The short version: Financial records stay in the app on your device. The 1.3.1 free testing build encrypts its local database and does not open it if its encryption key is unavailable. Android's speech provider may process your voice off the device. If you register on this website, we store your submitted email separately to manage testing.
1. Who we are
Bachano is a personal expense-tracking application for Android, developed and published by Phoenix Labs Pakistan. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to Phoenix Labs Pakistan, and "the app" refers to Bachano.
For any question about this policy or about your data, write to support@phoenixlabspk.com.
2. Information we process
The app stores expenses, income, account balances, loans, budgets and names on your device. We do not operate a backend that receives these financial records. The 1.3.1 free testing build encrypts its local database with AES-256 using a key held through Android secure storage. If the key is unavailable, the app displays a recovery screen instead of opening the database without encryption. Hardware-backed key protection depends on your device.
On this website, testing registration stores your submitted Google Play email, consent version, registration and update times, and download count in a private tester database. We use it to manage testing and contact you about Play invitations. Registration does not automatically enroll you in Google Play testing.
3. Permissions and why the app asks for them
Every permission below is optional. If you decline any of them, Bachano still works — you simply enter that information by hand instead.
| Permission | Why Bachano asks | Where the data goes |
|---|---|---|
| Read SMS (READ_SMS) |
To read transaction alerts sent by Pakistani banks and mobile wallets, so the app can prepare an expense entry for you instead of making you type it. | Messages are read and matched against a list of keywords inside the app on your device. The app queries messages from the recent 30-day inbox before filtering for supported financial senders and transactions. It may therefore access personal messages while filtering. Bachano does not upload SMS content to our server and cannot send SMS. |
| Microphone (RECORD_AUDIO) |
To let you record an expense by speaking instead of typing. | Speech is converted to text by the speech-recognition service already built into your Android phone. Bachano receives only the resulting text. Bachano does not itself save the audio. The Android speech provider may process audio off your device, depending on its settings. |
| Biometric / device lock (USE_BIOMETRIC) |
To let you lock the app behind your fingerprint or screen lock. | Handled entirely by Android. Bachano receives only a yes-or-no result and never sees your fingerprint or PIN. |
| Notifications (POST_NOTIFICATIONS) |
To remind you about budgets and unrecorded expenses. | Notifications are generated on the device. No push service is used. |
| Storage / file access | Only when you choose to export a backup or a PDF report, or to import a backup file. | The file is written where you tell Android to put it. Bachano does not browse or index your other files. |
Speech recognition — a note
Bachano uses the speech-recognition component supplied by your phone's manufacturer or by Google. Depending on your device and its settings, that component may process speech on the device or send it to the provider's own servers under the provider's own privacy policy. Bachano has no control over and no visibility into that process. If you prefer that no audio ever leaves your phone, enable offline speech recognition in your Android settings, or decline the microphone permission and enter expenses by typing.
4. On-device AI
On a small number of supported phones, Bachano can use Google's on-device AI model (Gemini Nano) to better interpret an unusual sentence. This model runs entirely on the phone's own hardware. Nothing is sent to Google or to us. On devices that do not support it, this feature is simply absent and every other function works normally.
5. Free testing build
The 1.3.1 free testing build makes its included features available without a Pro purchase. We do not collect payment information for this build.
6. Sharing and disclosure
We do not sell your information. The app has no advertising, analytics, attribution or crash-reporting SDK. Android's speech provider may process voice input under that provider's policy. A backup or PDF report leaves the app only when you choose where to export it. Your exported files remain wherever you save or share them.
We use the website's private hosting services to store tester registration details and provide the APK. We do not publish the tester email list.
7. Data retention and deletion
Your financial records remain on your device until you delete them in the app or uninstall it. The reviewed 1.3.1 Android build disables automatic backup of app data. Manual exports and earlier copies remain wherever you saved them.
We keep tester registration details during the testing campaign and delete them no later than 90 days after it closes, or earlier upon a verified request to support@phoenixlabspk.com. Download links expire after ten minutes; expired grant records are removed as part of tester-data cleanup.
8. Children
Bachano is a general household budgeting tool and is not directed at children under 13. Testing registration asks for an email address and is not intended for children under 13.
9. Security
The 1.3.1 app encrypts its local database with AES-256 and requires a key from Android secure storage before opening it. Secure hardware support varies by device. You may additionally require a fingerprint or screen-lock to open the app.
No security measure is absolute. If your phone is unlocked and in someone else's hands, or if it has been rooted or otherwise compromised, the protections above can be defeated. Keep a screen lock on your phone, and keep your exported backup files somewhere private.
10. Your rights
Laws such as the GDPR grant rights of access, correction, portability and erasure over personal data held by a company. You can view, edit and delete financial records in the app and export a backup. For access to or deletion of your website testing email, contact support@phoenixlabspk.com.
11. Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, we will update the date at the top of this page and, where the change is significant, note it inside the app. Continuing to use Bachano after a change means you accept the updated policy.
12. Contact
Phoenix Labs Pakistan
Email: support@phoenixlabspk.com