Privacy Policy | Cost Steps

Last Updated: August 27, 2026

The Cost Steps application is built as a Free service provided by Abdelbaki Houche (Ba9i). This service is provided "AS IS" and is designed to assist users with financial tracking and business model planning.

1. Data Collection and Usage

We respect your privacy and are committed to transparency regarding how information is handled within the app:

Personal & Financial Data: Cost Steps does not collect, store, transmit, or process any personally identifiable information (such as your name, email address, or phone number) or any financial entries (such as income, expenses, or business logs).
Local Storage: All financial data, budgets, and logs you input remain strictly stored locally and exclusively on your device. We have no access to your financial records, and they are never transmitted or uploaded to external servers.
Offline Functionality: The app operates primarily offline to ensure your business planning and financial data remain completely private and under your total control.

2. File Sharing and Exporting

The app includes features that allow you to generate and export financial reports or summaries.

User-Initiated Actions: When you use the export, print, or share features, the app passes the generated financial document to the Android system's native sharing interface.
Third-Party Destination: You can voluntarily choose to share your exported files with external apps (such as Gmail, WhatsApp, or Google Drive).
User Control: Exporting or sharing occurs only when explicitly triggered by you. Cost Steps never exports or shares data automatically or in the background.

3. Permissions Used

To function correctly, Cost Steps requests the following system permissions:

Storage Access: Required solely to save, export, and load financial reports and local database backup files on your device.
Android 13+ Support: On newer Android versions, the app uses modern system-scoped storage mechanisms to ensure your other personal files remain untouched and completely private while managing local application data.

4. Data Deletion & Account Policy

No Account Required: Cost Steps does not require users to create an account or log in. Consequently, no user profiles or financial data are stored on external databases or cloud servers.
Deleting Your Data: Because all data resides locally on your device, you have complete control over its deletion:
- Clear App Data: Go to Device Settings > Apps > Cost Steps > Storage > Clear Data.
- Uninstalling the App: Uninstalling Cost Steps will permanently delete all locally stored financial transactions, category logs, and custom data from your device.

5. Government Disclaimer

Cost Steps is an independent productivity and business planning tool developed by Ba9i. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of any government entity, official institution, or state financial authority. Any financial estimations or reports generated within the app are the sole responsibility of the user.

6. Third-Party Services & Technical Data

To maintain app stability and measure core system performance, Cost Steps uses standard third-party developer frameworks. These services may process non-personally identifiable device identifiers governed by their respective privacy policies.

Link to privacy policy of third-party service providers used by the app:

Google Play Services: https://policies.google.com/privacy

7. Children's Privacy

Cost Steps is intended for users aged 13 and older. The app does not knowingly collect or target personal information from children under the age of 13. Since all data is maintained locally on the user's device and no personal data is collected, we do not process child-related information.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Any updates or changes will become effective immediately upon being posted on this page. You are advised to review this page periodically for any changes.

9. Contact Us

For any inquiries or privacy concerns, please contact:

Developer: Abdelbaki Houche (Ba9i)

Email: abdelbaki.houche@gmail.com

Website: https://ba9idev.is-a.dev/