Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

• Financial Data: Transactions, account balances, budget categories (Nests), and notes you enter. This data is stored locally on your device.
• App Settings: Your preferences, theme settings, and configuration choices.

Information Collected Through Third-Party Services

If you choose to use optional features:

• Bank Sync (SimpleFIN): Account names, balances, and transaction history from connected financial institutions. This data is retrieved through SimpleFIN and stored locally on your device.
• AI Features: If you choose a provider other than on-device AI (Apple Private Cloud Compute, OpenAI or your own server), a summary of your budget (nest names, balances and budgets) and recent transactions (dates, merchants and amounts) is sent to that provider when you use the features that provider handles.

Information Collected Automatically

• iCloud Sync: If enabled, your app data syncs through your personal iCloud account using Apple's CloudKit. This data is encrypted and stored in your iCloud account, not on our servers.
• App Store Analytics: Apple may collect anonymized usage statistics if you've opted in through your device settings.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use information solely to:

• Provide and improve the Sparrow app functionality
• Sync your data across your devices (if you enable iCloud)
• Process your subscription through Apple's App Store
• Respond to your support requests

We do not use your information to:

• Display advertisements
• Build marketing profiles
• Sell or rent to third parties
• Train machine learning models (unless you explicitly use AI features with an external provider)

3. Information We Don't Collect

• We don't collect your name or personal identifiers
• We don't collect your email address (unless you contact support)
• We don't collect your location
• We don't collect your contacts
• We don't use analytics SDKs or tracking pixels
• We don't collect device identifiers for advertising
• We don't collect your bank login credentials (SimpleFIN handles authentication separately)

4. Third-Party Services

SimpleFIN (Bank Sync)

If you choose to connect your bank accounts, Sparrow uses SimpleFIN as a data aggregator:

• You create an account directly with SimpleFIN
• You authorize SimpleFIN to access your bank data
• SimpleFIN retrieves transactions and balances from your financial institutions
• Sparrow downloads this data to your device
• Your bank login credentials are never shared with or stored by Sparrow

SimpleFIN's privacy practices are governed by their own Privacy Policy.

AI Features (Optional)

Sparrow offers optional AI features: Ask, which answers questions about your money, and auto-sort, which files transactions in nests. You have full control over how AI processes your data:

• On-Device AI (Apple Intelligence): The default. AI processing happens entirely on your device. No data leaves your device.
• Apple Private Cloud Compute (iOS 27 and later, optional): If you choose it, questions you ask in Ask are answered by Apple's larger model on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers. Your question is sent with the same budget summary and recent transactions described below. Apple states that Private Cloud Compute does not store your data and that it isn't accessible to Apple. Auto-sort and nest suggestions still run on your device.
• External AI Providers: If you configure an external AI service (such as OpenAI or a local server), a summary of your budget (nest names, balances and budgets) and recent transactions (dates, merchants and amounts) is sent to that service to process your requests. It is not anonymized, and is handled under that provider's own privacy policy. You control which service is used.

Apple Services

• App Store: Subscription purchases are processed by Apple. We don't receive or store your payment information.
• iCloud/CloudKit: If you enable sync, your data is stored in your personal iCloud account under Apple's Privacy Policy.

5. Data Storage & Security

Local Storage

Your financial data is stored locally on your device using Apple's Core Data framework with encryption at rest provided by iOS data protection.

iCloud Sync

If enabled, your data syncs through Apple's CloudKit with:

• Encryption in transit and at rest by Apple, and end-to-end encryption if you turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud
• Data stored in your personal iCloud account
• Governed by Apple's security practices

What We Don't Store

We do not operate servers that store your personal or financial data. Your data exists only on your device(s) and, if enabled, in your personal iCloud account.

6. Data Retention

Since your data is stored on your device:

• Local Data: Retained until you delete it within the app or delete the app
• iCloud Data: Retained until you delete it from your iCloud account or disable sync
• Support Communications: If you contact us, we retain correspondence for up to 2 years

7. Your Rights & Choices

You have complete control over your data:

• Access: View all your data within the app at any time
• Export: Export your transactions as CSV from Settings
• Correction: Edit any transaction or budget data directly in the app
• Deletion: Delete individual items, or delete all data from Settings > Delete All Data
• Portability: Your data is stored in standard formats and can be exported

Managing Third-Party Connections

• SimpleFIN: Disconnect your bank sync at any time in Settings
• AI Features: Disable AI features at any time in Settings
• iCloud Sync: Disable sync in Settings or manage via your device's iCloud settings

8. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

Your Rights

• Right to Know: Request information about what personal data we collect and how it's used
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell your personal information
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We won't discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights

Information We Don't Collect or Sell

We do not collect, sell, or share for cross-context behavioral advertising:

• Identifiers (name, email, address)
• Geolocation data
• Biometric information
• Professional or employment information

9. International Users

Sparrow is designed with privacy in mind for users worldwide. Your data is stored locally on your device and, if you enable iCloud sync, in Apple's data centers according to your iCloud account settings.

If you're in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or other regions with data protection laws, you have rights including access, correction, deletion, and portability of your data—all of which you can exercise directly within the app.

10. Children's Privacy

Sparrow is not directed at children under 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 support@sparrowbudgeting.app and we will delete such information.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes:

• We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
• For significant changes, we may notify you through the app or via the App Store update notes
• Continued use of Sparrow after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at:

support@sparrowbudgeting.app

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 30 days.