Privacy Policy
Tala:LoanWise
This policy explains how this application handles information and how to contact us about privacy.
Information we process
LoanWise stores loan names, amounts, annual rates, terms, repayment types, start dates, closed-loan dates, comparison offers, calculator inputs, monthly income, fixed expenses, currency and reminder preferences on your device. Balances and schedules are calculated from these inputs, not obtained from a bank. The local records file is excluded from device backup by the app. A random installation secret is stored in the device Keychain with device-only access. If you enable optional sync, the app sends the same planning records to our server, together with the installation secret in an authorization header. The server stores a hash of that secret, an encrypted copy of the records, a version number and an update timestamp in PostgreSQL. Railway infrastructure receives network requests, including IP addresses and technical request information. Visiting the public website or privacy page also sends a network request. There are no user accounts, sign-in, bank connections, advertising identifiers or analytics SDKs.
How we use information
Local data supports loan calculations, comparisons, payment schedules, early repayment previews, debt summaries, budgets, projected insights and closed-loan history. Optional synchronization provides an installation-scoped cloud copy and permits restoration only while the same Keychain secret is available. Version numbers prevent unnoticed overwrites. Local notifications remind you of upcoming scheduled loan payments. Technical request information and limited service error events support hosting, availability, security and abuse prevention. The public privacy contact email is provided for privacy questions; the app does not send email or contain a support form.
Service providers and sharing
The backend and its PostgreSQL database are hosted on Railway. Railway processes hosting and network information as infrastructure provider. Our application logs server readiness, generic database failures and request identifiers for failures; it does not deliberately log installation secrets, financial documents or database credentials. Infrastructure logs may contain IP addresses and request metadata under Railway practices. There are no advertising, analytics, CRM, email-delivery or other third-party application SDK recipients. iOS handles device Keychain storage and local notification display. A CSV exported through the system share sheet is sent only to the destination you choose; that destination has its own privacy practices. The server can decrypt synchronized records to return them to an authorized installation; this is not end-to-end encryption.
Data retention
Local planning records remain until you delete them or remove the app. The installation secret may remain in Keychain after app removal, but recovery is not guaranteed. Synchronized records remain in the live database until deleted using the installation secret; disabling sync does not remove an existing cloud copy. No automatic expiry is implemented. The app does not configure a fixed retention duration for Railway infrastructure logs or provider backups, and we do not promise a specific duration for them. Deletion from the live database does not establish immediate deletion from any provider-managed backups or historical logs. The local records file is excluded from app-managed device backup, but exported CSV files are independently retained by you or the chosen destination.
Deleting your information
Settings includes Delete all local and cloud records. It must reach the server successfully before removing local records; if it cannot connect, it keeps records and asks you to retry. Successful deletion removes this installation’s encrypted document from the live database, clears local records and cancels pending reminders. It retains the installation secret without financial records so no sign-in is needed. Deleting a loan removes it from local records and the next successful enabled sync updates the cloud copy. Exported CSV files must be deleted separately from the destinations you selected. Provider logs or backups may retain earlier information according to their own retention practices; the app does not directly erase those copies. Losing the installation secret prevents the app from accessing or identifying its previous cloud copy, and we do not promise recovery.
Permissions and your choices
Notifications are optional and requested only when you enable payment reminders. The app schedules local alerts containing the loan name for upcoming payments, up to the system scheduling limit. You can disable reminders in the app to cancel pending alerts or withdraw notification permission in iOS Settings. Notification denial does not prevent calculations or record management. No location, contacts, photos, camera, microphone or bank permission is requested. Network access is used for optional synchronization and for opening the public privacy policy; local planning works offline.
Your privacy rights
You can inspect and edit planning records within the app, export a loan payment schedule as CSV, disable synchronization, restore an available cloud copy and delete local and live server records using Settings. For privacy questions or applicable access, correction, deletion or other rights requests, contact basil.cumberbatch@icloud.com. Because there is no account and records are identified by a secret hash, we may not be able to associate an email request with a cloud document or recover a lost secret. Do not email your installation secret or financial records. Rights and response obligations depend on applicable law.
Security
The app uses HTTPS for server communication and a random per-installation 256-bit secret held in Keychain; it never embeds a shared server credential. Server authorization derives the storage identity from that secret. Synchronized documents are encrypted using AES-256-GCM with a server-only encryption key, separate random nonces and authenticated version and installation identifiers. Database access remains on the backend. Atomic version checks, input validation, request size limits and rate limits reduce data-integrity and abuse risks. Local records use iOS file protection and are excluded from backup by the app. These measures do not guarantee absolute security; device access, loss of the secret and hosting compromise can affect protection or availability.
Children’s privacy
LoanWise is designed for adults planning or managing personal borrowing, primarily ages 22 to 45. It is not directed to children and does not request age or knowingly build child profiles. If you believe a child has supplied personal data through optional sync, contact basil.cumberbatch@icloud.com. Local records can be deleted from Settings; a cloud copy requires its installation secret for authorized deletion.
Changes to this policy
This policy describes the current application and backend practices as of its effective date. We may update it when processing, hosting or features change. The updated policy and effective date will appear on this public page, accessible from app Settings. Review the policy before enabling optional sync or after an app update.