At a glance
- You can use the app without an account. An account is optional.
- We collect only what the app needs: your account details if you create one, an approximate area for the Panchang, and anonymous-style usage statistics that you can switch off.
- Your jaap counts, saved items and profile photo stay on your phone.
- We do not sell your data, show personalised ads, or track you across other companies' apps and websites.
- You can delete your account and its data at any time, right in the app.
Who we are
The Sanaatan Dharma app ("the app", "we", "us") is published by Anand Prakash, an individual developer based in India, who decides how your information is used and is responsible for it. Contact: sanaatandharmaapp@gmail.com.
What we collect
If you create an account
- Sign-in details: your email address and password (stored only as a one-way scrambled hash — we can never see it), or the account identifier Google or Apple gives us when you choose "Continue with Google" or "Sign in with Apple". With Apple you may hide your real email; Apple then gives us a private relay address.
- Profile: first and last name, and — if you choose to fill them in — gender, date of birth, state and city, and the app language you prefer.
- Account records: when you accepted the terms, when you finished setting up, and whether your email is verified.
- Favourites: the deities you pin to "My Deities", so they appear on all your devices.
- Notifications: which in-app messages you have read.
Approximate location (only if you allow it)
The Panchang (tithi, sunrise, sunset, Rahu Kaal) depends on where you are. If you allow location while using the app, your iPhone finds your position to about 1 km and turns it into a city name on the phone. Before anything is sent to us, the position is rounded to an area of roughly 28 km and sent with your time zone to calculate the Panchang. We do not store your location against your account; the rounded result may be kept in a short-term cache so the next person in the same area gets it faster. If you don't allow location, the app uses a default city.
Usage statistics
To learn which features are useful and fix problems, the app uses Google Analytics for Firebase. It records events such as opening the app, which screens are viewed, starting or finishing a jaap, and words typed into the app's search box, together with device type, iOS and app version, country and language. If you are signed in, events are linked to your account's random ID (not your name or email). Advertising features and ad personalisation are switched off, and the app does not use Apple's advertising identifier. You can turn statistics off any time in Settings → About → Share usage statistics.
Feedback you send
When you use Send feedback, we receive your message, its type, an optional email or phone number for our reply, and technical details to help us fix issues: app version, iOS version, device model and language. If you are signed in, it is linked to your account.
When you contact us
If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you write, and use it only to reply.
Technical data
Like any online service, our servers briefly process your device's IP address to deliver content and to block abuse (for example, too many sign-in attempts). We do not use it to identify you.
What stays on your phone
These are kept only on your device and are not sent to us:
- Your jaap counts, malas, streaks and daily goal.
- Saved Sanatan Gyan items and your settings (sound, haptics, theme, language).
- Your profile photo, if you add one.
- A saved copy of content for offline use, and your sign-in keys (in the iPhone Keychain).
Deleting the app removes them from your phone.
How we use your information
- To provide the app: sign you in, show your profile and favourites, calculate the Panchang for your area, and deliver in-app messages.
- To send account emails: a welcome email and one-time codes to verify your email or reset your password. We do not send marketing emails.
- To answer your feedback and support requests.
- To understand how the app is used and improve it (usage statistics, if switched on).
- To keep the service secure and prevent misuse.
We use your information because you asked for the service, with your consent (for example, location and statistics, which you can withdraw), or to keep the app safe.
Who we share it with
We never sell your information. We share it only with service providers who run parts of the app for us, under their own privacy and security commitments:
| Provider | What for | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services (Mumbai, India) | Our servers, database, backups and account emails | Everything the app stores on our side, as described above |
| Google (Firebase Analytics) | Usage statistics | App events and device details listed under "Usage statistics" (only if switched on) |
| "Continue with Google" | Your Google sign-in, when you choose it | |
| Apple | "Sign in with Apple", turning a position into a city name, Maps links, App Store ratings | As handled by Apple under its own privacy policy |
| YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) | Playing videos inside some Gyan items | Only when you play a video |
We may also disclose information if Indian law requires it, or to protect the safety of our users.
Where it is stored and how it is protected
Our servers and database are in Mumbai, India. Google may process usage statistics outside India. All traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted (HTTPS). Passwords are stored only as hashes, sign-in keys on your phone are kept in the Keychain, access to the servers is restricted, and database backups are kept in private storage. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and will tell you if a breach affects you, as the law requires.
How long we keep it
| Information | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Account, profile and favourites | Until you delete your account |
| Read in-app messages | Deleted 7 days after you read them |
| Email codes | Valid for 10 minutes |
| Sign-in sessions | Up to 180 days without use |
| Database backups | Removed automatically after 30 days |
| Feedback | As long as useful to improve the app; it is unlinked from you when you delete your account |
| Usage statistics | Up to 14 months in Google Analytics |
Your choices and rights
- Use it without an account. All content works as a guest.
- Location: allow or stop it any time in iPhone Settings → Sanaatan Dharma → Location.
- Statistics: switch off in Settings → About → Share usage statistics.
- See or correct your data: your profile is visible and editable in the app; you may also ask us for a copy of what we hold.
- Delete: delete your account in the app any time, or ask us to (below).
- Withdraw consent or raise a grievance by writing to us. Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 you may also nominate someone to act for you, and complain to the Data Protection Board of India if you are not satisfied with our answer.
Deleting your account
In the app: open your Profile (the picture at the top of Home) and tap Delete account, then confirm. Your account is deleted right away.
If you can't use the app, email sanaatandharmaapp@gmail.com with the subject "Delete my account" from the email on your account; we delete it within 30 days and confirm by email.
Deleting your account permanently removes your profile, sign-in details, favourites and message history from our database. Feedback you sent is kept without any link to you. Backups that still contain your data are removed automatically within 30 days. Data on your phone is removed when you delete the app.
Children
The app is made for a general devotional audience and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without a parent's consent. If you believe a child has created an account, please write to us and we will delete it. Under 18s in India should use account features with a parent or guardian.
Links, videos and promotions
Some screens may show "Recommended" or "Sponsored" links (clearly marked). They open outside the app in your browser, and the site you visit has its own privacy policy. We do not share your personal information with sponsors. Videos are played through YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top and, for important changes, tell you in the app. Continuing to use the app after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Contact and grievances
Anand Prakash, publisher of Sanaatan Dharma
Email: sanaatandharmaapp@gmail.com
We reply to privacy questions and grievances within 30 days.