1. Introduction

Welcome to Bible Connect ("we," "us," "our," or "our app"), a mobile application designed to help you connect with faith through Bible reading, prayer management, community engagement, and AI-powered spiritual guidance.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you have a positive experience on our app. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and what rights you have regarding your data.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By downloading, accessing, or using Bible Connect, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use the app.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 User-Provided Information

• Account Information: Email address, password, name, phone number, and profile information when you create an account
• User-Generated Content: Prayers, notes, reflections, and comments you create and share through the app
• Images: Profile pictures and images you upload through the app
• Location Data: Approximate and precise location (only when you grant permission and enable location services)
• Audio Recordings: Audio messages and prayer recordings you explicitly create and share

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Device Information: Device model, operating system, unique device identifiers, and device settings
• Usage Information: How you interact with the app, features you use, content you view, and time spent on different sections
• Log Data: IP address, browser type, access times, and pages viewed
• Crash Reports: Information about app crashes and technical errors (automatically collected to improve stability)
• Push Notification Preferences: Your notification settings and engagement with push notifications
• Analytics: Firebase Analytics data to understand user behavior and improve the app

2.3 Information from Third Parties

• Google OAuth: When you sign in with Google, we receive your email, name, and profile picture
• Firebase Services: Firebase provides us with analytics and crash reporting data

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Core App Functionality

We use your information to:

• Create and maintain your account
• Authenticate your identity and secure your account
• Store and sync your prayers, notes, and saved verses
• Provide personalized content and recommendations
• Facilitate community features and prayer sharing
• Display your profile and user-generated content to other users (as permitted by your settings)

3.2 Communication

We use your information to:

• Send push notifications for prayer reminders and app updates (only if you enable notifications)
• Respond to your inquiries and support requests
• Send important notices about changes to our app or policies
• Notify you of prayer reactions and community interactions

3.3 Analytics and Improvement

We use your information to:

• Understand how users interact with the app
• Identify bugs, crashes, and technical issues
• Improve app performance, stability, and user experience
• Develop new features based on user behavior and preferences
• Create aggregated, non-identifiable statistics

3.4 Legal and Safety

We may use your information to:

• Comply with legal obligations and law enforcement requests
• Protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• Detect, prevent, and address fraudulent or harmful activity
• Enforce our Terms of Service

4. Data Security

4.1 Security Measures

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/SSL
• Encryption at Rest: Sensitive data is encrypted when stored on our servers
• Authentication: We use secure authentication mechanisms to verify user identity
• Access Controls: Only authorized personnel have access to your data, and access is limited to what's necessary
• Regular Audits: We regularly audit our security practices and conduct vulnerability assessments
• Secure Password Handling: Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text

4.2 Limitations

While we implement comprehensive security measures, no system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.

5. App Permissions Explained

Permission	Purpose	Data Collected
Internet	Connect to our backend servers and Firebase services	None directly; enables all network communication
Post Notifications	Send you prayer reminders and app notifications	Notification preferences and engagement data
Vibrate	Provide haptic feedback for interactions	None; device feature only

5.1 Permission Management

You can control app permissions at any time through your device settings:

• Android: Settings → Apps → Bible Connect → Permissions
• iOS: Settings → Bible Connect → Toggle permissions on/off

Denying certain permissions may limit app functionality. For example, denying camera permission will prevent you from uploading photos for your profile.

6. Data Retention

6.1 Retention Periods

• Active Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for 30 days after account deletion to allow recovery
• Deleted Content: Your prayers, notes, and verses are deleted immediately when you remove them
• Analytics Data: Aggregated analytics data is retained for up to 12 months for performance analysis
• Crash Reports: Crash data is retained for 90 days for debugging purposes
• Location Data: Real-time location is not stored; only used for immediate feature delivery
• Legal Records: Data retained as required by law is maintained for the legally required period

6.2 Account Deletion

You can request permanent account deletion at any time. When you delete your account:

• Your account credentials are immediately invalidated
• Your personal data is marked for deletion
• You have 30 days to recover your account if you change your mind
• After 30 days, all personal data is permanently deleted from our servers
• Aggregated or anonymized data may be retained for analytics purposes
• Community prayer shares may remain visible to others but will be anonymized

7. Your Privacy Rights

7.1 Access Your Data

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will provide this information within 30 days of your request.

7.2 Correct Your Data

You can update your account information, profile details, and preferences at any time through the app settings.

7.3 Delete Your Data

You have the right to request deletion of your personal data. We will delete your data subject to legal retention requirements.

7.4 Data Portability

You have the right to request a copy of your data in a portable format that you can transfer to another service.

7.5 Opt-Out of Communications

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails and disable push notifications at any time through your account settings or by contacting us.

7.6 Opt-Out of Analytics

You can disable analytics data collection in your device settings, though this may limit our ability to improve the app.

7.7 Regional Rights

Depending on your location, you may have additional rights under regulations like GDPR (EU) or CCPA (California). Contact us for information about your specific rights.

8. Third-Party Services

8.1 Firebase

Service: Google Firebase provides backend infrastructure, analytics, crash reporting, and authentication.

Data Shared: Aggregated analytics, crash reports, usage patterns, and device identifiers

Privacy Policy: Google Privacy Policy

8.2 Google Sign-In

Service: Optional OAuth authentication with your Google account.

Data Shared: Email, name, and profile picture (only what you authorize)

Privacy Policy: Google Privacy Policy

8.3 Push Notifications

Service: Firebase Cloud Messaging for delivering push notifications.

Data Shared: Device push notification tokens and notification preferences

8.4 Third-Party Links

Our app may contain links to external websites and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites. Please review their privacy policies before providing your information.

9. Children's Privacy

Bible Connect is not intended for children under 13 years old. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will delete it immediately.

For users between 13 and 18, we recommend parental guidance when using the app. Parents can contact us about their child's use of the app.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Posting the revised policy in the app
• Sending you an email notification (for significant changes)
• Requiring your acceptance before continuing to use the app (if required)

Your continued use of the app after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

12. Additional Information

12.1 Data Breach Notification

In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify affected users without undue delay and provide information about the breach, the data affected, and steps we are taking to remedy the situation.

12.2 Data Processing Agreement

If you are located in the EU or have other regulatory requirements for data processing agreements, please contact us at privacy@bibleconnect.app.

12.3 Cookies and Similar Technologies

The app does not use cookies in the traditional sense, but may use similar technologies for authentication and analytics purposes. These are managed through your app and device settings.

12.4 Compliance

Bible Connect complies with applicable privacy laws and regulations, including:

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) - EU
• CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) - California
• LGPD (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados) - Brazil
• Other applicable local and international privacy laws