Frequently Asked
Questions

Extremely secure. Your data is protected by multiple layers: all communication uses TLS 1.3 encryption in transit, and everything stored on Google Firebase servers is encrypted with AES-256 — the same standard used by banks worldwide. Firestore Security Rules ensure that only your own authenticated session can ever read your records. Access to your data using administrative Firebase credentials requires explicit authorization and generates an auditable log in Google Cloud. We operate a strict policy of zero routine access to individual user records.

No — and this is intentional. Squins does not connect to your bank, card network, or any financial institution. All transactions are entered manually by you. This is a deliberate security and privacy decision: it means Squins never needs your banking credentials, and there is zero risk of unauthorized access to your bank accounts through our app.

No — your profile picture is completely private. Profile photos are stored in Firebase Storage under your unique user ID and protected by Security Rules that restrict access exclusively to your own authenticated session. No other user, third party, or the Squins team can view your profile picture. Squins is a personal finance tool — there are no social or community features.

Privacy Mode is a screen-protection feature that masks all monetary amounts in the app UI — replacing figures with "****" — so that sensitive values are not visible if someone is looking over your shoulder. Toggle it on or off at any time from Settings → Privacy Mode. It is a visual-only feature: it does not change how your data is stored, synced, or protected in any way.

No — your data is safe. Squins automatically syncs your transactions, budgets, goals, and preferences to Firebase Firestore in real time whenever you are connected to the internet. Simply sign in to Squins on your new device with the same account and all your data will be fully restored. If you have a Pro subscription or trial, we also recommend periodically exporting a CSV backup from Settings → Export Data as an extra safety net.

Yes — you fully own your data and can export it. Data export requires an active Squins Pro subscription or the 7-day free trial. Navigate to Settings → Export Data and choose from two formats:

CSV — A structured spreadsheet file with all your transactions (date, amount, category, currency, notes). Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, or any financial software that accepts CSV.

PDF — A formatted financial report summarising your transactions by category and time period. Ideal for personal records, accountant handoffs, or tax reference.

Both exports are generated entirely on-device — no data leaves your phone during the process. Export before deleting your account; deletion is permanent.

Free-tier users can always request a copy of their data by emailing support@squins.app — we will respond within 30 days at no charge, as required by GDPR/CCPA.

Yes, with a per-tier device limit. Free accounts support 1 registered device; Squins Pro (and the 7-day trial) support up to 3 devices simultaneously. On all allowed devices, Firebase Firestore keeps your data in sync in real time — a transaction entered on your phone will appear on your tablet within seconds. Each device also maintains a local offline cache so you can always access your data without internet.

Absolutely. Squins is built with an offline-first architecture. You can add transactions, set budgets, review your history, and view charts with no internet whatsoever. The app stores a complete local copy of your data using Firebase's offline persistence. Once you reconnect, any changes made offline are automatically and seamlessly synchronized with the cloud. The only features that require an active internet connection are AI Advisor queries, the AI-powered extraction step in receipt scanning, and real-time multi-device sync.

The AI Advisor is powered by Squins AI. For the AI Financial Report, Squins computes aggregated totals locally on your device — it then sends only anonymized summary figures (total income, total expense, net savings, top spending category, transaction count, best month, your currency, and your language) to generate personalized narrative insights. No raw transaction lists, notes, or personally identifiable information are included.

When using the AI Copilot chat, the text of your messages and the current session context are processed by Squins AI. Please avoid including full names, account numbers, or other sensitive identifiers in your chat messages.

Important: Squins AI provides informational insights only — not professional financial advice. Always consult a licensed professional for major financial decisions.

No, never. Google's Generative AI API terms explicitly prohibit using API inputs to train or improve base model weights. Your financial summaries and chat messages are processed in real time to generate your response — they are not retained by Google for model training purposes. Your financial patterns belong to you alone, not to an AI training dataset.

Yes — to ensure fair access and service stability for all users, AI Advisor requests are subject to rate limits: up to 20 requests per day and up to 100 requests per month per account. These limits apply to both the AI Copilot chat and AI Financial Report generation. For the vast majority of users, day-to-day usage will not approach these thresholds. If you reach your daily limit, it resets at midnight UTC; the monthly limit resets on the first day of each calendar month. These limits apply equally to Pro subscribers and trial users and are enforced server-side.

Yes — to give you seamless access to your conversation history across all your devices, your AI chat sessions are securely stored in Firebase Firestore under your account, protected by the same strict per-user Security Rules as your financial data. This means your session history is available when you switch devices or reinstall the app.

You can view your past sessions from within the AI Copilot screen. All chat history is permanently and completely deleted when you delete your account.

New Squins accounts receive a 7-day free trial of Squins Pro, completely free and with no strings attached. During the trial you get full access to every Pro feature: AI Copilot, AI Financial Reports, Weekly Digest, multi-device sync (up to 3 devices), PDF & CSV export, and a 100% ad-free experience.

No payment method is required to start the trial. We will never ask for a card to activate it. When the 7 days are up, the trial simply expires and your account automatically reverts to the free tier — no charge is ever applied. There is nothing to cancel.

If you decide you love Pro, you can subscribe at any time — before, during, or after the trial — through the in-app paywall. Subscribing is always an explicit choice you make; it never happens automatically. Please note: activating a paid subscription (at any point, including during the trial) permanently marks the trial as used. If you later cancel your subscription, you will not receive a second free trial on re-registration with the same account identity.

Cancellation is managed directly through the app store where you subscribed:

Google Play: Open the Play Store → tap your profile picture → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → Squins → Cancel.

App Store (iOS): Open Settings → tap your Apple ID → Subscriptions → Squins → Cancel.

Your Pro access continues until the end of the current billing period. No partial refunds are issued for unused time unless required by applicable law. If you need help, contact support@squins.app.

No — your data is always safe. If your subscription lapses, you simply revert to the free tier. All your transactions, budgets, goals, and history remain fully intact and accessible. Only Pro-exclusive features (AI Copilot, AI Financial Reports, Weekly Digest, multi-device sync, data export) become unavailable until you re-subscribe. You will never lose your financial data due to a subscription change.

Go to Settings → Subscription → Restore Purchases to re-verify your entitlement with the app store. Make sure you are signed in to the same Google or Apple account you used to purchase. If the issue persists, contact support@squins.app with your purchase confirmation details and we will sort it out quickly.

All payments for Squins Pro are processed entirely by Google Play or the Apple App Store — the platform you downloaded the app from. This means Squins never sees or stores your credit card details. Subscription management is handled through your existing app store account. Entitlements (which features are unlocked) are then verified in real time through RevenueCat, our subscription management layer.

Refund eligibility is governed by Google Play and Apple App Store policies, as all billing passes through those platforms. For Google Play, you can request a refund within 48 hours of purchase directly through the Play Store. For Apple, refunds can be requested at reportaproblem.apple.com. If you believe you are owed a refund for any other reason, contact us at support@squins.app and we will do our best to help.

An Activation Code is a unique, one-of-a-kind code that grants you full access to Squins Pro — without needing to purchase a subscription through Google Play or the App Store. Think of it as a special key: enter it once in the app and every Pro feature is immediately unlocked for the duration the code is valid.

Activation Codes are rare by design — they are never sold and cannot be requested directly. They are distributed exclusively through special occasions, including:

— Giveaways & campaigns — follow us to participate when they happen.
— Rewards for selected users — recognition for early adopters and loyal supporters.
— Special events — major app launches, feature updates, and milestones.
— Partnerships — collaborations with creators, communities, and brands.
— Beta testing & team access — for testers helping improve Squins before a release.
— Targeted marketing campaigns — limited-time promotions announced through our channels.

If you received a code through any of the above, it is legitimate. We will never ask you to pay for an Activation Code.

A valid Activation Code grants 100% full access to every Squins Pro feature — no limitations, no asterisks. This includes:

— AI Copilot — your personal AI financial advisor, always ready to chat.
— Weekly Digest Notifications — a personalized spending summary delivered to you each week.
— Receipt Scanning — capture and extract transactions from receipts using AI.
— Multi-device Support — sync seamlessly across up to 3 devices in real time.
— All other Pro features — AI Financial Reports, CSV/PDF export, ad-free experience, and more.

The experience is identical to a paid subscription for the duration the code is active.

Not quite. An Activation Code is a special alternative to a subscription — excellent for the period it covers, but typically time-limited or tied to specific conditions. For permanent, uninterrupted access to all Pro features, a standard subscription through Google Play or the App Store is the recommended path. If your code expires and you have fallen in love with Pro, subscribing ensures you never miss a beat.

Redeeming your code takes seconds. Open the Squins app, then navigate to Settings → Squins Pro / Activation Code. Enter your code exactly as received (codes are case-sensitive) and tap Activate. If the code is valid, your account upgrades to Pro instantly — no restart required.

Yes — each code may carry one or more of the following conditions, which will be communicated at the time of distribution:

— Expiration date — the code must be redeemed before a set date.
— Usage limit — most codes are single-use and cannot be shared or reused after activation.
— Account binding — some codes are tied to a specific account and cannot be transferred to another user.

Always check the terms attached to your specific code. The Squins app will display clear feedback if a restriction applies when you try to activate.

Before contacting support, run through these quick checks:

1. Double-check the spelling — codes are case-sensitive. Avoid spaces before or after the code when typing or pasting.
2. Check the expiration date — if the code came with a deadline, confirm it has not passed.
3. Verify the account — some codes are bound to a specific account. Ensure you are signed in to the correct one.
4. Check whether it was already used — single-use codes cannot be redeemed a second time.

If everything checks out and the code still fails, contact support@squins.app with the code (or a screenshot of the error) and we will investigate promptly.

No — Activation Codes are designed to work seamlessly alongside your existing entitlements. They will not cancel, override, or shorten your active free trial or App Store / Google Play subscription. If you already have Pro access through another method, the system simply recognizes the highest active entitlement and your Pro status remains uninterrupted. There is nothing to worry about — activating a code is always a safe action.

Squins currently supports 6 currencies: EUR, USD, GBP, JPY, CAD, and CHF. Set your primary currency in Settings and switch at any time. All amounts are displayed with correct formatting and symbol for your selected currency, using the industry-standard intl package for accurate locale rendering.

The Analytics screen provides up to 13 months of historical data — a full year plus the current month — giving you meaningful trend analysis across all spending categories. Pro subscribers and trial users can export their full transaction history as a CSV from Settings → Export Data at any time.

Yes. Squins is available in English, German (Deutsch), French (Français), and Spanish (Español). Switch your language at any time from Settings → Language. Your language preference is synced to your account so budget alert notifications are also delivered in your chosen language.

Yes, absolutely. When creating a recurring rule you choose one of three end conditions: Never (it runs indefinitely), Until a specific date (ideal for subscriptions with a known expiry), or After N occurrences (for structured payment plans like 12 monthly instalments). Once the condition is met the rule stops automatically — no manual cleanup required.

The recurring engine is fully offline-first. When the due date arrives, Squins generates the transaction locally on your device — no internet connection needed. Your balance and history update instantly in the app. The moment you reconnect, everything syncs automatically via Firebase Firestore so your data is consistent across all your devices without any manual action on your part.

Recurring Transactions & Bill Reminders is a Squins Pro exclusive feature. It is available to all active subscribers and to users currently on the 7-day free trial. Free-tier accounts do not have access to recurring rules. Upgrade or start your free trial from Settings → Get Squins Pro.

Account deletion is permanent and immediate. The moment you confirm deletion, your account is removed from Firebase Authentication and an automated server-side process immediately purges all your transactions, budgets, savings goals, AI chat history, preferences, notification tokens, and account credentials from our Firebase infrastructure. There are no hidden backups, no shadow profiles, and no recovery window. We honor your right to be forgotten — fully and completely.

To delete your account: go to Settings → Account → Delete Account, or email support@squins.app. We recommend exporting your data first if you need it for personal records.

It depends on your plan — and we think the distinction is a feature, not a downside.

Free plan: Yes, ads are shown on the free tier. This is what allows us to keep Squins available at no cost to users who don't want to subscribe. Ads are served through Google AdMob, an industry-standard ad network.

Squins Pro (paid subscription): Zero ads. Completely. The moment your Pro subscription is active, advertising SDKs are never even loaded — they are fully disabled at the code level, not just visually hidden. Ad networks cannot collect any data about you.

7-day free trial: Also 100% ad-free. We believe the trial should give you the authentic Pro experience. If you are on a trial, you will never see a single ad and no ad SDK is initialized.

Think of it this way: ads are a fair trade for a free app. Pro removes that trade entirely. Upgrade to Pro →

Only free-tier users are subject to ad data collection. Here is exactly what the ad networks collect and what they never receive:

What they may collect: Your device's advertising ID (IDFA on iOS, Android Advertising ID / GAID on Android), your IP address (used to estimate general location at country/city level), device model and OS version, and ad interaction signals (whether you saw or tapped an ad).

What they NEVER receive: Your financial transactions, budgets, savings goals, AI chat history, email address, display name, profile picture, or any other Squins data. Ad networks operate in a completely isolated context from your financial data.

How to opt out of personalized ads at the OS level:
— iPhone / iPad: Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → disable "Allow Apps to Request to Track." Also: Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising → disable "Personalized Ads."
— Android: Settings → Google → Ads → tap "Delete advertising ID" (Android 12+) or enable "Opt out of Ads Personalization."

The most complete option: Upgrade to Pro. Ad SDKs are never initialized for Pro subscribers — preventing any ad-network data collection entirely. Full details in Privacy Policy, Section 13 →