Privacy Policy for FinDet

1. Complete Offline Operation

FinDet operates entirely on your device:

• All financial data remains exclusively on your device
• No data synchronization with external servers
• No cloud storage or backup servers
• All processing happens locally on your device
• Your data is yours alone - we can't access it

2. App Features and Why They Matter

FinDet offers powerful features designed to make expense tracking effortless. Here's what makes FinDet essential for managing your finances:

Core Features

• Auto Expense Tracking: Automatically detects transactions from your bank SMS/RCS messages
• Voice Transaction Input: Speak your transactions naturally - "Groceries 500 rupees"
• Receipt Image Linking: Attach receipt photos to transactions for complete records
• Local Data Backup: Export and backup your data to your preferred location
• Smart Budgeting: Set category budgets and track spending limits
• Historic Spends Analysis: View detailed spending patterns over time
• Multi-Account Support: Track banks, credit cards, and wallets in one place
• Home Screen Widgets: Quick access to your financial summary

2A. Essential Permissions - Why We Need Them

These permissions unlock FinDet's most powerful features and are ESSENTIAL to analyze your past and future spending patterns effectively. While technically optional, granting these permissions enables you to:

• ✓ Automatically track 95% of your expenses without manual entry
• ✓ Get accurate insights from your transaction history in SMS/RCS messages
• ✓ Add transactions hands-free while driving or multitasking
• ✓ Maintain complete transaction records with visual proof
• ✓ Utilize FinDet's full potential for comprehensive financial management

2B. Permission Details (Complete Transparency)

📱 SMS/RCS Permission (Essential for Auto-Tracking)

Why It's Essential: This is THE core feature that makes FinDet powerful. Your bank already sent you transaction details via SMS/RCS. FinDet simply reads and organizes this information so you can analyze your spending patterns.

• What We Access: Both SMS and RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages
• ONLY from financial institutions: Banks, credit cards, UPI services, payment providers
• Personal SMS are NEVER accessed: Messages from friends, family, or personal contacts are completely ignored
• Why We Need It: To automatically detect and categorize transactions from banks, payment apps, and merchants
• How It Works: All messages are scanned and processed 100% locally on your device
• Data Privacy: No SMS or RCS content EVER leaves your device or is transmitted to any server
• ZERO network transmission: All processing happens offline on your device
• What We Extract: Only transaction patterns (amount, merchant, date, account) from financial messages
• Your Control: Completely optional. You can revoke this permission anytime from Android Settings and use manual entry instead
• Best For: Users who receive bank transaction SMS/RCS and want automatic expense tracking

🎤 Microphone Permission (Essential for Voice Input)

Why It's Essential: Add transactions in seconds while driving, cooking, or when your hands are busy. Just speak naturally and FinDet handles the rest.

• IMPORTANT: Voice-to-text uses android built-in Google's Speech Recognition service
• Data Flow: Your voice audio is sent to Google's servers for transcription
• Requires: Internet connection to function
• Google Processes: Voice audio and returns text transcription
• FinDet's Access: We never store, record, or have access to your raw voice audio
• What Happens: Receives text from Google, parses it locally on your device, stores transaction data locally
• Transaction Data: Stays on your device - never sent to Google or anywhere else
• Google's Privacy: Subject to Google's Privacy Policy
• Your Control: Completely optional. You must explicitly consent before using. You can revoke this permission anytime from Android Settings and use manual text entry instead
• Best For: Users who want hands-free transaction entry

📷 Camera Permission (Essential for Receipt Records)

Why It's Essential: Link receipt photos to transactions for complete expense documentation. Perfect for business expenses, warranty claims, and tax records.

• What We Access: Camera to capture receipt images
• Why We Need It: To let you attach visual proof to transactions
• How It Works: Images are stored locally on your device, linked to specific transactions
• Data Privacy: Receipt images never leave your device - 100% local storage
• Your Control: Completely optional. You can revoke this permission anytime from Android Settings
• Best For: Users who need to maintain receipt records for business or personal use

🔔 Notifications Permission (Optional — Reminders)

Why It's Useful: If you enable notifications, FinDet can send on-device reminders for budget alerts, and recurring transactions so you never miss important payments.

• What We Use: System notification permission to display local reminders and alerts
• Data Handling: Reminder schedules and settings are stored locally on your device
• Privacy: Notification content and schedules never leave your device and are not shared with third parties
• Your Control: Completely optional. You can decline or revoke notification permission anytime from system settings
• Best For: Users who want timely reminders for bills, budgets, and recurring expenses

🔒 Biometric Authentication (Optional — App Access)

Why It's Useful: Biometric authentication (fingerprint) provides a quick and secure way to unlock the app and protect access to your financial data without entering a PIN.

• How It Works: Uses your device's native biometric
• Privacy: Biometric templates are managed by the OS and are NEVER accessible to FinDet. FinDet only receives a confirmation that authentication succeeded or failed
• Data Handling: No biometric data is stored by the app or transmitted to any server
• Your Control: Completely optional. You can enable, disable, or revoke biometric access anytime from your device settings
• Best For: Users who want convenient, secure access to the app without typing credentials

2C. Other Permissions (System Requirements)

• Internet & Network State: Required ONLY for voice transaction feature (to communicate with Google's Speech Recognition) and app updates. Core functionality works 100% offline.
• Wake Lock & Battery Optimization: Ensures SMS monitoring and widget updates work reliably in the background
• Boot Completed: Restarts SMS monitoring after device reboot (optional, for convenience)

Internet Permission — App Updates & Voice Transactions

FinDet requests Internet permission only for two clear and limited purposes: (1) to check whether a newer version of the app is available on the Play Store, and (2) to enable the optional voice transaction feature which uses Google's Speech Recognition for transcription. All other FinDet features work 100% offline.

App Update Checks

• If a newer release version exists.
• Update checks do not collect or transmit your SMS, transaction histories, or any personal identifiers.
• You control updates — the app will not download or install updates without your action through the Play Store.

Voice Transactions (Speech-to-Text)

• The voice feature requires Internet because your recorded audio (only when you explicitly tap the microphone) is sent to Google's servers for transcription.
• FinDet does not record or store raw audio; FinDet receives only the text transcription and processes/stores transaction data locally on your device.
• This feature is optional and disabled unless you choose to use it.

Assurance: Internet permission is limited to these two uses; under no circumstances does FinDet transmit your financial data, SMS/RCS content, or receipt images to external servers — all sensitive data remains on your device.

2D. The Bottom Line

Without These Permissions: You can still use FinDet, but you'll need to manually enter every transaction.

With These Permissions: FinDet becomes a powerful automated expense tracker that saves you time and provides deep insights into your spending.

Our Guarantee: We read SMS data ONLY from financial institutions - NOT personal SMS messages. ALL your financial data stays on your device. NOTHING ever leaves your device. We NEVER share, sell, or transmit your transactions, SMS messages, voice data (transaction text), or receipt images to any third party. Complete transparency, always.

2A. Third-Party Services (Complete Transparency)

FinDet is transparent about ALL third-party services. Here's exactly what we use and when:

Google Speech Recognition Service (Optional Voice Feature)

When you choose to use the voice transaction feature, FinDet uses Google's Speech Recognition:

• Service Type: Android's built-in SpeechRecognizer API
• What Happens: Your voice audio is sent to Google's servers for transcription
• Internet Required: Yes, this feature requires an active internet connection
• Data Sent to Google: Voice audio only (e.g., "groceries 500 rupees")
• Data Received from Google: Text transcription only
• FinDet's Access: FinDet never stores, records, or has access to your raw voice audio
• What FinDet Does: Receives text from Google, parses it locally on your device, stores transaction data locally
• Google's Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• User Control: This feature is completely optional. You must explicitly consent before using it. You can use manual text entry instead.

Important Note: We do not control how Google processes your voice data. By using the voice feature, you acknowledge that your voice audio is processed by Google's servers subject to their privacy policy.

3. Data Security

Your data security is ensured through:

• Strong on-device encryption for all stored data
• Protected by your device's security features
• No external attack surface (no server vulnerabilities)
• Regular security updates via app store

4. Your Data Control

You maintain complete control over your data:

• All data stored only on your device
• Data remains until you choose to delete it
• Uninstalling the app removes all data
• No hidden or cached data outside the app
• No account deletion process needed

5. Benefits of Our Approach

Our offline-first approach provides unique advantages:

• Complete immunity from data breaches
• Works without internet connection
• No service interruptions or downtime
• No vendor lock-in
• Superior privacy protection by design

5A. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

About SMS/RCS Message Parsing

About Data Storage

About Voice Transactions

About Data Sharing and Third Parties

About Permissions and Control

6. Children's Privacy

FinDet's offline nature provides enhanced protection for users of all ages, as we collect no personal information from any user. However, we recommend that children under 17 use this app only under parental supervision, as it involves financial concepts and requires understanding of money management principles.

7. Changes to Privacy Policy

Since FinDet operates offline, privacy policy changes primarily affect the app's offline operation:

• Privacy policy updates delivered through app updates
• Major privacy changes will be highlighted in update notes
• No retroactive changes to data handling (since no data is collected)
• Continued use implies acceptance of updated policy

Contact Us

For questions about our privacy practices:

• Email: findetlab.app@gmail.com

Since we don't collect your data, most privacy concerns are inherently addressed by our offline design. However, we're always happy to clarify any aspects of our privacy approach.