Privacy Policy

Last Updated: March 2, 2026  |  App: Discovery Bible Study

This Privacy Policy explains how Discovery Bible Study ("we", "our", or "the app") collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information. By using the app, you agree to the practices described here.

1. Information We Collect

Account Data

To create and manage your account, we collect:

• Email address — used for login and optional reminder notifications
• Password — stored in securely hashed form; never stored in plain text. If you sign in with Google or Facebook, no password is stored.
• Display name — shown within study groups and the app
• Google ID or Facebook ID — stored only if you choose to sign in using Google or Facebook OAuth. We do not store your Google or Facebook password.

User-Generated Content

When you use the app, we store the following content linked to your account:

• Study session responses (gratitude, challenges, discoveries, obedience, prayer notes)
• Verse notes and verse highlights (with highlight colors)
• Journal entries
• Commitments and completion records
• Weekly reflections
• Daily check-in and streak data
• Study group memberships and your role within each group (Shepherd, Co-Shepherd, or Member)
• Prayer wall requests submitted in group studies
• Group invite link tokens (temporary, expire after 50 days)

Persons of Peace Contacts

If you use the Persons of Peace and Disciple-Making Tree features, you may voluntarily enter names and notes about people you are sharing your faith with. This data is stored under your account and is not shared with other users. You are responsible for ensuring you have appropriate authorization before recording information about others.

App Preferences

• Your preferred language (English, Hindi, Spanish)
• Daily reminder notification time (stored on your device)
• Dual-language view preference (stored on your device)
• Onboarding journey stage and recommended series (stored on your device)

Spiritual content (notes, journal entries, session responses) is personal in nature. It is stored securely and used only to provide app functionality.

2. How We Use Your Information

• Account creation and authentication (including via Google or Facebook)
• Allowing you to log in securely and access your data across devices
• Saving and syncing your study progress, notes, and journal entries
• Enabling group study features, including shared session answers and prayer walls
• Generating and honoring group invite links
• Tracking your Persons of Peace and discipleship relationships
• Sending optional Verse of the Day notifications (only if you enable them)
• Displaying your personal stats (streak, studies completed, highlights, commitments)
• Improving app reliability and user experience

We do not use your information for advertising, behavioral tracking, or analytics profiling.

3. Group Data and Visibility

When you participate in a group study, certain content becomes visible to other group members:

• Study session answers — responses submitted during a group study (gratitude, challenges, discoveries, obedience, prayer) are visible to all members of that group.
• Prayer wall requests — prayer requests you post in a group are visible to all group members. Shepherds and Co-Shepherds can delete or mark prayer requests as answered.
• Display name and role — your display name and group role are visible to other members of your group.

Individual (non-group) study session answers, personal journal entries, verse notes, and commitments remain private to your account only.

4. Information We Do NOT Collect

We do not collect:

• Phone numbers
• Device contact lists
• Photos, camera, or media files (shared verse images are generated locally and not uploaded)
• Usage analytics or behavioral tracking data
• Advertising identifiers (IDFA, GAID, etc.)
• Financial or payment information
• Location data

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the app:

• Railway — our cloud infrastructure provider. Your account data and content are stored on Railway's secure servers. Railway's privacy policy applies to infrastructure-level data handling.
• Google Sign-In — if you choose to log in with Google, your authentication is processed by Google. We receive only your Google account ID and email address. Google's Privacy Policy governs Google's data practices.
• Facebook Login — if you choose to log in with Facebook, your authentication is processed by Meta. We receive only your Facebook user ID and email address (if available). Meta's Privacy Policy governs Meta's data practices.
• Expo / EAS — used to build and deliver the app. Expo does not receive your personal data or app content.

We do not use third-party advertising networks, analytics SDKs, or data brokers. We do not sell or rent your personal information.

6. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on secure, cloud-hosted infrastructure (Railway). We use industry-standard practices including:

• Encrypted password storage (bcrypt hashing)
• Secure authentication via JWT tokens
• HTTPS for all data transmission
• OAuth token verification directly with Google/Facebook APIs (tokens are not stored)

No security system is 100% guaranteed, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse.

7. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, your personal data and all associated content (journal entries, notes, session responses, Persons of Peace contacts, group memberships, etc.) will be permanently deleted within 30 days.

Group invite tokens expire automatically after 50 days regardless of account activity.

8. Account and Data Deletion

You have the right to delete your account and all associated data at any time. You can do this directly within the app:

1. Go to Settings → Delete Account
2. Confirm deletion — your account and all associated data will be permanently removed

Alternatively, contact us at paulskc44@gmail.com with subject line "Delete My Account" and we will process the request within 30 days. This action is irreversible.

9. Children's Privacy

Discovery Bible Study is intended for users aged 16 and older. We do not allow users under 16 to create accounts or use the app. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If we become aware that a user under 16 has created an account, we will immediately delete their account and all associated data. If you believe an underage user has registered, please contact us at paulskc44@gmail.com.

10. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data and account
• Withdraw consent at any time by discontinuing use of the app

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at paulskc44@gmail.com.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, contact us at:

paulskc44@gmail.com