Budget Tracker 

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Destiny Apps Studio ("we," "our," or "us") operates the Ethio Expense (ወጪ ገቢ መቆጣጠሪያ) mobile application (the "App"). We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains our data collection, usage, and protection practices.

By downloading, installing, or using the App, you agree to the terms described in this policy.

1. Executive Summary & Core Philosophy

Our core privacy principle is simple: Your financial data is yours alone.
Ethio Expense is designed to operate primarily as an offline personal finance tracker.

• We do not collect, store, or transmit your transaction records, account balances, event budgets, or categories to external servers.

• All financial bookkeeping is handled locally on your device using a private, isolated SQLite database.

1. Information Collected & How We Use It

Although the App is an offline-first financial tracker, we utilize specific third-party services that may collect minimal technical information to facilitate app monetization, remote features, and notifications.

A. Personal Data & Transaction Information (Offline)

• What is stored: Transaction amounts, dates, notes, category choices, event names, budgets, and bank account names.

• Where it is stored: Strictly on your device's secure local storage (using expo-sqlite and expo-secure-store).

• Our access: We have no access to this data. It is never uploaded to our servers, shared with any third party, or used for analytical profiling.

B. Third-Party Services & SDKs (Online)
To support development, keep the App free, and provide critical features, we integrate the following Google and Firebase services:

1. Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK)
   We display App Open, Banner, and Interstitial ads in the App.

• Information Collected: AdMob may collect and use your device’s Advertising ID (e.g., Google AAID), IP address, device type, network provider, and basic app interaction metrics to serve relevant ads.

• Privacy Choices: Depending on your location (e.g., GDPR regions) and system settings, you can reset your Advertising ID or opt-out of personalized ads directly within your Android device settings (Settings > Google > Ads).

• Policy Reference: Google Partner Privacy & Terms (https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites)

1. Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) & Remote Config
   We use Firebase to deliver app update alerts (Force Update) and push notifications (e.g., daily expense logging reminders).

• Information Collected: FCM automatically assigns a unique FCM Token to your device to route messages. Firebase Remote Config fetches configuration variables (such as minimum version required) from the server.

• Our access: FCM tokens are processed securely and automatically by Firebase. We do not link these tokens to your personal identity.

• Policy Reference: Google Firebase Privacy Policy (https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy)

1. Device Permissions Requested

To provide standard and advanced features, the App requests permissions from your Android operating system. Below is a breakdown of why each permission is required:

1. Biometric / Fingerprint (USE_BIOMETRIC, USE_FINGERPRINT): Allows you to lock the App and unlock it securely using your device's fingerprint or facial scanner. Authentication is handled natively; we never access your biometric templates.

2. Storage (Read/Write) (READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE): Required when you explicitly choose to export your records to a CSV/Excel file, or restore databases from backups.

3. Internet Access (INTERNET): Used to load Remote Config rules (such as app updates), receive push notifications via FCM, and fetch advertisements via Google AdMob.

4. System Alerts (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW): Standard overlay permission for Expo platform modules, used for rendering floating UI interfaces or debug configurations.

5. Vibrate (VIBRATE): Used for sensory user feedback (haptic vibration) when interacting with buttons, dialogs, or entering amounts on the keypad.

6. Data Security & Storage

Because all of your financial bookkeeping data remains localized, the security of your data depends heavily on your own device's security:

• Local Database: Your records are stored in a local SQLite database that is private and isolated to the App's sandbox environment. Other apps installed on your device cannot access this database.

• App Lock: We highly recommend enabling the PIN or Biometric Lock feature inside the App's Settings screen to prevent unauthorized physical access to your device.

• Data Backups: You are solely responsible for backing up your data. Use the Backup Data (.csv) option in Settings to save your transactions securely before executing system updates, changing devices, or clearing app cache.

7. Children's Privacy

Ethio Expense does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we immediately delete this from our records. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can take the necessary actions.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this Privacy Policy, please feel free to reach out to us:

• Email: destinyapps.studio@gmail.com

• Developer Name: Destiny Apps Studio