1. Our approach
Balum ("we", "us", "our") is built to be privacy-first. Most of what you do in the App stays on your device. We do not show ads, and we do not sell your personal data. This policy explains what we collect, why, and your choices.
This policy is provided by Balum, operated from the United Arab Emirates, which acts as the data controller for the limited personal data described here. Contact: [email protected].
2. What stays only on your device
The following never leaves your device and is never uploaded to us:
- Your journal entries and private du'a records (private by design).
- Your location / GPS coordinates — used only on your device to calculate prayer times and Qiblah direction.
- Your language, settings, and preferences.
- Your mood check-ins — the check-in stays on your device; if you leave anonymous analytics on, only the mood category you pick (e.g. "calm", "anxious") is included as an anonymous, aggregate signal — never tied to you. See Section 6.
- Your progress (streaks, points, habits) — unless you choose to sign in and sync (see below).
3. What we collect if you choose to sign in
Balum works without an account. Signing in is optional. You can sign in with Google, Apple, or Facebook, or with an email "magic link" to back up and sync across devices. If you do, we collect and store on our hosting provider (Supabase):
- Your name and email address (as provided by your chosen sign-in provider; with the email magic-link option, just your email address. If you use Sign in with Apple and choose to hide your email, we receive only Apple's private relay address).
- A user identifier for your account.
- Your progress data: streaks, points/XP, badges, daily completions, and your saved bookmarks.
We never receive your password for any sign-in provider. When you sign in by email magic-link, we use Resend to send the one-time sign-in email to you (see Section 8). Your journal and private du'a records remain on your device and are not synced.
4. How we use your information
We use the limited information above to:
- provide and sync the App's features across your devices;
- deliver reminders and notifications you enable (such as prayer-time reminders);
- maintain security and prevent abuse; and
- comply with our legal obligations.
We do not use your data for advertising and do not sell or rent it.
Business transfers. If Balum is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of all or part of its assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you (for example, in the App or by email if you have an account) before any such transfer, and any successor will be bound by this Privacy Policy or will provide a policy at least as protective.
Legal bases (EEA / UK). Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on: performance of a contract to provide and sync your account features when you choose to sign in; your consent for any notifications you enable (which you can withdraw at any time); our legitimate interests in keeping Balum secure, diagnosing crashes, and understanding anonymous, aggregate usage to improve the App (you can opt out of analytics at any time); and compliance with legal obligations where the law requires it.
5. Push notifications
If you enable notifications, we process the technical information needed to deliver them. You can turn notifications off at any time in your device settings.
6. Anonymous usage analytics
To understand how Balum is used and where we can improve it, we collect a small amount of anonymous, aggregate usage data on our own hosting (Supabase) — never through an advertising network or third-party analytics provider.
- It is tied to a random, per-install identifier — not to you, your name, your email, or your account. We do not collect your IP address, device fingerprint, or location in this data.
- We record only basic events: that the App was opened, which sections (tabs) you visit, which onboarding steps you reach, and that a mood check-in, a Daily Peace session, or a quiz was completed — including the mood category chosen (e.g. "calm", "anxious"). We do not record your journal, your messages, or any free text you write.
- We use it only in aggregate — for example "how many people return after 7 days" or "where people stop during onboarding" — to make the App better.
Your choice: because it is anonymous, this is on by default, but you can turn it off at any time under Profile → "Share anonymous usage data." Turning it off stops collection and forgets the random identifier.
7. Crash and error reporting
To find and fix problems, the App reports crashes and errors to Sentry, a crash-reporting service. A crash report contains technical diagnostic data — for example the type of error, the device and operating-system type, and the app version — so we can reproduce and fix the bug. It is not used to identify you and does not include your journal or other personal content.
8. Third-party services
We rely on a small number of service providers that process data on our behalf:
- Google, Apple, and Meta (Facebook) — for optional sign-in, if you choose one of them. See each provider's own privacy policy.
- Resend — to deliver the email "magic link" when you choose to sign in by email. It processes your email address only to send that message. See Resend's Privacy Policy.
- Supabase — for secure hosting and storage of synced account data and our own anonymous analytics. See Supabase's Privacy Policy.
- Sentry — for crash and error reporting (see Section 7). See Sentry's Privacy Policy.
- Capgo — to deliver over-the-air app updates (bug fixes and content). When the App checks for an update it sends your device's app version, platform, and a random device identifier — not your name, email, or account. See Capgo's Privacy Policy.
These providers are bound to handle data only as needed to provide their services.
Advertising cookie (our website only). On our website balum.app — which is separate from the App — we offer a Meta (Facebook) advertising pixel that measures how our ads perform and helps us reach similar audiences. It loads only if you choose “Accept” on our cookie banner; if you decline, no pixel is loaded and nothing is sent to Meta. You can revisit the choice by clearing your browser’s stored data for balum.app. The App itself contains no advertising trackers. See Meta’s Privacy Policy.
9. Data retention and deletion
- On-device data is removed when you delete the App.
- Synced account data is kept while your account is active. You can request deletion at any time by emailing [email protected].
10. Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.
11. Children
Balum is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it.
12. International transfers
Our service providers may process data in countries other than yours. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for such transfers.
13. Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR or similar laws), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or export your data, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent. To exercise these rights, contact [email protected]. You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.
California residents. We have collected the categories of personal information described above — identifiers (such as your name, email, and a user identifier, if you choose to sign in) and internet or other electronic activity (anonymous, aggregate usage analytics). We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising, and we have not done so. Subject to applicable limits, you have the right to know about, access, correct, and delete your personal information, and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. To make a request, contact [email protected].
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, notify you in the App.
15. Contact
Balum
Email: [email protected]