1. Overview & Scope
This Privacy Policy applies to the software services operated by Costly ("we", "us", or "our"), including the Costly mobile application for iOS and the official website hosted at https://www.costlyapp.pro.
By downloading, accessing, or using Costly, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the data processing practices described in this Privacy Policy.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information directly from you when you interact with our app, as well as automatic device and performance telemetry required for reliable app operation.
A. Account Information
- Email Address: Required for passwordless magic-link sign-in, account security notifications, and project invitations.
- Profile Information: Optional display name or initial used to identify your edits when collaborating on shared renovation projects.
B. Renovation Ledger & Content Data
- Project & Area Details: Property name/address tags, area labels (Kitchen, Bathroom, Roof, etc.), target completion dates, and budget targets.
- Expense Records: Transaction amounts, dates, vendor/store names, payment methods (Cash, Debit Card, Credit Card, Bank Transfer), notes, and line items.
- Attached Files & Photos: Digital images of receipts, invoices, and site progress photos uploaded to your ledger entries.
C. Device & Technical Telemetry
- Diagnostics & Crash Reports: Anonymous crash diagnostics, stack traces, and device hardware models (e.g., iPhone 15, iOS 18) to fix bugs and improve performance.
- Web & App Usage Metrics: Privacy-focused web traffic measurements via Vercel Analytics and Speed Insights (IP addresses are anonymized and not tracked across external sites).
3. How We Use Your Information
We process your data strictly to fulfill the following essential services:
- Core Application Functionality: To calculate spend summaries, render your renovation timeline feed, compute category balances, and sync data securely across your devices.
- PDF Statement Generation: To generate custom, print-ready PDF financial reports when requested by you.
- Multi-User Collaboration: To sync project changes in real time between co-owners you explicitly invite to your shared renovation project.
- Customer Support & Communications: To respond to support tickets, assist with account recovery, and send critical transactional updates.
- Security & Integrity: To protect against unauthorized account access, spam, and fraudulent activity.
4. Third-Party Services & Data Sharing
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information or renovation records to any third party for advertising or marketing purposes.
We share data only with trusted service providers strictly necessary for hosting, infrastructure, and app maintenance:
Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required to do so by applicable law, regulation, valid legal subpoena, or governmental request.
5. Security, Storage & Data Retention
We maintain physical, technical, and administrative safeguards designed to protect your renovation records:
- Encryption in Transit & At Rest: All web and app traffic uses HTTPS with TLS 1.3 encryption. Stored records and receipt photos are encrypted using AES-256 standards.
- On-Device Compression: Image attachments are compressed locally on your device prior to transmission to minimize payload size and security exposure.
- Data Retention Period: We retain your project data as long as your account remains active. If you delete an expense, project, or your entire account, all associated data is permanently erased from active databases within 30 days.
6. User Rights & Account Deletion
Depending on your location (including the European Economic Area under GDPR and California under CCPA/CPRA), you hold specific rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of Access & Portability: You can export your full renovation ledger and itemized financial statements at any time using Costly's PDF Export feature.
- Right to Correction: You may edit or correct any logged purchase, area tag, or property detail directly within the mobile app.
- Right to Deletion (Account & Data Erasure): You have the absolute right to request the total deletion of your account and all stored data.
How to Request Account & Data Deletion
You can permanently delete your account and all associated renovation data using either method below:
- In-App Deletion: Navigate to Settings > Account Settings > Delete Account within the Costly iOS application and confirm deletion.
- Email Request: Send an email from your registered account address to privacy@costlyapp.pro with the subject line "Account Deletion Request".
Upon deletion confirmation, all user records, projects, collaborator links, and uploaded receipt images are permanently erased from our primary servers and backups within 30 calendar days.
7. Apple App Store Privacy Nutrition Labels
In compliance with Apple App Store review requirements, the table below summarizes the App Privacy disclosures for the Costly iOS app:
| Data Category | Collected Data Types | Linked to You? | Tracking Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| User Identifiers | Email address, User ID | Yes | App Functionality & Account Management |
| User Content | Ledger amounts, store names, notes, receipt photos, invoices | Yes | App Functionality & Cloud Sync |
| Diagnostics | Crash logs, performance metrics | No | Analytics & App Improvement |
| Usage Data | Feature interaction telemetry | No | Analytics & App Improvement |
| Tracking across 3rd-party apps | None | — | Costly does NOT track users across external apps or websites |
8. Children's Privacy
Costly is designed exclusively for property owners and adult renovators. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from anyone under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the EEA/UK). If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child without verified parental consent, we will promptly purge that information. If you suspect a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us at privacy@costlyapp.pro.
9. Policy Updates
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our software, legal requirements, or App Store guidelines. When changes are made, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant policy changes, we will notify registered users via email or in-app notification prior to the change taking effect.
10. Contact Us
If you have questions, feedback, or privacy rights requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact our privacy compliance team:
Official Support & Data Protection inquiries for Costly App