SwipeWise Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-06-01.

SwipeWise is a credit-card recommendation app. This document explains what data the app handles, where it goes, and what we never store.

What we collect on your device

Card and transaction data. We sync your linked card metadata, balances, and transactions from the third-party account provider you authorize, using the FDX open-finance data standard. This data is stored exclusively in a local SQLite database on your device (swipewise.db) — it never leaves the device by SwipeWise's hand. (Recurring-payment detection and reward estimates are computed locally from this data, not collected from the provider.)
Authentication tokens. Issued by the same third-party provider so the app can refresh your data. Stored locally; refresh requests go back to the provider, not to SwipeWise.

What we collect for nearby-store features

Location. When you open the Stores tab or move out of a pre-registered zone, the app reads a one-shot location fix on your device. Before it asks Foursquare's Places API for stores near you, the latitude/longitude are rounded to 3 decimal places (~110 m) — the full-precision fix never leaves the device. Your location is used only for nearby search and the on-device geofences; SwipeWise has no server, so it is never sent anywhere except Foursquare, and no location history is kept (see What we never store).
Foreground vs. background. "While using the app" permission is enough to populate the Stores list. "Allow all the time" is required only if you want notifications when you arrive at a registered merchant — Android's geofence service runs the dwell detection inside the OS; SwipeWise is woken only when an arrival fires.

What we never store

Location history, or any location off your device. SwipeWise keeps no trail of where you've been and never transmits your location except the rounded Foursquare nearby-search request described above. The one place a location is at rest is a single-row on-device geofence boundary (boundary_geofence in swipewise.db): your position — rounded to ~110 m — when geofences were last registered, overwritten on every refresh and used only to detect when you've left the area. It never leaves your device and is removed when you uninstall.
Usage telemetry. The app does not phone home — not which cards you're shown, which notifications fire, nor what you tap. There is no analytics service.

Where data goes

Foursquare Places API. Receives your latitude/longitude rounded to ~110 m, the search radius, and a category filter. Returns nearby merchants. See https://foursquare.com/legal/privacy/ for their terms.
Your account provider. Receives auth refresh requests and returns card/transaction data. Their privacy policy applies.
No SwipeWise server. SwipeWise has no backend. There is nowhere on the SwipeWise side for your data to leak to.

Permissions we ask for and why

Permission	Purpose	Required?
`ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION`	Find stores near you	Required for nearby-stores
`ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION`	Approximate-location fallback for nearby stores	Required for nearby-stores
`ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION`	Geofence dwell detection while app closed	Optional (notifications won't fire without it)
`ACTIVITY_RECOGNITION`	Tell a real store visit from driving past, so you aren't pinged at red lights	Optional (improves notification accuracy)
`POST_NOTIFICATIONS`	"You're at Kohl's, use Citi Custom Cash" alerts	Optional (Android 13+)
`RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED`	Re-arm geofences after a phone reboot	Required for the notification feature to survive reboots
`FOREGROUND_SERVICE`, `FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC`	Finish syncing your accounts if you background the app mid-sync — shown as a visible "syncing" notification. No data leaves the device; this only keeps the on-device sync alive so the OS doesn't suspend it	Required for reliable sync
`INTERNET`	Foursquare API + your account provider	Required

You can revoke any of these in Android Settings → Apps → SwipeWise → Permissions at any time. The app degrades gracefully (e.g. denying background location keeps the Stores tab working but disables arrival notifications).

Children

SwipeWise is not intended for children under 13. Don't sign up if that's you.

Contact

Questions: open an issue at https://github.com/jacobceles/swipewise.