Privacy Policy
Conch Expense (the “App”, “we” or “us”) is developed and operated by Zhao Qiangqiang (individual developer). We understand how important your personal information is to you, and we have prepared this Policy in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China and other applicable laws and regulations. Please read this Policy carefully before using the App, especially the parts in bold.
1. How We Collect and Use Your Information
1. Reimbursement data you enter
The expenses you record (amount, date, type, trip, location, notes, tags, reimbursement status), the invoice and receipt files you upload, your invoice titles (name, Tax ID, address and phone, bank and account number), custom types and statuses (including any icon images you upload for them), and the expense reports you create are stored only in a database on your device. When iCloud is turned on, this data is stored through Apple’s CloudKit service in the private database of your own iCloud account, in order to sync across your devices. Only you can access your private database; we cannot read it.
2. Sign-in information
When you choose “Sign in with Apple”, Apple provides the App with an anonymous user identifier, and the name and email address you agree to share (which may be an Apple Hide My Email relay address). The user identifier and email address are stored only on your device, and are used to show your account in the App and to check whether your sign-in is still valid; your name is used as the default Claimant name. This information is not uploaded to us or to any third party.
2.1 Claimant profile
The Claimant name and Department you fill in in the App are used on exported expense reports. They are stored on your device and synced through Apple’s iCloud key-value storage across devices signed in to the same Apple Account. We cannot read them.
3. Mailbox Sync for invoices (optional feature)
When you choose to link a mailbox, you need to provide your email address, IMAP server address, and mailbox authorization code (or app-specific password). The authorization code is stored encrypted in the system Keychain on your device.
- Only when you tap “Link and Sync” or “Sync Now” does the App connect directly from your device to your mail server (over an encrypted IMAPS connection), without going through any relay server. It does not sync automatically in the background;
- The App filters invoice-related emails by subject and sender keywords, and downloads only the invoice attachments in them (PDF, OFD, XML, etc.) to recognize the amount, invoice date, invoice number, seller and other information. If an email contains only an invoice download link, the App accesses that link directly from your device to download the invoice file;
- Email content unrelated to invoices is not saved;
- You can unlink a mailbox at any time in “Me → Mailbox Sync”. After unlinking, the authorization code is deleted from the Keychain.
4. Invoice and receipt recognition
The App uses Apple’s built-in Vision framework to perform invoice text recognition, QR code recognition and photo recognition of invoice titles locally on your device. Images are not uploaded to any server.
5. Clipboard
Only when you tap “Recognize from Clipboard” does the App read the text on the clipboard, in order to parse invoice title information. It does not read the clipboard at any other time, and does not save or upload clipboard content. When you tap “Copy All”, the App writes the title text to the clipboard.
6. Purchasing Pro
Subscriptions and lifetime purchases are completed through Apple’s App Store. We do not collect any of your payment information; we only obtain the purchase receipt from Apple to confirm whether you have Pro.
2. System Permissions We Request
Each of the following permissions is requested only when you use the corresponding feature. You can decline; declining affects only that feature and not the use of other features. You can also turn them on or off at any time in iPhone “Settings → Conch Expense”.
| Permission | When it is used | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | Scanning invoices, photographing receipts, recognizing invoice titles from photos | Photos are kept only within this app, and recognition is done locally |
| Photos | Choosing invoice and receipt photos, and images to use as custom type icons, from your photo library | Uses the system photo picker, which can access only the photos you select |
| Location (While Using the App) | When adding an expense, finding nearby airports, stations, hotels and restaurants on the map, or filling in your current location as a taxi pickup/drop-off point | Location is used to call Apple Maps place search and address lookup. The App does not save your location history; only the place you choose is saved with that expense |
| Microphone, Speech Recognition | Voice Entry: say one sentence to log an expense automatically | Recording happens only after you tap “Voice”. Speech is converted to text locally on your phone; recordings are not uploaded or saved. The transcribed text is saved as the note of that expense |
| Network | Mailbox Sync, downloading invoice links, iCloud sync, App Store purchases, rating and update checks | The App does not send any data to servers owned by the developer |
3. Third-Party Services
The App does not integrate any third-party SDK. To provide the corresponding features, the App uses the following system services provided by Apple, and the related data processing is subject to the Apple Privacy Policy:
- iCloud / CloudKit: syncing reimbursement data across your devices;
- Sign in with Apple: account sign-in;
- Apple Maps (MapKit): place search and map display;
- App Store (StoreKit): subscriptions and purchases;
- App Store lookup: when you tap Check for Updates or Rate on the App Store, the App asks Apple for the version currently on the store. The request contains only the App’s identifier and your country or region code.
In addition, when you use Mailbox Sync, the App connects to the mailbox provider you specify (such as QQ Mail, NetEase Mail, Gmail or your organization’s mail server), and the related data processing is also subject to that provider’s privacy policy.
4. Sharing, Transfer and Public Disclosure of Information
Because we do not collect your personal information, we do not share, transfer or publicly disclose your personal information to any third party. When you send expense reports or invoice titles yourself by email, through the Files app or the system share sheet, you choose the recipient.
5. Storage and Security of Information
- Local data is stored on your device and protected by iOS data protection;
- iCloud data is stored on Apple’s servers, and Apple is responsible for its storage location and security measures. iCloud services for Apple Accounts in mainland China are operated by Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD);
- Mailbox authorization codes are stored in the system Keychain, and all communication with mail servers is encrypted in transit;
- Please keep your device and Apple Account secure to prevent data leaks.
6. Your Rights
- Access and correction: You can view and edit all the data you have entered in the App at any time;
- Export: You can export your data as PDF, Word or Excel in “Me → Export Expense Report”;
- Deletion: You can delete data item by item, or clear downloaded expense data in “Me → Account → Delete Account”. When iCloud sync is on, deletions sync to iCloud. Follow the in-app instructions to remove cloud records not yet downloaded, data retained while sync is off, and copies on other devices. Revoke Sign in with Apple access separately in Settings. Account deletion does not cancel subscriptions. Deleting the App also clears local data on the device;
- Withdrawing consent: You can turn off Camera, Photos, Location, Microphone and Speech Recognition permissions in system Settings, or unlink mailboxes and sign out in the App.
7. Protection of Minors
The App is intended for adult users who handle work reimbursements, and is not directed at children under 14. If you are a minor, please use the App under the guidance of your guardian.
8. Updates to This Policy
We may revise this Policy from time to time. The revised Policy will be published on this page and the date at the top will be updated; for material changes, we will notify you prominently in the App.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments or complaints about this Policy or the protection of your personal information, please email z102347501@gmail.com. We will reply within 15 business days.