Privacy Policy - ClearRate

Privacy Policy for ClearRate

Effective Date: November 1, 2026 Developer: Threadline Labs Contact: ammier.clarke@threadlinelabs.io


ClearRate is an offline-first augmented reality (AR) currency converter and shopping utility developed by Threadline Labs. ClearRate is engineered on a no-login, privacy-first architecture where price recognition, currency conversion, and budget tracking occur locally on your device without requiring user accounts or tracking where you spend.


1. Information Processed and How It Is Used

ClearRate requests only the minimum device permissions required to deliver its core currency conversion and budgeting features.


Camera and Visual Media (On-Device OCR)


  • Live Camera Viewfinder: ClearRate uses Android CameraX to display a live camera preview and freeze frames when you tap to scan physical price tags or table QR codes.

  • Screenshots and Shared Images: When you import a screenshot via the system photo picker or share an image to ClearRate, the app accesses only the specific image you select.

  • 100% On-Device Processing: All camera frames and imported images are analyzed locally in device memory using Google ML Kit Text Recognition and Barcode Scanning.

  • Zero Image Storage or Upload: ClearRate never stores, records, or transmits your camera feed, frozen frames, or screenshots to external servers.

Approximate Location Data


  • Coarse Location Only: ClearRate requests approximate location permission (ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION) accurate to roughly 2 to 3 square kilometers and does not request precise GPS coordinates (ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION).

  • Currency Auto-Detection: Your approximate location is reverse-geocoded on app launch solely to identify the current country code and automatically select the corresponding local ISO currency.

  • No Location Tracking: Location coordinates are resolved ephemerally on your device and are never stored, logged in a history, or shared with third-party analytics or advertising networks.

  • Manual Override: Location access is optional; if you deny the permission, ClearRate defaults to manual currency selection via the top HUD selector.

System Text Selection (Context Menu)


  • Highlighted Price Lookup: When you highlight text in a web browser or document and select "Convert with ClearRate," Android passes only the selected text string to the app.

  • Local Conversion: The highlighted text is parsed locally on your device to display the converted price and is discarded unless you explicitly tap to add the amount to your shopping tally.

2. Local On-Device Data Storage

All personal preferences, custom exchange rates, and shopping records are stored strictly locally on your device using Android Jetpack DataStore and local database storage (Room). ClearRate does not sync this data to any cloud account.


  • Currency and Custom Rate Preferences: Your selected home currency, active foreign currency, and any manual street exchange rate overrides are saved locally across sessions.

  • Shopping Tally ("The Bill"): Items added to your running shopping cart—including item IDs, local prices, converted home prices, currency codes, and timestamps—are stored locally on your device.

  • Budget Allowance Settings: Your configured Daily, Weekly, and Monthly spending limits and active tracking mode are persisted locally to power the viewfinder allowance gauge.

3. Network Activity and Third-Party Services

ClearRate is designed to function offline using locally cached exchange rates and bundled fallback data. Network connections occur only to synchronize global foreign exchange rates and maintain required Google Play Services models.


  • Google Cloud Firestore (Exchange Rate Sync): When connected to the internet, ClearRate reads a single public, read-only document hosted on Google Cloud Firestore to update daily USD base exchange rates.

  • Server-Side Rate Aggregation: Daily exchange rates from Currencyapi are fetched by a scheduled backend Cloud Function rather than individual user devices, shielding your device from third-party FX API tracking.

  • Google ML Kit and Play Services: ClearRate uses on-device Google ML Kit modules for Latin, Arabic/Persian, and Devanagari script recognition alongside Google Play Services for coarse location resolution.

  • Standard Technical Metadata: During Firestore rate synchronization or Play Services model downloads, Google infrastructure automatically processes standard network metadata such as your IP address and device headers.

4. Data Sharing and Analytics

Threadline Labs does not sell, rent, trade, or transmit your personal data, shopping tallies, budget allowances, or location history to any third party. ClearRate contains no third-party advertising SDKs, behavioral trackers, or financial profiling tools.


5. Data Retention and User Controls

Because your financial and usage data resides exclusively on your device, you retain complete control over its lifecycle:


  • In-App Deletion: You can remove individual scanned items, tap "Clear Bill" to wipe your entire shopping tally, or delete custom street rate overrides at any time within the app.

  • Permission Revocation: You can revoke Camera or Approximate Location permissions at any time through your Android system settings, and continue using manual overrides and screenshot imports.

  • Complete Erasure: Clearing the app's storage in Android Settings or uninstalling ClearRate permanently deletes all locally stored preferences, custom rates, budgets, and shopping tallies from your device.

6. Children's Privacy

ClearRate is a general-audience travel utility that does not require account registration or collect personal information from users of any age, including children under the age of 13.


7. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Threadline Labs may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect new app features or regulatory requirements. Any updates will be reflected by a revised Effective Date at the top of this policy.


8. Contact Us

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or how ClearRate handles data, please contact Threadline Labs at ammier.clarke@threadlinelabs.io.