PayOffPath Privacy Policy

1. Privacy Policy Overview

SoftQuill Labs ("we", "us", or "our") develops and maintains PayOffPath as a local-first consumer mobile utility designed to help borrowers organize, understand, and accelerate debt repayment.

Our core architectural philosophy is that your financial information belongs exclusively to you. PayOffPath is designed so that its primary features—including debt registration, amortization calculations, payoff strategy simulations, and payment logging—operate entirely on your device without requiring you to create an account, log in, or transmit financial details to our servers.

2. About PayOffPath

PayOffPath is an Android application that enables users to track multiple loans, compare mathematical debt payoff strategies (such as Debt Avalanche and Debt Snowball), simulate the impact of additional monthly contributions, analyze windfalls, and plan repayment schedules deterministically.

All calculation logic, tenure projections, and financial insights are computed on-device using local mathematical algorithms.

3. Information PayOffPath Stores on Your Device

When you use PayOffPath, information you choose to enter is stored locally within your device's private, sandboxed application storage (using an isolated, sandboxed, app-private SQLite database via Android Room and Jetpack DataStore preferences, protected by Android OS application sandbox security).

This on-device data includes:

• Debt & Loan Details: Loan names (e.g., "Education Loan", "Home Loan"), debt category classifications (Home Loan, Personal Loan, Vehicle Loan, Credit Card, Education Loan, Gold Loan, Business Loan, Medical Loan, P2P Borrowing, or Other), original principal amounts, current outstanding balances, annual interest rates, monthly EMI/minimum payment amounts, payment due days of the month, remaining tenure in months, prepayment penalty rates, lock-in periods, and optional personal notes.
• Payment History Logs: Payment dates, total amounts paid, breakdowns between principal and interest, prepayment penalties paid, excess payment amounts, recorded balances before and after payments, payment classification tags (Regular EMI, Extra Principal, Snowflake, Bulk EMI), and user-provided payment notes.
• Cash Flow & Affordability Inputs: Monthly net income, essential expense estimates, discretionary spending allowances, and emergency buffer targets entered by the user to evaluate extra payment feasibility.
• Application Settings: User display name (optional, local only), preferred interface theme (Light, Dark, or System Default), notification timing preferences (advance notice days before due date), and Pro entitlement unlock status.

None of the financial figures or loan entries listed above are ever transmitted to SoftQuill Labs.

4. Information PayOffPath Does Not Require or Collect

To protect user privacy, PayOffPath is deliberately designed without the following requirements:

• No Bank Credentials or Account Numbers: PayOffPath never asks for, connects to, or stores your bank login credentials, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, or online banking access tokens. We do not integrate with third-party financial data aggregators.
• No Government Identification: We never request Social Security Numbers (SSN), Permanent Account Numbers (PAN), Aadhaar numbers, national identity identifiers, or tax identifiers.
• No Account Registration: You do not need to register with an email address, telephone number, password, or third-party social login to use the application.
• No Biometric or Sensor Data: The optional app lock uses Android's built-in biometric prompt. Your fingerprint or face data is handled by the Android system and is never accessible to PayOffPath. The app does not collect physical sensor data.

5. Crash Reports & Anonymous Usage Statistics (Firebase)

From version 2.0.1, PayOffPath uses Google Firebase Crashlytics and Google Firebase Analytics to find and fix bugs and to understand which screens are used.

• What is collected: crash stack traces, device model, Android version, app version, an anonymous app-instance identifier, and basic usage events such as which screen was opened (for example "Simulator" or "Debt detail").
• What is never collected: loan names, balances, interest rates, EMI amounts, payment history, income or expense figures, notes, or anything else you type into the app. Screen events contain only the screen name, never record IDs or values.
• Your choice: you can turn this off at any time under Settings > Security & Privacy > Share Anonymous Usage Stats. When it is off, no crash reports or usage events are sent.
• Processing & retention: data is processed by Google under its terms (see Firebase privacy information) and kept for the period set in our Firebase project (up to 14 months). We do not sell this data or use it for advertising.
• Local debug logging: PayOffPath also keeps a small in-memory event log (LocalAnalyticsTracker) that passes through a privacy filter (PrivacyGuard) blocking monetary figures, debt names, notes and personal identifiers. This log is never sent anywhere.

6. Advertising (Free Version)

The free version of PayOffPath integrates the Google Mobile Ads SDK (AdMob) (com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads) to serve banner advertisements.

• Information Collected by AdMob: When displaying ads, Google Mobile Ads may automatically collect and receive certain device and connection data, including your device's Android Advertising ID (GAID), IP address, general device model, operating system version, mobile carrier, and diagnostic/performance metrics, in accordance with Google's Advertising Privacy Policy.
• Consent: Where required by law (for example in the EEA and UK), the app shows Google's consent form before personalized ads are served.
• Financial Data Isolation: PayOffPath maintains strict isolation between your local data and the ad system. Your loan balances, debt names, interest rates, payment history, and cash flow figures are never shared with or accessible by Google AdMob.
• Complete Ad Suppression with Pro: If you purchase PayOffPath Pro, advertising is completely disabled. When Pro is active, no ad units are instantiated, no ad requests are initiated, and banner views are removed from the user interface.

7. In-App Purchases and Google Play Billing

PayOffPath offers an optional one-time purchase ("PayOffPath Pro") to permanently remove advertisements and unlock advanced capabilities.

• Processed Exclusively by Google Play: In-app purchases are executed using the official Google Play Billing Library (com.android.billingclient:billing-ktx).
• No Payment Information Stored by Developer: All financial transactions, billing details, credit card numbers, payment methods, and tax calculations are handled directly by Google Play. SoftQuill Labs never receives, processes, or stores your credit card details or billing address.
• Entitlement Verification: Google Play returns an encrypted purchase token to verify your purchase status. PayOffPath records a simple confirmation flag (isProUnlocked = true) in your local device settings so that Pro features remain active offline.

8. Backup, Export, and Import

PayOffPath provides on-demand backup and export features via the in-app Settings screen to ensure you retain full control over your records:

• JSON Backup & Restore: Generates a full snapshot of your debts and payment history in standard JSON format, allowing you to back up your data or restore it on a new device.
• CSV Export & Import: Allows exporting your debt schedule and payment records to comma-separated values (CSV) for spreadsheet review, or importing existing records.
• PDF Summary Reports: Generates a printable, localized repayment summary report directly on your device.

All export and import operations use Android's native Storage Access Framework (system file picker). Files are saved directly to or loaded from the storage location you choose. PayOffPath does not transmit, upload, or sync your export files to any external cloud service.

Note on Android OS Cloud Backup: PayOffPath excludes its loan database and settings from Android's Auto Backup to Google Drive, so your financial records are not copied to the cloud by the system. They can be moved during a direct device-to-device transfer when you set up a new phone. To keep a copy, use the JSON backup above.

9. Notifications and Device Permissions

PayOffPath utilizes a minimal set of Android system permissions to operate:

10. Third-Party Services Summary

PayOffPath includes only the following third-party software libraries that may communicate over the network:

11. Data Security

Because PayOffPath stores your data on your physical device, security begins with your device's security architecture:

• Operating System Sandboxing: Android isolates PayOffPath's database and shared preferences within a private sandbox that cannot be accessed by other standard applications on your device.
• Network Encryption: Any communication handled by Google Play Billing, Google Mobile Ads, or Firebase takes place strictly over encrypted HTTPS/TLS connections.
• User Control: You can enhance data protection by maintaining a secure device lock screen (PIN, password, or biometric lock) and ensuring your device firmware is up to date.

12. Data Retention and Deletion

You retain complete control over the retention and deletion of your data at all times:

• Deleting Specific Items: You can delete any individual loan, debt record, or payment entry directly within the application interface at any time.
• Complete Data Erasure: You can instantly wipe all information stored by PayOffPath by navigating to your device's Settings > Apps > PayOffPath > Storage & Cache > Clear Storage.
• Uninstalling the App: Uninstalling PayOffPath from your device automatically removes the local database and preference files from your device storage.
• Crash & Usage Data: Clearing the app's storage or uninstalling resets the anonymous Firebase identifier. To ask about crash or usage data linked to your device, email contact@softquilllabs.com and we will help where possible.

13. Children's Privacy

PayOffPath is an adult personal finance utility intended for borrowers managing formal loans, credit cards, and amortized debts. It is not directed toward, marketed to, or designed for children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in applicable European jurisdictions). We do not knowingly solicit, collect, or process information from children.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in application functionality, legal requirements, or Google Play policies.

Whenever changes are made, the revised policy will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date at the top. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or inquiries regarding this Privacy Policy or PayOffPath's data handling practices, please contact us directly: