The short version
- Your money records are yours. Entries, accounts, budgets and receipt photos are stored on your devices and, if you turn it on, in your own private iCloud. We never receive or see them. There is no account to sign up for.
- Your financial data is never shared with advertisers. PocketBook is free and shows ads from Google AdMob. To show and measure ads, Google may collect device identifiers, your IP address (and an approximate location from it), and ad, usage and diagnostic data. Never your entries, balances or receipts.
- You choose. iOS asks whether PocketBook may track you, and where the law requires it, a Google consent form asks before any ad loads. You can change both at any time.
- The one-time PocketBook Plus purchase is handled by Apple. We never see your payment details.
This Privacy Policy explains how Apexa Pambhar ("we", "us") handles information in the PocketBook app for iPhone and iPad (the "App") and on this website. By using the App you agree to this policy.
1. Your records stay on your devices
Everything you enter in the App (income, expenses, transfers, accounts, cards and loans, categories, tags, budgets, memos, currencies and settings) is stored in a database on your device. We have no servers that receive it.
- iCloud sync. If you turn on iCloud, your records and receipt photos are stored in the App's private iCloud database in your Apple Account, so they can sync between your iPhone and iPad. Only your Apple Account can access this data; we cannot see it. It is handled by Apple under the Apple Privacy Policy.
- Receipt photos. Photos you attach are saved inside the App (and in your iCloud, if sync is on).
- Widgets and Shortcuts. Widgets show summaries such as balances on your Home Screen or Lock Screen, and Shortcuts can add or read entries, all on your device. Anyone who can see your screen can see a widget, so only add the widgets you are comfortable with.
- Reminders and repeats. Reminders are local notifications scheduled on your device. Repeating entries and card payments are posted on your device, including during background refresh.
- Backups and exports. Backup files the App makes are kept on your device. CSV and Excel exports, and backups you share, go only where you send them. Files you import are read on your device.
2. Permissions
The App asks for a permission only when you use the feature that needs it:
| Permission | Why the App uses it |
|---|---|
| Camera | To photograph a receipt you attach to an entry. |
| Photo picker (no permission needed) | To attach a receipt from your photos. The App receives only the photos you select. |
| Photos (Add Only) | To save a receipt photo to your library when you ask. The App cannot read your other photos. |
| Face ID | To unlock the App when you turn on the lock. Face ID is handled by iOS; the App only learns whether it succeeded and never receives your face data. |
| Notifications | To remind you to record entries, if you turn reminders on. |
| Tracking (App Tracking Transparency) | To ask whether Google may use your device's Advertising Identifier (IDFA) to personalise and measure ads across apps and websites owned by other companies. See Your choices. |
You can change these at any time in Settings › PocketBook.
3. Advertising (Google AdMob)
The App is free and shows ads provided by Google AdMob, through the Google Mobile Ads SDK. To show, measure and improve ads, Google may collect:
- Device identifiers: the Advertising Identifier (IDFA) only if you allow tracking, and other identifiers limited to the App or its developer
- Your IP address, which may be used to estimate your general (coarse) location
- Advertising data, such as which ads you have seen, and your interactions with them, such as views and taps
- App usage, performance and diagnostic data, such as app launches and crash logs
The App never gives Google, or any advertiser, your entries, balances, accounts, budgets, receipts or other financial records. This data is collected and processed by Google, not by us, and Google may use it for advertising and analytics, including with other companies that display ads. See How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and Google's Privacy Policy.
4. Your choices
- Tracking. iOS asks whether the App may track you. If you choose Ask App Not to Track, your IDFA is not used to personalise ads. You can change this at any time in Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking.
- Consent (UK, EEA, Switzerland and some US states). Where the law requires it, a Google consent form asks for your choice before any ad is loaded.
- Data held by Google. See My Ad Center.
5. Legal basis (UK GDPR / EU GDPR)
Personalised advertising relies on your consent, which you can withdraw at any time as described above. Non-personalised advertising relies on our legitimate interest in keeping the App free. Your financial records are processed only on your devices and in your own iCloud, so we process no personal data for them.
6. Network use
You can record and view entries without an internet connection. The App goes online only to sync with your iCloud (if you turn it on), to load ads and the consent form from Google, when Apple processes an App Store purchase, and when you tap Update rates: the App then downloads the public daily exchange rates published by the European Central Bank. That request sends no information about you or your records, though like any web request it reveals your IP address to the ECB's servers.
7. Purchases
PocketBook Plus is sold through the Apple App Store, and payments are handled entirely by Apple. We never receive your name, payment card or billing details. The App checks with Apple, on your device, whether you own Plus so that it can unlock it.
8. Crash reports
If you have turned on Share With App Developers in iOS Settings (Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements), Apple may share anonymous crash reports and usage statistics with us. These do not identify you and never include your records. We use them only to fix bugs, and you can turn this off at any time.
9. This website and support emails
If you contact us by email or through a form on this website, we receive your name, email address and whatever you choose to tell us. We use this only to reply to you and help with your request. We keep it no longer than needed (normally up to 24 months), and never sell it or use it for marketing. Please don't send us your financial records or backup files unless we ask for a specific sample, with private details removed. Our web host may keep standard server logs (such as IP address and browser type) for security. This website sets one essential session cookie to protect forms from abuse, and uses no tracking cookies.
10. Data retention and deletion
We do not keep any of your records. You can delete entries in the App at any time. Deleting the App removes the records stored on that device; if iCloud sync is on, a copy stays in your iCloud until you delete it (in iOS Settings › [your name] › iCloud). Keep a backup or export of anything you want to keep. For data held by Google, use the choices above. To have support emails you sent us deleted, email us.
11. Security
Your records are protected by iOS app sandboxing and your device's passcode encryption, and in iCloud by Apple's security. You can also lock the App with Face ID or a passcode. No security is perfect, so protect your device with a strong passcode.
12. Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the EU/UK, the CCPA in California, or India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023), you may have rights to access, correct or delete personal data about you, to withdraw consent, and to complain to a data protection authority. For data we hold, which is mostly support emails, email support@devappstudio.tech and we will respond within 30 days. For advertising data held by Google, use the choices in section 4 or contact Google.
13. Children
The App is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy, for example when we add features. We will change the effective date above and, for significant changes, mention them in the App's release notes. Continued use of the App after an update means you accept the new policy.
15. Contact us
Questions about privacy? Email support@devappstudio.tech or use our support page.
Apexa Pambhar
India