Expense Tracker

Privacy Policy

Last updated — October 5, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what Expense Tracker (the "Application") accesses on Your Device, why, and how You stay in control. The Application is provided by Patrick Ackom, trading as Expense Tracker, in Ghana ("We", "Us" or "Our").

In short: Expense Tracker needs no account and no server. Everything You enter stays on Your Device, and We receive none of it.

Interpretation and Definitions

Words with capitalised initial letters have the meanings defined below, whether they appear in singular or plural.

  • Application refers to Expense Tracker, the software program provided by Us.
  • Device means any device that can run the Application, such as a phone or tablet.
  • Personal Data means any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
  • You means the individual using the Application, or the company or other legal entity on whose behalf that individual uses it.

The Data the Application Handles

Information You Enter

Anything You enter, such as an optional name and email in Your profile, Your cashbooks, transactions, budgets, debts and notes, is stored only on Your Device. We do not receive it and cannot access it.

Usage Data

The Application does not collect Usage Data. It contains no analytics, advertising or crash-reporting tools, and it does not send information about how You use it to Us. The app store You download the Application from (Google Play or the Apple App Store) may collect information under its own privacy policy.

Device Permissions and Features

  • Notifications: Expense reminders are scheduled locally on Your Device. On Android, permission is requested when You first open the Application. On iPhone, it is requested after You log Your first entry.
  • Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint: Used only to unlock the Application if You turn on biometric lock. Biometric data is handled by Your Device's operating system and is never available to Us or to the Application.
  • Clipboard: Read only when You tap Paste an SMS, to log the message You copied.
  • Files: Accessed only when You choose to export or import a backup. Backup files are plain, unencrypted files containing Your financial data, including any captured SMS text, so store them safely.
  • Home-screen widgets (Android): Show balances and budgets using data already on Your Device.
  • App updates and ratings: When opened, the Application asks Google Play (Android) or Apple's App Store (iPhone) whether a newer version is available, and may occasionally show the store's own rating prompt. These requests go to Google or Apple under their privacy policies. We receive nothing from them.

Automatic Logging (Optional Feature)

Expense Tracker includes an optional Automatic Logging feature that can suggest expense entries from incoming SMS messages and, on Android, posted notifications on Your Device. This feature is off by default and must be enabled explicitly in Settings → Automatic Logging.

On iPhone, apps cannot read Your messages. Instead, You may create an automation in Apple's Shortcuts app that passes the text of matching SMS messages (and, if You choose, the sender) to Expense Tracker. Only messages Your automation passes on are received. You can also copy an SMS and paste it into Expense Tracker. To stop, turn off or delete the automation in the Shortcuts app.

What Is Captured

When Automatic Logging is enabled, and only for the senders and apps that You place on the allowlist (on iPhone, for the messages Your Shortcuts automation passes on or that You paste), Expense Tracker reads:

  • SMS: the sender identifier and the message body. On iPhone, the sender is included only if You connect it in Your automation.
  • Notifications (Android): the source application's package name, the notification title, and the notification text.

How It Is Used

  • All processing happens on Your Device.
  • The message text is parsed locally to extract the amount, merchant, and whether the transaction is income or expense.
  • Parsed suggestions are either saved directly into a cashbook or queued for Your review.
  • The original message text is stored locally alongside each auto-logged transaction so You can verify the result. You can delete or reject any captured entry at any time.

What We Do Not Do

  • Nothing is uploaded. Expense Tracker does not send the contents of Your SMS or notifications to any server. We do not operate any server associated with this feature.
  • No advertising or analytics. Captured text is never used for advertising, profiling, or training any model.
  • No sharing. Captured text is never shared with third parties.

Permissions Requested on Android

  • READ_SMS and RECEIVE_SMS: to read financial SMS from senders You allow.
  • BIND_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_SERVICE: to read notifications from apps You allow. You grant this once in Android's Notification Access settings.

On iPhone

No SMS permission is requested on iPhone, because iPhone does not offer one. Messages reach Expense Tracker only through a Shortcuts automation You create, and iPhone shows a short notification each time that automation runs.

Your Controls

  • Turn Automatic Logging off at any time from the Automatic Logging settings screen.
  • Remove individual senders or apps from the allowlist to stop capturing from them.
  • Revoke SMS or Notification Access from Android's app settings at any time. Capture stops until You grant it again.
  • On iPhone, turn off or delete the automation in the Shortcuts app. Expense Tracker also ignores any message it receives while SMS logging is off.
  • Clear Your auto-logged data by deleting the affected transactions or cashbooks, or by uninstalling the Application.

How We Use and Share Your Data

Because Your data never leaves Your Device, We do not use it for any purpose. The Application processes it locally only to provide its features: balances, budgets, reports, reminders and Automatic Logging.

We do not share Personal Data with anyone, because We never receive it.

Retention and Deletion

Your data stays on Your Device for as long as You keep it in the Application. We hold no copy, so We retain nothing.

You can delete individual transactions, cashbooks, debts and budgets inside the Application, or uninstall it to remove everything. Because We hold no copy, there is nothing for Us to delete.

Transfer of Your Data

Your data is not transferred anywhere. It leaves Your Device only if You export a backup and move it Yourself.

Security of Your Data

Your data is protected by Your Device's own security, including its encryption at rest. You can add a PIN or biometric lock to the Application in Settings. No method of electronic storage is 100% secure, so keep Your Device and any exported backups safe.

Children's Privacy

The Application is not directed at anyone under the age of 16, and We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from anyone. If You are a parent or guardian and have concerns, please contact Us.

The Application may link to websites We do not operate. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy on this page and update the "Last updated" date. The Application links to this page from Settings.

Contact Us

If You have any questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us by email at patrickackom003@gmail.com.