Privacy Policy for Companion
Effective Date: September 1, 2024
Last Updated: September 1, 2026
Application Name: Companion - Life & Academic Management
Developer Name: Rahul Babu M P
Contact Email: rahulbabuoffl@gmail.com
Introduction
Welcome to Companion ("we," "our," or "us"). Companion is a unified digital life-management mobile application designed specifically for international students to manage academic responsibilities, financial activities, personal organization, document expiration tracking, and daily life from a single platform.
We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data and sensitive information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information when you download, install, or use the Companion mobile application (the "App") available on the Google Play Store and other platforms.
By downloading, registering, or using Companion, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the App.
Information We Collect
We collect information that you voluntarily provide to us when using the App, as well as data automatically processed to ensure seamless offline-first operation and cloud synchronization.
A. Account & Profile Information
Registration Details: Email address, user ID, and account password (stored securely in hashed format via Supabase Authentication).
Profile Metadata: User display name, profile picture/avatar, preferred base currency, and theme preferences (light/dark mode).
B. Financial & Budgeting Data
Expense Records: Transaction amounts, expense categories (e.g., food, rent, utilities, academic, travel), expense dates, payment methods, and notes.
Account Balances & Goals: Custom account labels (e.g., bank account, cash wallet), account balances, and savings target goals.
Important Disclosure: Companion is a personal budgeting tool. We do not collect, store, or process real banking credentials, credit card numbers, or live banking API credentials. Financial data is logged manually by you for your own tracking purposes and is strictly private to your account.
C. Location Data (Saved Places & Navigation)
Saved Places: GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude), place names, custom categories (e.g., university, accommodation, embassy/immigration office, hospital), and optional notes.
Location Usage: Location data is collected only when you explicitly interact with location-saving features or view nearby saved spots on Google Maps. Location information is never tracked continuously in the background and is never shared with third-party advertisers.
D. Academic & Schedule Information
Course Details: Enrolled courses, course names, codes, credits, and faculty names.
Academic Marks & Assessment: Assignment titles, deadlines, assessment marks/grades, semester exam schedules, and calculated GPA/CGPA summaries.
Class Schedules: Weekly timetables, lecture times, room numbers, and recurring course events.
E. Document & Legal Expiry Records
Document Expiration Tracking: Passport renewal dates, visa expiry dates, residence permit statuses, insurance renewal deadlines, and user-attached document notes.
Privacy Assurance: Sensitive administrative dates are stored encrypted and used exclusively to generate timely local reminder notifications for you.
F. Tasks, Checklists & Inventory
Tasks & Shopping Lists: User-created tasks, checklists, and grocery items.
Inventory Thresholds: Household stock levels and minimum quantity thresholds.
G. Automatically Collected & Device Information
Notification Tokens: Device push notification tokens generated via Firebase / local notification system to deliver deadline and expiry alerts.
Network State: Connectivity status (ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE) used to handle offline caching (sqflite / hive) and cloud sync with Supabase when internet connectivity is available.
Device Permissions Requested
To provide full functionality, Companion requests access to specific device permissions.
INTERNET: Enables cloud data synchronization with Supabase and real-time exchange rate updates. Mandatory.
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION: Captures precise GPS coordinates when saving places (e.g., university, accommodation, hospital) for map navigation. Optional.
ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION: Approximates general location for mapping and location tagging functions. Optional.
CAMERA: Allows taking photos directly within the app for profile picture updates or document attachments. Optional.
POST_NOTIFICATIONS: Delivers critical reminder alerts for assignment deadlines, document expirations, low inventory, and scheduled events (Android 13+). Optional.
How We Use Your Information
We use the collected information solely for operating, maintaining, and improving Companion.
Core Service Operation: Displaying dashboards, tracking tasks, organizing expenses, calculating multi-currency conversions, rendering weekly timetables, and managing academic grades.
Offline-First Synchronization: Caching data locally on your device and synchronizing changes securely with Supabase when online.
Automated Reminders: Sending push and local notifications for upcoming assignment submission deadlines, visa/passport expiration dates, and low household inventory.
Location Navigation: Displaying saved custom spots on Google Maps to assist international students in navigating new surroundings.
App Security & Support: Authenticating user accounts, maintaining data isolation, resolving technical bugs, and protecting against unauthorized access.
Third-Party Services and Data Sharing
We DO NOT sell, trade, rent, or monetize your personal or financial data under any circumstances.
To deliver secure cloud infrastructure and map services, we integrate with trusted third-party service providers who process data strictly according to their privacy policies.
Supabase (Supabase Inc.)
Purpose: User authentication, encrypted database storage, and row-level data access enforcement.
Privacy Policy: https://supabase.com/privacy
Google Maps Platform (Google LLC)
Purpose: Map rendering and geolocation display for saved places.
Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
Open Exchange Rates / Exchange Rate APIs
Purpose: Fetching public currency exchange rate ratios. No personal user data is sent during currency conversion rate requests.
Data Security and Storage
We prioritize data security and implement industry-standard technical and organizational controls.
Encryption in Transit: All network communication between Companion and server endpoints uses encrypted HTTPS/TLS protocols.
Row-Level Security (RLS): Backend security rules in Supabase enforce strict user-level data isolation, ensuring that only you can query or update your private records.
Secure On-Device Storage: Sensitive auth tokens and cached preferences are stored securely using platform-native encrypted storage (Flutter Secure Storage).
No Third-Party Advertising: Companion contains zero third-party ad networks, advertising SDKs, or invasive user-tracking scripts.
Account Deletion & Data Retention
Data Retention
Your data is retained for as long as your account remains active. Local cached data remains on your physical device until you uninstall the app or clear app storage.
Data Deletion Request (Play Store Compliance)
You have the complete right to delete your account and remove all personal data stored in Companion at any time.
Method 1: In-App Deletion
Open Companion.
Navigate to Settings > Account & Profile.
Scroll down and tap Delete Account.
Confirm deletion. Your account, financial logs, academic records, saved locations, and document tracking data will be permanently purged immediately.
Method 2: Email Deletion Request
If you cannot access the app, send an email request to rahulbabuoffl@gmail.com.
Subject: Account Deletion Request - Companion
Body: Please specify your registered account email address.
Upon receiving an email request, we will process and permanently delete your account and associated cloud data within 7 business days.
Children’s Privacy (COPPA Compliance)
Companion is intended for university students, higher education enrolled individuals, and adult international travelers. The App is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at rahulbabuoffl@gmail.com, and we will delete the data immediately.
Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA Compliance)
Depending on your jurisdiction, you possess the following privacy rights.
Right to Access: You may request details about the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Erasure (Data Deletion): You may request complete deletion of your profile and records.
Right to Rectification: You can update or edit your personal profile information directly within the app at any time.
Right to Data Portability: You may request an export of your logged personal data.
To exercise any of these rights, please email us at rahulbabuoffl@gmail.com.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy periodically to reflect app updates, new legal requirements, or service modifications. Any changes will be posted within this document, and the "Last Updated" date at the top will be updated.
We encourage users to review this policy periodically.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, feedback, or privacy rights requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact:
Rahul Babu M P
Developer & Creator of Companion
Email: rahulbabuoffl@gmail.com
GitHub: https://github.com/rahulthewhitehat