Who we are
Pocketa (the app) and pocketa.mlabs.ng (the website) are made by MLabs Technologies Ltd (RC9939212), trading as MayR Labs, of 10 Harrison Cmonyei Street, ULO, Ibusa Road, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria ("we", "us"). We are the data controller for the limited information described here. We wrote this policy to be read, not skimmed past.
Questions about your information: pocketa@mlabs.ng.
The short version
- Your financial records stay on your phone. Pocketa has no account to create and no server that receives your transactions, balances, budgets, goals or debts.
- They are stored in an encrypted database on your device. The key is generated on your phone and kept in its secure keystore.
- Backups are optional. If you turn them on, they are encrypted on your phone with a passphrase you choose, then saved to your own Google Drive or iCloud. We can’t read them.
- We never ask for bank, card or wallet logins.
- The free version may show small ads from Google AdMob, after asking for your consent. Pocketa Plus has no ads.
- We don’t sell your information, and we don’t use Pocketa to build a profile of you.
Information that stays on your phone
To work, Pocketa saves these things on your device:
- the accounts you add, their opening balances and details you type (such as “•• 4471”);
- your transactions: amounts, currencies, dates, titles, categories, notes, tags, payment methods and any receipt photos you attach;
- budgets, bills and recurring schedules, savings goals, loans and debts (including names of people you lend to or borrow from, and a phone number if you add one);
- exchange rates you save, templates, in-app notifications and your settings.
This information is never sent to us. Deleting Pocketa, or using More › Import & export › Erase all data, removes it from your phone. Your phone’s own backup feature (iCloud device backup or Google backup) may copy app data to your account with Apple or Google; that is your phone’s feature, not ours. On Android, Pocketa opts out of automatic system backup of its database.
App lock
If you set a PIN, only a salted hash of it is stored, in your phone’s keystore. Face ID and fingerprint unlock are handled entirely by your phone; Pocketa only learns whether the check passed.
Backups
Backups are off until you turn them on.
- What is backed up: a full copy of the information listed above (except receipt photos and your PIN).
- How: the copy is encrypted on your phone with AES-256-GCM, using a key derived from your backup passphrase. Your passphrase is stored in your phone’s keystore so automatic backups can run. It is never sent to us, Google or Apple.
- Where: your choice of your own Google Drive (in a hidden folder that only Pocketa can access, using the
drive.appdatapermission) or iCloud Drive, or a file you save yourself. - Google sign-in: to back up to Google Drive, you sign in with Google. Pocketa receives your email address (to show which account is connected) and permission to its own hidden folder. It cannot see your other Drive files.
If you forget your backup passphrase, nobody, including us, can open your backups.
Reminders and widgets
Reminders are scheduled on your phone by Pocketa. They don’t pass through our servers. The home-screen widget and app-icon shortcuts show only what you allow (the widget shows today’s spending unless you hide balances).
Ads (free version)
The free version may show a small banner on a few screens (never while you add money). Ads are served by Google AdMob. Before any ad is requested, you are asked for consent where the law requires it, and on iPhone, for permission to track. If you decline, ads are non-personalised. AdMob may collect your device’s advertising identifier, IP address, and information about ad interactions. AdMob never receives your financial records. See Google’s privacy policy and how Google uses information from apps. Pocketa Plus removes ads.
Purchases
Pocketa Plus is bought through Google Play or the App Store. They process the payment and tell Pocketa whether you own Plus. We don’t receive your card details.
The website
pocketa.mlabs.ng doesn’t use tracking cookies or ask for personal information. Our hosting provider keeps standard server logs (such as IP address and pages requested) for security and reliability, for a short time.
Emails to us
If you email us, we use what you send (your address and message) only to reply and to improve Pocketa, and keep it for as long as needed to help you.
Legal basis and your rights
We process the limited information above to provide the features you ask for (contract), with your consent (ads, backups, sign-in), and for our legitimate interests in running a secure service. Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, and similar laws where you live, you can ask to access, correct or delete information we hold about you, object to or restrict processing, withdraw consent, and complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission. Because your records live on your phone, you can see, export, correct and erase them yourself at any time in the app.
Children
Pocketa is not directed at children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect information from them.
Security
We protect Pocketa with on-device encryption, the platform keystore, an optional app lock and encrypted backups. No method is perfect. Keep your phone’s lock enabled, and keep your backup passphrase safe.
Changes
If we change this policy, we will update the date above and, for meaningful changes, tell you in the app before they take effect.
Contact
MLabs Technologies Ltd · pocketa@mlabs.ng · 10 Harrison Cmonyei Street, ULO, Ibusa Road, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria.