

• Ads are displayed only at the bottom of the dashboard screen — never between transactions or as interstitials
• Google AdMob may use your device's advertising ID to show relevant ads
• BudgetBhaiya does NOT share your financial data, transaction history, SMS data, or income with AdMob
• You can reset or opt out of personalized ads in Android Settings → Google → Ads
• Pro subscribers see zero ads — advertisements are completely removed

For more information on how Google uses data in its advertising products, see google.com/policies/privacy/partners

BudgetBhaiya Pro subscriptions are processed entirely through Google Play Billing. Vaju Makwana never sees, stores, or processes your payment card information.

• All payment processing is handled by Google — we receive only a confirmation of successful purchase
• RevenueCat manages subscription status on our behalf — it receives your Google Play purchase receipt only
• Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the renewal date
• To cancel: Google Play Store → Subscriptions → BudgetBhaiya Pro → Cancel
• Refund requests are handled per Google Play's refund policy

You have full control over your data at all times:

• Access: All your data is visible within the app at any time. Pro users can export it as CSV from Settings → Export Data
• Delete local data: Settings → Danger Zone → Delete All Data. This immediately and permanently wipes all transactions, settings, and SMS-parsed data from your device
• Delete cloud data (Pro): Settings → Account → Delete Cloud Backup. Data is removed from Firebase within 24 hours
• Revoke SMS permission: Android Settings → Apps → BudgetBhaiya → Permissions → SMS → Deny. App continues working in manual mode
• Opt out of analytics: Settings → Privacy → Disable Analytics. No usage data will be sent
• Uninstall: Uninstalling the app permanently deletes all local data. Cloud data is deleted within 90 days
• Data portability: Export your full transaction history as a CSV file from Settings at any time

To request deletion of any server-side data (crash logs, analytics, cloud backup), email us at the address in Section 11. We will respond within 7 business days and complete deletion within 30 days.

BudgetBhaiya is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect any information from children under 18.

If you believe a child under 18 has provided us with personal data, please contact us at the email in Section 11 and we will delete it immediately.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do:

• We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• For material changes, we will notify you with an in-app notice at least 7 days before the change takes effect
• Continued use of the app after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy
• If you do not agree with changes, you may delete your data and uninstall the app

Previous versions of this policy are available on request by emailing us.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please reach out: