Privacy Policy

1. Information Frugalista Handles

Frugalista handles information you enter into the app, information needed to operate the app, and limited technical information created by Apple and service providers when the app uses iCloud, shortcuts, exchange rates, or server-side AI processing.

Transaction data

• Amounts, currencies, expense or income type, transaction dates, transaction time zones, notes, merchant or label text, categories, archive state, creation dates, update dates, and internal UUID identifiers.
• Currency conversion metadata, including USD base amounts, exchange rates, exchange-rate dates, and the time rates were fetched.
• Source labels showing how a transaction was created, such as manual entry, voice entry, or shortcut import.

Category and settings data

• Built-in category names, symbols, colors, sort order, and whether a category is archived.
• Your display name, selected display currency, enabled spending categories, enabled earning categories, and app settings used to control your experience.
• Cached exchange-rate data used to make the app faster and usable when the network is unavailable.

Voice and shortcut data

• If you use voice logging, Frugalista records temporary audio and sends it for server-side transcription and transaction parsing after you agree to the in-app disclosure.
• If you use Apple Shortcuts or Wallet automations, Frugalista receives only the parameters passed by the shortcut, such as amount, currency, merchant or name, and date.
• Voice transcripts may include whatever you choose to say. You should avoid dictating passwords, card numbers, government IDs, health details, or other sensitive information.

AI monthly report data

• If you generate a monthly report, Frugalista creates a compact report payload from the selected completed month's transactions, recent monthly summaries, category names/slugs, selected display currency, locale, and time zone.
• If you chat with a generated report, Frugalista sends your message, the generated report, a short conversation summary, and a limited number of recent chat messages so the assistant can answer in context.
• Generated reports, report chat messages, and conversation summaries are stored on your device and, when iCloud is available, in your private iCloud database.

Subscription and entitlement data

• If you subscribe to Frugalista Pro, Apple handles purchase, billing, renewal, cancellation, and refund information through the App Store.
• When you use paid AI features, Frugalista may send an App Store-signed transaction token to Frugalista-operated server-side services so your Pro entitlement can be verified.
• Frugalista uses subscription entitlement data and a random app install identifier to unlock paid features, apply AI rate limits, prevent abuse, and understand AI service cost by free or Pro usage. Frugalista does not receive your full Apple ID payment details.

2. Where Your Data Is Stored

On your device

Your transaction and category data is stored in the app's local database. App preferences are stored in local app settings storage. Temporary voice recordings are written to temporary app storage while the voice feature is working.

In your private iCloud database

When iCloud is available, Frugalista uses Apple's private iCloud sync system. This lets your Frugalista data appear on your devices signed into the same Apple ID. Frugalista does not create a separate email/password account for this.

On Frugalista servers

The current app does not maintain a Frugalista user account database for your transaction history. Some network features use Frugalista-operated server-side services for exchange rates, AI voice transcription and parsing, and AI monthly reports, described below.

3. When Data Leaves Your Device

iCloud sync

If iCloud is available, Apple receives and stores the data needed to sync your Frugalista records through iCloud. Apple's handling of iCloud data is governed by Apple's terms and privacy policies.

Exchange rates

Frugalista requests exchange rates from a Frugalista-operated server-side service. The request includes a base currency and quote currency codes, such as USD, EUR, or PLN. It does not include your transaction notes or full transaction history.

AI voice transcription and parsing

When you use voice logging after choosing I Agree in the in-app disclosure, Frugalista sends the raw voice recording, selected currency, device locale, time zone, local date, and enabled category names and identifiers to Frugalista's Cloudflare Worker. The Worker sends the recording to OpenAI for transcription, then sends the recognized transcript to OpenAI for transaction parsing without returning the transcript to Release or TestFlight builds. Frugalista remembers this choice for future voice logs.

The recording and recognized transcript may contain personal information if you speak it. Avoid dictating passwords, payment card numbers, government IDs, health details, or other sensitive information.

AI monthly reports and report chat

When you generate monthly reports or use report chat after choosing I Agree in the in-app AI disclosure, Frugalista sends the selected report month's transactions, category summaries, recent monthly summaries, locale, time zone, generated report context, report chat messages, and conversation summaries to Frugalista's Cloudflare Worker and OpenAI so reports and answers can be generated. Report-facing amounts are sent in your selected display currency, with original currency details included where needed for context. Frugalista remembers this choice for future AI reports and report chat.

When you chat with a report, Frugalista sends your new message, the generated report, a short conversation summary, and a limited recent message history. Older chat messages are summarized to reduce data transfer and cost.

Frugalista asks for permission before sending report or chat data for AI processing. Frugalista stores the generated report and chat on your device/iCloud, not in a separate Frugalista account database.

Subscription verification

When you use paid AI features, Frugalista may send an App Store-signed subscription transaction token to Frugalista-operated server-side services. The server uses this token to verify whether your subscription is active, expired, refunded, or revoked before processing paid AI requests.

Network metadata

Like any networked app, requests to Apple and Frugalista's service providers may involve technical metadata such as IP address, device network information, timestamps, request paths, random install identifiers for AI rate limits, and diagnostic logs. Frugalista uses this only to operate, secure, debug, and improve the service.

4. Permissions

• Microphone: used only when you actively hold a voice control in onboarding or on the home screen and dictate transactions.
• Motion: used to detect device tilt so the app can switch between spending and earning entry behavior.
• iCloud background sync capability: used by Apple to support private database sync.
• Shortcuts/App Intents: used only when you run a Frugalista shortcut or automation.

5. How Frugalista Uses Information

• To save, edit, archive, group, categorize, and display your transactions.
• To calculate monthly totals, category totals, earned/spent/net summaries, and converted display amounts.
• To sync your data across your devices through iCloud when available.
• To transcribe voice recordings and parse the recognized speech into transaction drafts when you use voice logging.
• To generate monthly spending reports and answer follow-up questions about those reports when you use AI report features.
• To verify Pro subscription status for paid AI features and distinguish free sampling from Pro usage for cost and abuse monitoring.
• To support Apple Shortcuts and Wallet automations that you configure.
• To diagnose crashes, failed requests, sync issues, and other technical problems.

6. What Frugalista Does Not Do

• Frugalista does not sell your personal information.
• Frugalista does not show third-party ads.
• Frugalista does not use advertising tracking SDKs.
• Frugalista does not ask for bank login credentials.
• Frugalista does not connect directly to your bank account.
• Frugalista is not designed to request your email address, phone number, contacts, photos, precise location, or payment card number in the current app, unless you choose to include that information in transaction notes, voice transcripts, support messages, or other content you provide.

7. Third-Party Services

Frugalista relies on third-party services that may process data as needed to provide their functionality.

• Apple: App Store distribution, iCloud sync, Apple Shortcuts/App Intents, device permissions, and system diagnostics.
• Cloudflare: used to operate Frugalista's server-side features, rate limits, and technical request handling.
• Exchange-rate data providers: used to obtain currency rates.
• OpenAI: used to transcribe voice recordings, parse recognized transcripts, generate monthly reports, and answer report chat questions. OpenAI states that API data is not used to train its models unless the customer opts in.

Service provider protection

Frugalista requires service providers that process personal information for Frugalista to provide the same or equal protection described in this Policy and to use the data only to provide services to Frugalista.

8. Data Retention and Deletion

• Transactions remain in the app until you delete/archive them, use a development deletion tool, reset the app, or delete the app data from your device/iCloud.
• Archived transactions are hidden from normal views but may remain in the data store for restore, audit, or future trash features.
• iCloud copies and sync state are controlled by Apple and your iCloud settings.
• Frugalista deletes temporary voice recordings from app storage after normal successful processing, failure, or cancellation. If the app or device interrupts processing unexpectedly, a recording may remain in temporary storage until iOS removes it.
• Frugalista's Cloudflare Worker does not intentionally persist or log raw voice recordings or recognized transcript contents. Cloudflare processes the request to operate the Worker and may process technical request metadata under its own terms.
• OpenAI currently states that its audio transcription endpoint retains no customer content for abuse monitoring or application state. The recognized transcript is then sent to OpenAI's Responses API with storage disabled. OpenAI may retain Responses API customer content in abuse-monitoring logs for up to 30 days, unless longer retention is required by law or reasonably necessary to protect its services or third parties. Provider practices may change; Frugalista will update this Policy when required.
• Generated monthly reports and report chat messages remain in the app database until you delete app data, reset the app, or a future in-app deletion control removes them.
• Subscription verification logs may include technical entitlement status, product identifiers, environment, and request metadata, but not your full Apple ID payment details.
• Server-side technical logs are kept only as reasonably needed for security, debugging, reliability, abuse prevention, and legal compliance.

9. Your Choices

• Frugalista currently uses iCloud sync automatically when the device, Apple ID, and app container support it. Frugalista does not currently provide an in-app switch to disable iCloud sync; you can manage iCloud availability through Apple ID/iCloud settings or by using the app on a device without iCloud available.
• You can deny microphone or motion permissions in iOS Settings. Some app features may not work without those permissions.
• You can avoid voice logging if you do not want raw audio and voice context sent for transcription and parsing.
• You can avoid generating AI monthly reports or using report chat if you do not want report payloads or chat messages sent for AI processing.
• You can decline the in-app AI disclosure prompts. If you decline, Frugalista will not send that voice recording, report payload, or report chat message for AI processing.
• You can edit, archive, or delete transactions inside the app where those controls are available.
• You can delete the app from your device to remove local app data from that device.
• You can manage iCloud data through Apple ID and iCloud settings.

10. Security

Frugalista uses Apple's local storage, iCloud, and platform security features where available. Network requests use HTTPS. However, no app, device, network, or cloud system can be guaranteed to be perfectly secure.

11. Children

Frugalista is not directed to children and is not designed for users under 13. Do not use Frugalista if you are not old enough to use apps and online services in your country without parental consent.

12. International Processing

Apple and Frugalista's service providers may process technical data in countries different from where you live. By using Frugalista, you understand that app-related data may be processed where those providers operate, subject to applicable law.

13. Legal Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, export, restrict, or object to certain processing of personal information. Many of these choices can be exercised directly on your device, in iCloud settings, or by deleting app data. For requests that require Frugalista's help, contact support.

14. Changes to This Policy

Frugalista may update this Privacy Policy when the app changes, when new features are added, or when legal requirements change. The latest version will be shown in the app and may also be posted on Frugalista's website.

15. Contact

For privacy questions or requests, contact Frugalista support at hello@frugalista.app.