Privacy Policy

Effective Date: December 2025

At Shiva Bhakti, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your data when you use our Android application.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personally Identifiable Information

We may collect the following personally identifiable information:

Data Type	Purpose	Required
Email Address	For contacting support and feedback (if you choose to provide)	Optional
Device ID	For analytics and app performance monitoring	Automatic

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Device Information: Device model, operating system version, and app version for troubleshooting and compatibility purposes.
• Device Identifier: Anonymous device ID for analytics purposes.
• Usage Analytics: Anonymous usage data to understand how users interact with the app and improve our services.
• Crash Reports: Anonymous crash reports to identify and fix bugs.

1.3 Information We Do NOT Collect

2. How We Use Your Information

Data Type	Purpose
Email Address (Optional)	To respond to your inquiries and provide support
Device ID	For analytics, app performance monitoring, and ad serving
App Preferences	To personalize your app experience (language, theme)
Device Information	To ensure app compatibility and troubleshoot issues
Usage Analytics	To improve app features and user experience
Crash Reports	To identify and fix bugs and improve stability

3. Data Storage and Security

3.1 Local Storage

Most of your data, including bookmarks, preferences, and japa counter history, is stored locally on your device. This data is not transmitted to our servers.

3.2 Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

4. Third-Party Services

Our free Android app uses the following third-party services that may collect information:

4.1 Google AdMob

As a free app, we use Google AdMob to display advertisements. AdMob may collect and use data as described in Google's Privacy Policy.

AdMob may collect:

• Device identifiers (Advertising ID)
• IP address
• General location (country/region)
• App usage data for ad personalization

4.2 Google Play Services

We use Google Play Services for core Android functionality. Their data practices are governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

4.3 Firebase (Google)

We use Firebase for:

• Firebase Analytics: To collect anonymous usage statistics and understand user behavior
• Firebase Crashlytics: To collect crash reports and improve app stability

Firebase data practices are governed by Firebase Privacy Policy.

5. Advertisements

Shiva Bhakti is a free Android app that displays advertisements to support its development and maintenance. We use Google AdMob as our advertising partner. The ads displayed may be personalized based on your interests and device information as collected by AdMob.

6. Children's Privacy

Shiva Bhakti is a devotional app suitable for users of all ages. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at developer.shyam11@gmail.com, and we will delete such information.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access: Request information about the data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your data
• Opt-out: Opt-out of personalized advertising
• Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable format

8. Data Retention

We retain your information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. Local data on your device is retained until you uninstall the app or clear app data.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

• Posting the new Privacy Policy in the app
• Updating the "Effective Date" at the top
• Sending a notification for significant changes

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Shiva Bhakti Android app does not use cookies. However, third-party services integrated into the app (such as AdMob and Firebase) may use similar technologies for advertising and analytics purposes.

12. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information we collect and the right to request deletion of your data.

13. European Users (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to access, rectify, or erase your personal data, and the right to data portability.