Privacy Policy

Qalb ("Qalb," "we," "us," or "our") is a private journaling app designed to help you reflect on your thoughts, emotions, and experiences through an Islamic lens.

Qalb is operated by Ilmara Group LLC, a United States company.

Our approach to privacy is simple: your journal is yours.

We try to collect and process only what is needed to provide Qalb, keep it working, and improve the experience.

What we collect and why

Your journal

Your journal entries, intentions, reflections, journal history, and related content are primarily stored locally on your device.

Qalb may also create information related to your entries, such as:

• Titles and summaries
• Tags and themes
• Emotional classifications
• AI-generated reflections
• Qur'anic connections
• Other journal metadata

This information is generally stored locally with your journal.

Qalb does not operate a general cloud backup of your journal history.

AI features

Some Qalb features use artificial intelligence to provide personalized reflections, writing assistance, journal organization, and connections to relevant Qur'anic passages.

Before journal-derived personal content is sent for third-party AI processing, Qalb explains that processing and asks for your consent.

When you use an AI feature, Qalb sends only the journal text and related context reasonably necessary to provide that feature.

We currently use AI service providers including OpenAI and Anthropic.

Qalb does not intentionally include your name, email address, Firebase user identifier, or device identifier in requests sent to these AI providers. However, anything you choose to write in your journal may itself contain personal or sensitive information.

Under OpenAI's and Anthropic's current standard API terms, content submitted through their commercial APIs is not used to train their models by default. This reflects their current policies, which may change; we encourage you to review their published data-use terms for the most current information.

You can turn off AI processing in Qalb's Settings. If you disable AI processing, your locally stored journal remains on your device and new journal content will not be sent for Qalb's AI-powered features unless you enable AI processing again.

Qur'anic matching

Qalb may use semantic-search technology to help identify Qur'anic passages related to what you have written.

This may involve processing portions of your journal content through AI, embedding, or search infrastructure.

AI may help determine which passage is relevant, but Qalb does not use generative AI to create or alter the text of the Qur'an.

Email

If you voluntarily provide your email address, we may use it to send Qalb-related updates, announcements, offers, or other marketing communications.

You can stop receiving marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe option in those messages or by removing your email address from Qalb's Settings.

App usage and technical information

Qalb and our service providers may collect limited information about how the app is used and how it performs.

This may include:

• App version
• Operating-system or device information
• App launches and feature interactions
• Anonymous or pseudonymous identifiers
• Crash reports
• Performance and diagnostic information
• Backend request information
• Subscription and entitlement status
• Transaction identifiers

We do not intentionally send the full text of your private journal entries as analytics events.

Anonymous identifiers

Qalb does not require you to create a traditional account with a name and password.

We may use anonymous or pseudonymous identifiers, including identifiers created through services such as Firebase, to operate Qalb, secure backend services, diagnose problems, and enable app functionality.

These identifiers may be associated with requests made to Qalb's backend even though they do not directly identify you by name.

Subscriptions and payments

Qalb may offer paid subscriptions through Apple's App Store.

Apple handles your payment-card and billing information. Qalb does not receive or store your full payment-card information.

We may use services such as RevenueCat to manage subscriptions and premium access.

Subscription information may include your subscription product, purchase history, renewal or expiration status, entitlement status, and transaction identifiers.

How we use information

We use information processed through Qalb to:

• Provide Qalb's journaling features
• Generate personalized reflections and journal metadata
• Find relevant Qur'anic passages
• Personalize aspects of the app
• Operate and secure our backend systems
• Manage subscriptions
• Understand how Qalb is being used
• Diagnose crashes and technical problems
• Identify and respond to potential safety concerns (see "Safety" below)
• Prevent abuse or fraud
• Communicate with you if you provide an email address
• Improve Qalb
• Meet legal obligations

What we don't do

• We do not sell your personal information.
• We do not use your private journal content to serve targeted advertisements.
• We do not use sensitive journal information for cross-app or cross-site advertising tracking.
• We do not intentionally send your name, email address, Firebase user ID, or device ID along with journal content sent to OpenAI or Anthropic.
• We do not maintain a general cloud copy of your journal history.

When we share information

We use third-party service providers to help operate Qalb.

These may include providers for:

• Artificial intelligence
• Semantic search and vector databases
• Cloud infrastructure
• Analytics and diagnostics
• Subscription management
• Email communications
• Security and abuse prevention

We share information with these providers only as reasonably necessary to provide the relevant service.

Third-party providers handle information according to their own agreements, privacy policies, retention practices, and service configurations.

We may also disclose information if required by law or when reasonably necessary to protect Qalb, our users, or others from fraud, abuse, security threats, or harm.

Data retention and deletion

Journal content stored locally remains on your device until you delete it, delete Qalb, or the device otherwise removes the data.

Deleting Qalb generally removes locally stored app data from your device, subject to device-level backups or services outside Qalb's control.

Information processed by third-party AI, infrastructure, analytics, diagnostic, subscription, or communication providers may be retained according to their applicable policies, agreements, service configurations, security requirements, and legal obligations.

Deleting Qalb does not necessarily cause third-party providers to immediately delete technical records, subscription information, analytics information, security logs, or previously processed requests.

Qalb does not currently require users to create a traditional account.

If you would like us to delete information that we can reasonably identify as associated with you, contact us at salam@theqalb.app.

Because some Qalb systems use anonymous or pseudonymous identifiers, we may not always be able to connect a particular record to a verified individual.

Your choices and rights

You can:

• Enable or disable AI processing
• Revoke AI consent from Qalb's Settings
• Delete individual journal entries
• Delete Qalb from your device
• Use available app-lock or device-security features
• Manage or cancel subscriptions through Apple
• Remove your email address from Qalb's Settings or unsubscribe from marketing emails
• Contact us about your personal information

Depending on where you live, you may also have legal rights to request access to, correction of, deletion of, restriction of, or information about the personal information we process.

You may contact us to exercise any applicable privacy rights.

Sensitive information

Your journal may contain deeply personal information, including information about religion, spiritual practices, emotions, relationships, physical or mental health, or other private matters.

Some of this information may be considered sensitive or "special category" personal data under applicable privacy laws.

Qalb does not require you to include this type of information in your journal. Journal content that remains stored locally on your device is not transmitted to Qalb simply because you write or save it.

When you choose to use an AI-powered feature, information from the journal entry needed to provide that feature may be sent for processing as described in this Privacy Policy.

Where applicable law requires consent to process sensitive or special-category information, Qalb relies on your explicit consent when you enable AI processing. You can use Qalb without enabling AI features and can withdraw your consent at any time through Qalb's Settings.

Additional information for users in Europe and the United Kingdom

If you are located in the European Economic Area ("EEA") or United Kingdom ("UK"), the following information applies in addition to the rest of this Privacy Policy.

Who is responsible for your information

Ilmara Group LLC, the operator of Qalb, is the controller of personal data processed as described in this Privacy Policy.

You can contact us about privacy matters at salam@theqalb.app.

If applicable law requires Qalb to designate a representative in the EEA or UK, the representative's contact information will be made available in this Privacy Policy.

Legal bases for processing

Depending on how you use Qalb and the processing involved, we rely on one or more of the following legal bases:

• Providing Qalb: processing necessary to provide features and services you request, including processing necessary for the performance of a contract or to take steps at your request.
• AI features: your consent when you choose to enable AI-powered processing.
• Sensitive information submitted for AI processing: your explicit consent where the information constitutes sensitive or special-category data under applicable law.
• Subscriptions: processing necessary to administer services or subscriptions you request.
• Security and service operation: our legitimate interests in operating, protecting, troubleshooting, and preventing abuse of Qalb, where those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
• Communications: your consent where required, or our legitimate interests where permitted by law.
• Legal compliance: processing necessary to comply with applicable legal obligations.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact of the processing on your privacy and use this basis only where our interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Your EEA and UK rights

Subject to applicable law and certain exceptions, you may have the right to:

• Access personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data
• Request deletion of personal data
• Restrict certain processing
• Receive certain personal data in a portable format and, where applicable, request its transfer
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
• Lodge a complaint with an applicable data-protection supervisory authority

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before your consent was withdrawn.

You can withdraw consent for future AI processing at any time by disabling AI processing in Qalb's Settings.

Because Qalb generally stores your journal history locally rather than maintaining a server-side copy, we may not possess journal entries that exist only on your device. Privacy requests submitted to us apply to personal data that Qalb or its service providers actually hold or can reasonably identify as associated with you.

To exercise an applicable privacy right, contact us at salam@theqalb.app. We may request information reasonably necessary to verify or fulfill your request.

If you are located in the EEA, you may lodge a complaint with the data-protection supervisory authority in the country where you live or work, or where you believe a violation occurred.

If you are located in the UK, you may lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Automated processing

Qalb uses artificial intelligence to provide optional reflections, journal assistance, journal metadata, and Qur'anic matching or guidance when requested.

Qalb does not use the AI processing described in this Privacy Policy to make decisions about you that produce legal effects or similarly significantly affect you.

Safety

Qalb cares about your wellbeing. When you use an AI-powered reflection feature, your entry is first checked for language that may indicate an immediate risk of serious harm. This check is performed using OpenAI's systems before a reflection is generated.

If this check identifies a potential safety concern, Qalb does not generate an AI reflection for that entry. Instead, you'll see a message with crisis and emergency resources. This check only runs when you use an AI-powered feature; if you have AI processing turned off, it does not run.

Qalb is not an emergency service and does not monitor journal entries in real time.

Children

Qalb is intended for adults and rated for users aged 18 and older on the App Store.

Qalb is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information to Qalb inappropriately, please contact us.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect information processed through Qalb.

No method of local storage, electronic transmission, or cloud processing can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You are also responsible for maintaining control of your device and using appropriate device-security protections.

International use and data transfers

Qalb is operated from the United States. Qalb and our service providers may process information in the United States or other countries outside the country where you live.

If you use Qalb from the EEA or UK, your personal information may therefore be transferred to countries outside the EEA or UK.

Where applicable data-protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, we rely on legally recognized transfer mechanisms as appropriate. These may include adequacy decisions, recognized data-transfer frameworks, Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum to the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, or other legally recognized safeguards.

The transfer mechanism used may depend on the service provider and countries involved.

A note about AI-generated content

Qalb is designed for personal journaling and reflection.

AI-generated reflections, prompts, and Qur'anic connections are provided for reflective and informational purposes. They are not a substitute for qualified religious, medical, mental-health, legal, financial, or other professional advice.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Qalb evolves.

If we make material changes, we may update the effective date, provide notice in the app, request renewed consent where required, or take other appropriate steps.

Contact us

Qalb
Operated by Ilmara Group LLC
Website: theqalb.app
Email: salam@theqalb.app