Chatechism Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly, information generated through your use of Chatechism, and information needed to operate, secure, bill, support, and improve the service.

Account Information

When you create or use an account, we may collect:

• first and last name;
• email address;
• password hashes or authentication credentials;
• account tier;
• token, question, or usage balance;
• subscription status;
• subscription source, such as web, Apple, or none;
• account preferences;
• feature entitlement information, including whether your tier can access Study Rooms or other gated features;
• saved content;
• account settings.

We do not store plaintext passwords.

Terms of Use Acceptance Records

When you accept the Terms of Use, we may store the date and time of acceptance, Terms version accepted, Terms effective date, Terms URL, platform used to accept the Terms, IP address, and user agent or device/app request information.

We use this information to document that the current Terms were accepted before account creation or continued account use.

Guest Use

You may use some Chatechism features as a guest. When you use guest access, we may use cookies, local storage, browser storage, server session data, or similar technologies to track guest usage limits, guest token balances, and session state.

Guest data may be limited, temporary, or stored separately from account data unless you create or sign into an account.

Chat, Generated Content, and Study Activity

When you ask questions or use Chatechism features, we may collect and store questions you ask, AI-generated responses, chat history, thread information, cited sources and source metadata, saved sources, saved chat answers, saved reflections, Saint of the Day saves or related content, Daily Readings reflections, Guided Study sessions, questions, answers, progress, summaries, quiz activity, XP-related activity, notes, Study Room messages, replies, shared objects, study packets, room events, room library items, leaderboard activity, and related study content.

This information may be linked to your account when you are signed in. Some religious, devotional, educational, or personal study content you submit or save may reveal information about your beliefs, interests, concerns, or spiritual life. Please use care when submitting sensitive personal information.

Study Rooms, Invitations, and Notifications

If you create, join, administer, or interact with Study Rooms, we may collect and store room names, descriptions, membership records, member roles, notification preferences, channel names, messages, replies, shared source material, shared AI answers, shared Guided Study material, shared videos, room library items, study packets, room events, AI room settings, leaderboard and activity counts, and related metadata.

If you invite another person to a Study Room, we may collect invite tokens or token hashes, invited email addresses, invited Chatechism user IDs where available, invite status, expiration, acceptance, decline, revocation, and the account that created or acted on the invitation. Invite links may be opened from email, messages, Safari, mobile web, or the iOS app. We may use the invite token and device or browser context to route the invite to the app when available or to show a web fallback page.

Study Room in-app notifications may include room activity, invite status, comments, replies, event reminders, leader posts, and related metadata. Chatechism may store notification read/unread state and may display notification badges inside the app. If native device notifications are enabled, notification content or routing metadata may also be handled by Apple notification services and your device operating system.

Subscription and Billing Information

If you subscribe through the Chatechism website, payment is processed by Stripe or another web payment provider. We may receive and store Stripe customer IDs, subscription IDs, subscription tier, subscription status, renewal, cancellation, expiration information, payment provider metadata, and billing event information needed for operational records.

If you subscribe through the iOS app, payment is processed by Apple In-App Purchase. We may receive, verify, and store Apple product IDs, Apple transaction IDs, Apple original transaction IDs, subscription tier, subscription status, expiration or renewal-related information, and Apple notification or verification information.

We do not store full payment card numbers or full Apple payment details in Chatechism's own systems.

Device, Log, and Usage Information

When you use Chatechism, our servers and service providers may collect technical and operational information such as IP address, device type, operating system, browser or app version, user agent, request timestamps, pages, endpoints, or features accessed, error logs, diagnostic information, token usage events, billing events, approximate location inferred from IP address, and security, fraud-prevention, and abuse-prevention signals.

Location Information

On iOS, if you use parish finder or another location-based feature, the app may request access to your device location. If you grant permission, Chatechism may use your location to search for nearby Catholic parishes through Apple Maps / MapKit. Parish search results may include parish names, addresses, distances, map locations, and website links.

You can control iOS location permissions in your device settings. If you do not grant location permission, location-based features may not work or may require another method of input.

On the web, Chatechism may process approximate location from IP address as part of normal server logs, security, or operational diagnostics.

Speech Input and Microphone Features

On iOS, if you use microphone or speech input features, the app may request microphone and speech-recognition permissions. Audio or transcribed speech may be processed by Apple speech-recognition services, your device operating system, and Chatechism as needed to convert speech into text and submit your request.

You can control microphone and speech-recognition permissions in your device settings. If you do not grant permission, speech input may not work, but you can still type questions where text input is available.

Beta Testing and TestFlight

If you use a beta version of the iOS app through TestFlight or another Apple beta-testing channel, Apple may collect and share crash logs, usage information, tester contact information, device information, screenshots, and feedback you submit through TestFlight with Chatechism so we can test, debug, and improve the app. Apple handles TestFlight data under Apple's own TestFlight terms and privacy notices.

Communications and Support

If you contact us for support, feedback, billing help, account deletion, or other requests, we may collect your email address, message, related account information, diagnostic or billing details needed to respond, and support correspondence.

We may also send transactional or service-related emails, such as account creation, password reset, account deletion, billing, security, or support messages.

Optional Newsletters and Promotional Communications

We are not currently sending newsletters as a core service feature, but we may use collected contact and account information to send newsletters, product updates, devotional updates, promotional messages, or similar communications in the future.

You may opt out of optional newsletters or promotional communications. Even if you opt out, we may still send service-related, transactional, account, billing, security, or legal notices.

2. How We Use Information

We use information to create and manage accounts, authenticate users, document Terms of Use acceptance, provide guest access and enforce guest limits, answer user questions, generate chats and reflections, save and sync user content, provide citations and source blocks, manage Study Room membership and invitations, deliver email invitations and service notifications, route invite links between web and iOS where possible, manage usage limits, manage subscriptions and entitlements, show upgrade prompts for gated features, verify Apple In-App Purchases, process Apple restore-purchase requests, manage web subscriptions, prevent duplicate or fraudulent subscriptions, support subscription transitions, process account deletion requests, provide customer support, send service-related emails, send optional newsletters or promotional communications subject to opt-out rights, monitor reliability and security, debug errors, maintain operational logs and analytics, and comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your personal data to sell third-party advertising.

3. AI Processing and Source Retrieval

Chatechism uses AI systems, retrieval systems, citation systems, and related infrastructure to generate responses and reflections.

When you submit a question, request generated content, or use features such as chat, Daily Readings reflections, Saint of the Day, or Guided Study, the text of your request and relevant context may be sent to third-party AI providers or infrastructure providers so they can process the request.

Chatechism may also retrieve, summarize, analyze, or process third-party source material and related source metadata from Catholic, biblical, liturgical, devotional, or educational sources to support cited responses and generated content.

AI-generated responses may be stored in your account history, saved content, operational logs, or local device storage depending on the feature and platform.

You should avoid submitting highly sensitive personal, medical, legal, financial, sacramental, or emergency information to Chatechism.

4. Third-Party Services We Use

Chatechism may use third-party services for app distribution, TestFlight beta testing and In-App Purchase processing, web payment processing, hosting and infrastructure, databases and storage, AI processing, embeddings, retrieval and search, source retrieval and citation support, speech recognition, email delivery, invite delivery, logging, debugging, security, operational monitoring, maps, location and parish lookup features, mobile deep-link handling, device notification handling, and analytics or usage-pattern analysis if enabled.

We may also use analytics and reporting tools provided by Apple, Stripe, or similar providers to understand subscription activity, purchases, renewals, cancellations, refunds, billing status, product performance, and service usage.

These providers may process information only as needed to provide their services to Chatechism, subject to their own terms, privacy policies, and security practices.

5. Apple In-App Purchases

For subscriptions purchased through the iOS app, Apple processes payment information. Chatechism receives only the information needed to verify the subscription and unlock the correct account entitlement.

Apple subscriptions are managed through your Apple Account. Chatechism cannot directly cancel Apple subscriptions on your behalf.

Chatechism may use Apple transaction verification and App Store Server Notifications to keep your subscription entitlement current after renewals, cancellations, refunds, billing retry events, expiration, or other subscription lifecycle events.

6. Web Subscriptions

For subscriptions purchased through the Chatechism website, payment processing is handled by Stripe or another web payment provider. Chatechism may store subscription status and provider identifiers so your account can receive the correct entitlement.

Chatechism does not store full payment card numbers in its own systems.

If you delete your account and your subscription is web-managed, Chatechism may attempt to cancel the active web subscription before completing account deletion. If cancellation fails, account deletion may be delayed and you may be asked to contact support.

7. Restore Purchases

The iOS app may provide a Restore App Store Purchases feature. Restore Purchases checks whether the Apple ID currently signed into the App Store on the device has an active Chatechism App Store subscription and attempts to reconnect that subscription to the logged-in Chatechism account.

If an Apple subscription is already linked to another Chatechism account, you may need to sign into that account or contact support.

Restore Purchases applies only to subscriptions purchased through Apple. It does not restore web-managed subscriptions.

8. Cookies, Local Storage, and Similar Technologies

Chatechism may use local app storage, device storage, cookies, browser local storage, server sessions, and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember account or guest state, manage guest token balances, save local app data, improve app functionality, maintain security, support subscription and entitlement checks, and preserve user preferences.

On the web, authentication is primarily handled through secure cookies, and some account or guest state may also be reflected in browser storage.

On iOS, some data may be stored locally on your device, including cached Daily Readings or Saint of the Day content, saved reflections, saved chat answers, saved sources, source metadata, appearance preferences, or session-related information. Deleting the app may remove local-only data.

9. Saved Content

When you save sources, chat answers, reflections, Saint of the Day content, Daily Readings reflections, notes, Guided Study material, or Study Room material, that content and related source metadata may be stored in your Chatechism account, synced across devices, shared with other room members if posted to a Study Room, and/or stored locally on your device.

Saved and shared content may include religious, devotional, educational, or personal study material you choose to preserve or share. You are responsible for the content you submit, save, invite others to view, or share into a Study Room.

10. Data Sharing

We may share information with service providers who help operate Chatechism, payment providers, Apple, AI and retrieval providers, hosting and infrastructure providers, email providers, analytics or monitoring providers if enabled, and others when required by law, necessary to protect rights or security, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar business transaction.

We do not sell your personal information.

11. Data Retention

We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide Chatechism, operate accounts, manage subscriptions, maintain security, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and maintain operational records.

Different types of information may be retained for different periods, including account information while your account is active, chat history and saved content while needed for account features, Study Room rooms, messages, membership, invitations, notifications, shared objects, events, and library records while needed for room functionality and member access, subscription and billing records as needed for entitlement, tax, accounting, fraud-prevention, support, and legal purposes, Terms acceptance records as needed to document agreement history, logs and diagnostic records for reliability and security, and backups for a limited period according to technical retention practices.

Deleting the app may remove local-only iOS data, but it does not delete backend account data or cancel an Apple subscription.

12. Account Deletion

You may request account deletion through available account deletion features or by contacting support.

When your Chatechism account is deleted, Chatechism attempts to remove account-owned backend data such as account records, chat threads, messages, saved source bookmarks, saved Daily Readings reflections, notes, Guided Study sessions, study questions, quiz activity, XP events, Study Room membership records, user-owned room content where deletion is technically and operationally appropriate, and related user-owned data.

Content you shared with other Study Room members, room-level records needed for remaining members, invitation audit records, or moderation/security records may not be removed immediately or may be retained in limited form where needed to preserve room integrity, comply with law, prevent abuse, resolve disputes, or maintain operational records.

Some information may be retained where required or permitted for legal, tax, billing, security, fraud-prevention, backup, dispute-resolution, or operational reasons.

If your subscription is managed by Apple, deleting your Chatechism account does not cancel your Apple subscription. You must cancel Apple subscriptions through your Apple Account.

If your subscription is web-managed, Chatechism may attempt to cancel your active web subscription before completing deletion. If cancellation fails, deletion may be delayed so billing can be resolved.

Deleting your account may end app access and may result in loss of saved data.

13. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information, including password hashing, authenticated account access, provider-managed payment processing, and operational security practices.

However, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for using a secure device and network.

14. Children's Privacy

Chatechism is not directed to children under 13.

You must be at least 13 years old to use Chatechism. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

15. Your Choices and Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access personal information we maintain about you, update or correct your information, request deletion of your account or data, request a copy of your data, opt out of optional newsletters or promotional communications, and object to or restrict certain processing where applicable.

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

16. International Processing

Chatechism and its service providers may process information in the United States or other locations where we or our providers operate.

By using Chatechism, you understand that your information may be processed outside your state, province, or country of residence.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted with a new effective date.

Continued use of Chatechism after an updated Privacy Policy becomes effective means you accept the updated Policy.

18. Contact