Table of Contents
1. Introduction
Prayer Circle ("we," "us," "our," or "Company") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and related services (the "Service").
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Service.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
- Account Information: Username, email address, profile picture, phone number
- Prayer & Content: Prayers, messages, comments, posts, and other user-generated content
- Communications: Direct messages, group chats (encrypted end-to-end)
- Profile Data: Biographical information, interests, location preferences
- Payment Information: Billing address, payment method (processed securely by third parties)
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, device identifiers
- Usage Data: App features used, content viewed, time spent in app
- Location Data: Optional location services for prayer groups and community features
- Push Notifications: Device tokens for push notification delivery
- Usage Statistics and Crash Reports: How the app is used and when it goes wrong — see 2.3 below
- Bible Reading Progress: The chapters you finish in the Bible reader and the time spent, used for your reading streaks and reading plans
2.3 App Usage Statistics and Crash Reports
To understand how Prayer Circle and Prayer Circle Creator are used and to fix problems, the apps record:
- Visits: when you open and leave the app, and how long you use it
- Screens: which screens you visit and how long you spend on each
- Key actions: the kind of action only — for example that a prayer was posted, a message sent, a chapter read or a sermon published
- Crash and error reports: the type of error, a short technical description, where in the app's code it happened, the screen you were on, and the app version
- Device details: the app version, whether it is iOS or Android, and an identifier for this installation of the app
- Linked to you: when you are signed in, this information is linked to your account; when you are signed out, only to the app installation
- Kept on our own servers: it is not sent to Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics or any other analytics company, and it is never sold or used for advertising
- Who can see it: a small number of authorised Prayer Circle administrators, to improve the app and fix problems. Every time an administrator views one person's activity, it is recorded in an audit log
- How long: detailed records are deleted after 90 days. Daily summaries (for example, how many times the app was opened and for how long on a given day) are kept while your account exists and are deleted with it
- Your choice: you can turn this off at any time in Settings → Share usage statistics. It is on by default; when you turn it off, the app stops recording, and our servers stop accepting usage information for your account
3. How We Use Your Information
We use collected information for:
- Service Delivery: Creating accounts, delivering content, processing transactions
- Communication: Sending notifications, responding to inquiries, service updates
- Personalization: Customizing your experience, showing relevant content
- Security: Fraud prevention, account protection, abuse prevention
- Improving the App: Understanding which features are used, and finding and fixing crashes and errors (see 2.3)
- Legal Compliance: Meeting regulatory requirements
4. End-to-End Encryption
- ✅ All direct messages between users are encrypted using RSA and AES-GCM encryption
- ✅ Message content is encrypted on your device before transmission to our servers
- ✅ Only the intended recipient can decrypt messages
- ✅ We cannot access the plaintext content of encrypted messages
- ✅ Encryption is automatic and transparent to users
5. Data Security
We implement industry-standard security measures:
- Encryption: Messages encrypted in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
- Authentication: Secure login with device verification
- Access Controls: Strict limits on who can access user data
- Data Minimization: We collect only necessary information
- Regular Audits: Security reviews and penetration testing
However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Third-Party Services
Our Service uses the following third-party services:
- Firebase Cloud Messaging: Push notifications (Google LLC)
- Apple Push Notification service: Push notifications (Apple Inc.)
- Parse Server: Backend infrastructure (self-hosted)
- Google Maps: Optional location services
- Google Translate: Optional translation features
- Cloudflare R2: Content storage (images, videos, audio)
- YouTube API Services: Publishing short videos to Prayer Circle's own YouTube channel (Google LLC)
- Instagram, Facebook and X: Publishing posts to Prayer Circle's own accounts on these networks
These services have their own privacy policies. We recommend reviewing them.
Our social media accounts. Prayer Circle publishes daily Bible verses, news about the app and, only with the author's permission, prayers to its own accounts on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. We never post anything you share in Prayer Circle on social media without your consent.
Our YouTube uploads use YouTube API Services. They act only on Prayer Circle's own channel: we do not ask you to sign in with YouTube, and we do not collect, store or share any YouTube data about you. By watching our videos you are subject to the YouTube Terms of Service, and Google's handling of data is described in the Google Privacy Policy. You can review or remove any app's access to your Google account at any time in your Google account permissions.
7. Location Information
Prayer Circle may collect location information when:
- You explicitly enable location services for prayer group features
- You share your location in messages or profile
- You use location-based discovery features
You can disable location services at any time in your device settings. Disabling location will limit certain features but won't affect core functionality.
8. Push Notifications
We send push notifications for:
- New messages
- Prayer group updates
- Community interactions
- Service announcements
- A daily good-morning message, which uses your first name when you are signed in
You can manage notification preferences in:
- Android: Settings → Notifications → Prayer Circle
- iOS: Settings → Notifications → Prayer Circle
9. User-Generated Content
Content you create (prayers, messages, posts) is subject to:
- Privacy Settings: You control who can see your content
- Sharing: Others can see shared content based on privacy settings
- Moderation: We may remove content violating community guidelines
- Data Retention: Deleted content is removed from active servers
10. Children's Privacy
Prayer Circle is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If we discover we've collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it immediately.
For users aged 13-18, we provide additional privacy protections including limited data sharing and enhanced content filtering options.
11. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have rights to:
- Access: Request a copy of your personal data
- Correction: Update inaccurate information
- Deletion: Request deletion of your account and data ("Right to be Forgotten")
- Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
- Opt-out: Disable certain data collection practices — including app usage statistics, in Settings → Share usage statistics
To exercise these rights, contact us at: [email protected]
12. Data Retention
We retain your information for:
- Active Accounts: Duration of account existence + 30 days after deletion
- Deleted Messages: Permanently deleted from servers immediately
- Backups: May retain for up to 90 days for recovery purposes
- Usage Statistics and Crash Reports: Detailed records for 90 days; daily summaries while your account exists, deleted with your account (see 2.3)
- Legal Requirements: Longer retention if required by law
13. International Data Transfer
Your information may be transferred, stored, and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have data protection laws different from your home country. By using Prayer Circle, you consent to such transfers.
Our servers are located in:
- US Region: Prayer Circle US infrastructure
- EU Region: Prayer Circle EU infrastructure
- Data Centers: AWS, Google Cloud, self-hosted infrastructure
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of changes by:
- Posting the new policy on the Service
- Updating the "Last Updated" date
- Requiring explicit consent for material changes
Your continued use of the Service constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
15. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:
Prayer Circle Limited
Email: [email protected]
Data Protection Officer: [email protected]
Response Time: We aim to respond to privacy inquiries within 30 days.
16. Your Consent
By using Prayer Circle, you consent to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue use of the Service immediately.