Owesum Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 24, 2026
Owesum ("the app") is a bill-splitting and tip calculator operated by Casimir Foundry ("we", "us", "our"). This policy explains what data the app collects, why, and the choices you have. By using Owesum you agree to the practices described here.
Summary
- We do not require an account, and we do not ask for your name, email, or contacts.
- Receipts you scan are processed on your device and are not uploaded to us. The text-recognition library reports usage and performance metrics to Google, but not the image or the text it read.
- Your saved bill history stays on your device.
- We use Google services for app analytics, crash diagnostics, and advertising, which collect limited device and usage data as described below.
- An optional Venmo or PayPal.Me link you save stays on your device. A Venmo username look-up you approve is sent to Venmo, not to us.
Information we collect
Information you enter. Bill amounts, tip percentages, the number of people, and similar values you type stay on your device and are used only to perform the calculation. We do not transmit them to our servers (we do not operate an app server). If you choose to share a bill summary — for example, through your device's share sheet — that summary, including the amounts, is sent to whichever app or contact you select. That transfer is initiated by you, not by us.
Receipt scans. When you scan a receipt, the image is processed by on-device text recognition to read the amounts. Receipt images are not uploaded to us or to any third party. If you save a bill, a reference to the scanned image (its file path on your device) is kept locally as part of that saved history entry, so the image stays on your device — it is never sent off the device. Camera and photo-library access are used only for scanning and only when you choose to scan.
Saved history. Bills you save — including any
reference to the associated receipt image — are stored locally on your
device. You can remove them at any time in
Settings → Clear history, or by uninstalling the app.
Like other app data, saved history (including retained receipt
images) may be included in your device's own backups (iCloud or
Android backup), which you control in your device settings. We have
no access to those backups.
Saved payment links (optional). You can save your
own Venmo profile link and your own PayPal.Me link so that split
summaries you share can include a payment link for each. You can
paste a link or type your username or PayPal.Me name; a link can
also be shared from Venmo or from PayPal to Owesum. Either way,
nothing is saved until you confirm it. A pasted or typed link is
confirmed inside Owesum. When sharing to Owesum on iOS, the
confirmation appears in Owesum's share extension, inside the app
you are sharing from; a link confirmed there is held in a small area of
storage that the extension and the app share, on your device only,
until Owesum next opens and moves it into your settings. Each saved
link (and the username or PayPal.Me name in it) stays on your
device, appears only in share messages you choose to send, and is
never transmitted to us, to analytics, or in crash reports. Owesum
does not contact PayPal on your behalf; checking a PayPal.Me link
opens it in your browser. You can change or remove either link at
any time in Settings → Venmo or
Settings → PayPal; removing a link also discards any
link still waiting to be picked up. You can leave either link out
of any individual message before sharing. Like other app data, the
saved links may be included in your device's own backups, which
you control in your device settings; we have no access to those
backups.
Venmo username look-up. If the link you add is Venmo's numeric-ID form, which does not contain a username, the app tells you first and, only with your go-ahead, sends that link directly to venmo.com to look the username up. The request carries the link you provided, including the numeric account ID in it, and, like any web request, your IP address. It goes to Venmo, not to us: our servers never receive it, and what the app keeps — the username Venmo returns, and the link you provided as a fallback — stays on your device. How Venmo handles those requests, including how long it keeps them, is governed by Venmo's own privacy policy. You can decline the look-up, in which case nothing is saved; if it fails, you can try again or save the link as-is.
Information collected automatically. Through the Google services below:
- Analytics (Google Firebase Analytics). App usage and interaction events; device information (model, operating system, language, and similar); an app-instance identifier, a per-vendor device identifier, and the advertising identifier (on iOS only if you allow tracking; on Android the Advertising ID); and an approximate location derived from your masked IP address — used to understand how the app is used and to improve it. Analytics is linked to our AdMob account, so its data also serves ad measurement.
- Crash diagnostics (Google Crashlytics). Crash and error reports, including device state, diagnostic logs, and a per-installation identifier (used to count how many users a crash affects), to find and fix stability problems.
- Receipt text recognition (Google ML Kit). The library that reads your receipt runs on your device and does not send the image or the recognized text to Google. It does send Google metrics about its own use: device information (model, operating system, available hardware acceleration), the app's identifier and version, a per-installation identifier that is not meant to identify you or your device, the configured image format and resolution, event types such as initialization and detection, timing, and error codes — used by Google for diagnostics and usage analytics of the library, as described in its terms.
- Advertising (Google AdMob). Owesum is free and shows banner ads. The Google Mobile Ads SDK automatically collects and shares a device advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS, subject to the App Tracking Transparency prompt; Advertising ID on Android), IP address (which may be used to estimate approximate location), app product-interaction data, performance data (such as app launch time, hang rate, and energy use), crash logs, and diagnostics — for advertising (delivering and personalizing ads), analytics and ad measurement, and fraud prevention. Google's consent library, which decides whether to show you an ad-privacy prompt, uses approximate location, performance data, and interaction data for that purpose only.
How we use data
- To provide the app's core features (splitting bills, calculating tips, scanning receipts).
- To understand usage and improve the app (analytics).
- To diagnose crashes and improve stability.
- To display and measure advertising that keeps the app free.
Advertising and your choices
We use Google AdMob to show ads and, where permitted, personalized ads. You have several controls over ad personalization and the advertising identifier:
- iOS: the App Tracking Transparency prompt lets you
allow or deny use of the advertising identifier. You can change it
later in
Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking. - Android: you can reset or delete your Advertising ID and opt out of personalization in your device's Google settings.
- Outside the United States: Owesum is
distributed in the United States. If you use the app while in the
European Economic Area, the UK, or Switzerland, we request consent
for ad data use on first launch via Google's consent flow, because
that prompt follows your device's location rather than the store
you downloaded from. You can revisit your choices anytime from
Settings → Manage ad privacyin the app.
These controls limit ad personalization and let you reset or delete the advertising identifier. They do not turn off ads entirely — the app continues to show non-personalized ads — nor do they stop the analytics and crash-diagnostics collection described above, for which the app has no in-app opt-out.
Learn how Google uses data from apps that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
Sharing with Google
We share the limited data above with Google through Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics, ML Kit, and AdMob. For crash diagnostics and product analytics, Google generally acts as our service provider. Google uses ML Kit's usage metrics for its own purposes — to measure performance, debug, maintain, and improve the library, and to detect misuse — under Google's privacy policy. For advertising, Google does not act solely as our processor: Google may use the shared app and device data for its own purposes — including delivering and measuring ads, ad personalization, fraud prevention, and improving its services — as described in Google's partner-sites disclosure and Google's privacy policy. We do not sell your personal information for money.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal data, or to object to or restrict its processing (EEA/UK GDPR), and the right to opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (California/US state laws). We do not sell your personal information for money; however, our use of personalized advertising may be treated as "sharing" (or a "sale") of personal information under some US state laws — you can opt out using the advertising and device controls described above. To exercise any right, contact us at the address below; because most data is on your device or held by Google as described, deletion may also be accomplished by clearing app data or uninstalling, and by using the ad and device controls above.
Data retention
Data you enter, your saved history, and any saved Venmo or PayPal.Me link remain on your device until you clear them or uninstall the app. Analytics, crash, and advertising data are retained by Google according to its retention policies. A username look-up request you approve is retained by Venmo according to Venmo's policies; we never receive it.
Children
Owesum is not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided data, contact us and we will address it.
International transfers
Data processed by Google may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, under safeguards described in Google's privacy policy.
Security
We rely on the security measures of the device platforms and of Google's services. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect data.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your data: support.owesum@casimirfoundry.com.