Privacy Policy

Introduction

Study Buddy ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we process limited information when you use our mobile application.

This policy applies to all users, including children under 13 who use the App with parental consent.

1. Information We Collect

We do not require account registration and we do not intentionally collect direct personal identifiers such as name, email address, phone number, or home address for normal app use.

We process the following limited information:

Analytics Data

• Screen view analytics and feature usage events
• Basic device/app diagnostics (for reliability and performance)

User-Provided Content

• Writing submissions entered by users for writing assessment features
• Feedback text submitted through in-app feedback

We do NOT collect:

• Personal names or addresses as a required app field
• Email addresses as a required app field
• Photos or media from your device
• Location tracking or GPS data
• Contact lists or phone numbers

2. How We Use Your Information

We use limited information to:

• Provide core app functionality
• Measure screen usage and improve app performance and stability
• Process writing submissions for writing assessment features
• Review feedback submitted by users
• Identify and fix technical issues
• Improve app content and features

We do not sell personal information.

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

RevenueCat

• Purpose: Subscription management and payment processing
• Data shared: Anonymous user identifier, subscription status
• Privacy policy: https://www.revenuecat.com/privacy

Firebase (Google)

• Purpose: App analytics and writing submission processing/storage
• Data shared: Screen/usage events and writing submissions
• Privacy policy: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy

Apple App Store

• Purpose: App distribution and in-app purchases
• Data shared: As per Apple's policies
• Privacy policy: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy

These providers process data under their own privacy and security terms.

4. Children's Privacy

Study Buddy is designed for students, including children under 13. We take children's privacy seriously and comply with the Australian Privacy Act and relevant children's privacy regulations.

For Children Under 13:

• Parental consent is required before using the App
• We minimise data collection to what is necessary for the educational service
• We do not display targeted advertising
• We do not enable social features or direct communication

5. Data Storage and Security

Data Storage

• Practice and exam progress is stored locally on your device for session resume and Insights charts/trends
• App analytics events are processed by Firebase Analytics
• Writing submissions are stored in Firebase
• Feedback submissions are stored in our backend tools when submitted
• Subscription status is synced securely via RevenueCat

Security Measures

• All data transmission uses encryption (HTTPS/TLS)
• We use industry-standard security practices
• Access to data is restricted to authorised personnel
• We regularly review and update our security measures

Data Location

• Data may be processed in Australia and the United States
• All transfers comply with applicable data protection laws

6. Data Retention

We retain your data as follows:

• Writing submissions: Retained in Firebase while needed for app features and improvement
• Feedback submissions: Retained while needed to review and action feedback
• Analytics events: Retained according to Firebase Analytics settings and operational needs
• Subscription data: Managed and retained by Apple/RevenueCat per their policies

We periodically review retention settings and delete or minimize data when no longer needed.

7. Your Rights

Depending on applicable law, you may have rights to request access, correction, or deletion of data we can reasonably link to your request.

Important limitation:

• Because we do not provide account-based identity in the App, we may be unable to verify ownership of data in many cases
• We cannot reliably identify all users across analytics records
• We can attempt targeted deletion when you provide enough details (for example, a writing excerpt, submission date/time, or feedback content)

Contact: To make a privacy request, contact us through the in-app feedback channel and include as much detail as possible.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy in the App
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• For significant changes, displaying a notice when you open the App

Your continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.