The short version: SpendLens is a privacy-first personal-finance app. We process your transaction SMS entirely on your device. We do not collect, sell, or share your personal data. Your database is encrypted, and cloud backup is disabled.
1. Overview
SpendLens ("we", "us", or "the app") is a privacy-first personal-finance application that helps you track expenses by analysing your transaction SMS messages. This Privacy Policy explains what data the app accesses, how it is processed, and the choices you have.
Because SpendLens is designed to run fully on your device, the processing model is different from typical apps that send your data to a server. In short: your data stays with you.
2. Data we collect
SMS messages
- What we access: Transaction SMS messages from banks, payment apps, and credit cards.
- How we access it: With your explicit permission, via Android's
READ_SMSandRECEIVE_SMSpermissions, requested at runtime. - What we extract: Transaction amount, date, merchant name, category, and a masked account/card reference.
- What we do NOT collect: Full personal SMS conversations, full account numbers, or any personally identifiable identity information sent off-device.
All extraction happens locally on your device. Extracted data is stored only in the app's local, encrypted database.
3. No account required
SpendLens does not require you to create an account or provide personal information such as:
- Email address
- Phone number
- Name or address
- Financial account numbers
The app works without any login, registration, or sign-in of any kind.
4. Data storage & security
On-device storage only
- All data is stored exclusively on your device.
- No transaction data is transmitted to any server or cloud service.
- No internet connection is required for core functionality.
Encryption
- The database is encrypted using SQLCipher with 256-bit AES encryption.
- Encryption keys are generated on-device and protected by the Android Keystore system.
- Data is encrypted at rest.
No cloud backup
- Cloud backup (
allowBackup) is explicitly disabled. - Device-to-device data transfer is not supported.
- Your data never leaves your device.
5. Internet usage
The standard functionality of SpendLens does not require an internet connection. Some optional features may use network access, and only when you enable them:
Optional features (if enabled)
- Merchant name resolution: If enabled, the app may send only a cleaned merchant-name token to a lookup service to standardise merchant names. No amounts, accounts, or SMS content are ever sent.
- Crash reporting: If enabled, anonymous crash reports may be sent to help improve the app.
No personal data transmitted
When the internet is used, we never transmit:
- Transaction amounts
- Account or card information
- Full SMS content
- Any personally identifiable information
Sensitive values are masked before any text leaves the device.
6. Permissions we use
- READ_SMS / RECEIVE_SMS — to read existing transaction SMS and detect new ones. Requested at runtime with an explanation.
- POST_NOTIFICATIONS (Android 13+) — to notify you when new transactions are detected, bills are due, or budgets are exceeded.
- INTERNET / ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE — used only by the optional merchant-name lookup and anonymous crash reporting.
You can revoke any of these permissions at any time through Android Settings. The app remains installed; only the affected features stop working.
7. Your rights & choices
- Access: View all of your transactions within the app at any time.
- Edit & correct: Edit any extracted field or mark a message as "not a transaction".
- Export: Export your transaction data to a file (user-initiated).
- Delete: Delete individual transactions or all data at once via Settings.
- Opt-out: Revoke SMS permissions at any time through Android settings.
8. Data deletion
You can permanently delete your data at any time:
- Open SpendLens.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Delete All Data.
- Confirm the deletion.
This permanently removes all transactions and app data from your device. Because we never hold your data on a server, no separate deletion request is needed. See our Data Deletion guide for details.
9. Third-party services
Google Play Services
Required for app distribution and functionality on Android devices. Google's privacy policy applies: policies.google.com/privacy.
Crash reporting (if enabled)
Anonymous crash data and basic device information may be collected to improve stability. This can be disabled in app settings.
10. Children's privacy
SpendLens is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided information, please contact us so we can delete it.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Significant changes will be:
- Notified within the app where practical.
- Posted with an updated "Last updated" date on this page.
- Effective immediately upon posting.
12. Contact us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact us:
- Privacy email: privacy@velozen.online
- Support email: support@velozen.online
- Support page: velozen.online/support
Google Play Data Safety. Data types collected: financial information (transaction amounts) and SMS messages — stored locally only. Data sharing: none. Data security: on-device encrypted storage. Data deletion: available in-app at any time.