AutoMate — Car Expense Tracker
Last updated: April 26, 2026
AutoMate is a car expense tracking app that keeps all your data on your device. This policy explains what data the app handles, how it handles it, and what permissions it requests.
All data you enter into AutoMate — vehicles, fuel logs, service records, expenses, reminders, and settings — is stored locally on your device in a SQLite database. Your data never leaves your device unless you explicitly choose to export or back it up.
There is no cloud storage, no server, and no remote database. AutoMate does not transmit any data over the internet, with one exception: if you enter a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), the app sends that VIN to the free NHTSA public API to look up your vehicle's year, make, and model. No other data is sent.
AutoMate does not collect, transmit, or share any personal data with anyone, including the developer. Specifically:
AutoMate does not require or offer account creation. There is no sign-up, no login, and no user account. You open the app and start using it immediately.
AutoMate contains no advertisements. There are no banner ads, interstitial ads, video ads, or sponsored content of any kind.
AutoMate requests the following device permissions. Each permission is requested only when you take an action that requires it, never on first launch or in the background.
When requested: Only when you tap the camera button to take a photo of a receipt or your vehicle.
What it does: Opens your device camera so you can capture a photo. The photo is saved locally within the app's storage.
What it does not do: AutoMate never accesses your camera in the background or without your direct action.
When requested: Only when you tap the gallery button to select an existing photo.
What it does: Lets you pick a photo from your device gallery to attach to a vehicle profile or event record. The selected photo is copied into the app's local storage.
What it does not do: AutoMate does not scan, index, or access any photos other than the one you explicitly select.
When requested: Only when you tap "Use current location" while adding a gas station or service shop.
What it does: Reads your device's GPS coordinates once to identify your current location. This is used to save the place where you fueled up or had your car serviced.
What it does not do: AutoMate never tracks your location in the background. Location data is stored only on your device as part of the place record you created.
When requested: Only when you create your first maintenance reminder.
What it does: Allows AutoMate to send you local notification reminders for maintenance items you configured (for example, "Oil change due for My Car"). These notifications are generated entirely on your device.
What it does not do: AutoMate does not use push notifications from a server. No notification data is sent to or from any external service.
You can export all of your data at any time using the Export feature in Settings. Exports are available in CSV and PDF formats and can be filtered by vehicle and date range. The exported file is shared through your device's standard share sheet — you choose where it goes.
AutoMate provides a backup feature that creates a copy of your entire database. You can save this backup file wherever you choose and restore from it at any time. The backup process is entirely local and manual — there is no automatic cloud backup.
AutoMate is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect information from children.
If this privacy policy changes, the updated version will be posted here and the "Last updated" date above will be revised. Because AutoMate collects no data, meaningful changes to this policy are unlikely.
If you have questions about this privacy policy or the app, you can reach us at arctos.built@gmail.com.