Privacy Policy

ConnectChrist ("we," "us," or "our") operates the Connect Christ (for users), Connect Gospel (for church administrators), and Connect Worshipper (for ministers) mobile applications (collectively, the "Apps"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Apps.

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: Name, email address, date of birth, profile picture (via Google Sign-In).
• Church Information: Church name, address, description, logo, contact details (Connect Gospel).
• Minister Information: Display name, bio, specializations, languages, profile photo (Connect Worshipper).
• Content: Posts, comments, prayer requests, song lyrics, event details, and other content you create or share.
• Payment Information: Order details and shipping addresses for store purchases. Payment processing is handled by Razorpay; we do not store credit/debit card numbers.
• Communications: Text chat messages during prayer sessions (stored for safety and dispute resolution).

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers.
• Usage Data: App features used, pages viewed, songs played, prayer counts, session history.
• Location Data: With your permission, approximate location for finding nearby churches.
• FCM Tokens: Firebase Cloud Messaging tokens for push notifications.

• Provide, maintain, and improve our Apps and services
• Facilitate prayer sessions between users and ministers (audio/video calls via WebRTC)
• Process store orders and deliver products
• Send push notifications (session reminders, new posts, order updates)
• Display nearby churches and events based on location
• Enable social features (likes, comments, follows)
• Track prayer streaks and Bible reading progress
• Generate analytics for church administrators
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and enforce our terms

Prayer sessions between users and ministers use real-time audio/video communication (WebRTC). Sessions are NOT recorded. Text chat messages during sessions ARE stored for safety, audit, and dispute resolution purposes. Session metadata (duration, timestamps, participant IDs) is retained for earnings calculation and service quality.

Our Apps display advertisements served by Google AdMob. AdMob may collect and use certain data to show you personalized ads, including:

• Device identifiers (Advertising ID)
• IP address and general location
• App usage data and interaction with ads
• Device information (model, OS version, screen size)

Google uses this information in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy. You can opt out of personalized ads by adjusting your device settings:

• Android: Settings → Google → Ads → Opt out of Ads Personalization
• iOS: Settings → Privacy → Apple Advertising → Personalized Ads off

We use Native Advanced ad format which blends ads into the app content feed. Ads are clearly labeled and distinguishable from regular content.

We do not sell your personal information. We may share data with:

• Firebase/Google: Authentication, database, storage, analytics, crash reporting, cloud messaging.
• Google AdMob: Advertising services, ad personalization, and ad performance measurement.
• Razorpay: Payment processing for store purchases and prayer session subscriptions.
• Google Maps: Location services and church/event mapping.
• Cloudflare Realtime TURN: Network relay endpoints used to establish prayer-session audio/video connections when a direct peer-to-peer link is not possible. Cloudflare receives IP addresses and connection metadata only; no chat or media content is stored.
• Law Enforcement: When required by law or to protect safety.

• Active accounts: Data retained while your account is active.
• Deleted accounts: 30-day grace period for restoration, then permanent deletion of personal data.
• Session chat transcripts: Retained for 12 months after session end.
• Payment records: Retained for 7 years per Indian tax law.
• Anonymized analytics: May be retained indefinitely.

We implement industry-standard security measures including Firebase Security Rules, encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS), Firestore access control, and Firebase App Check to verify app authenticity. However, no method of electronic storage is 100% secure.

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data (via your profile screen)
• Correct inaccurate data (via Edit Profile)
• Delete your account (via Profile → Delete Account, with 30-day grace period)
• Block any church and hide all of its content from your feed (via Profile → Blocked Churches, reversible at any time)
• Report any post, comment, song, news article, or church profile for review by our moderation team (via the "Report" option on the content)
• Opt out of push notifications (via device settings)
• Withdraw location permission (via device settings)

Our Apps are not intended for children under 13 years of age. Connect Christ requires users to be at least 13 years old. Connect Gospel and Connect Worshipper require users to be at least 18 years old. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

We have a zero-tolerance policy toward Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) content. Any content of this nature is strictly prohibited and will be removed immediately upon detection or report.

How to report: Any user can flag a post, comment, song, news article, or church profile via the "Report" option. CSAE reports are routed to an internal moderation queue and trigger an immediate email alert to our moderation team at info.connectchrist@gmail.com. We review CSAE reports on priority and cooperate with law-enforcement requests as required by applicable Indian law (Information Technology Act, 2000 and POCSO Act, 2012).

If you discover CSAE content in our Apps, please report it immediately using the in-app Report option, or email us directly at info.connectchrist@gmail.com.

Connect Christ uses Android foreground services to keep specific features running reliably while you have the app open or are using them in the background. Foreground-service notifications are shown to you when these are active. We use them for:

• Media playback: Streaming Bible chapter audio without interruption when you switch apps or lock your screen.
• Microphone: Carrying your voice during a prayer session call to your minister.
• Phone call: Keeping the audio/video prayer session connected when the screen is off or you briefly switch away from the app.

These services run only while the corresponding feature is active and stop automatically when you end the audio, call, or session.

Our Apps use the following third-party services:

• Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Storage, Cloud Functions, FCM, Crashlytics, Analytics)
• Google Maps Platform (Maps, Places API)
• Razorpay (Payment processing)
• Google Sign-In (Authentication)
• Google AdMob (Advertising, ad personalization)

Each service has its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review them.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Apps after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act).

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, contact us at:

Email: info.connectchrist@gmail.com
Address: Hyderabad, Telangana, India