STUDYFLOW

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: May 25, 2026

Welcome to StudyFlow. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you have a secure, transparent, and control-oriented experience while using the StudyFlow iOS mobile application. This Privacy Policy explains how StudyFlow handles data, what information is stored on your device, what information is backed up, and the very limited scenarios in which third-party services are utilized.

1. Our Privacy Philosophy: Privacy-First & Local-First

StudyFlow is designed with a privacy-first and local-first architecture.

Your data belongs to you: Your student profile, subject details, chapter progress, test scores, study timers, and logs are stored locally on your device.
No Central Servers for Personal Data: We do not own, operate, or maintain any central database servers that collect, store, or transmit your personal study habits, names, schedules, or grades.
Complete User Sovereignty: You have full access to export, import, or completely erase all of your data at any time directly from the App's settings.

2. Information We Store Locally (On-Device Only)

All core application data is stored locally on your iOS device using Apple's secure CoreData database and UserDefaults storage. This information is never uploaded to our servers.

A. CoreData Database Entities

Student Profile: Name/alias, class/grade level, target exam, daily study target hours, wake-up/sleep hours, target exam date, and semester end date.
Subjects & Syllabus: Subject names, custom color coding, icons, credit hours, weekly target study hours, and academic difficulty details.
Chapters: Chapter titles, current study status (Not Started, In Progress, Completed), difficulty level, estimated hours, last revision date, and weak area flags.
Study Sessions & Timers: Dates, exact start/end times, actual minutes studied, planned minutes, completion status, auto-generation markers, and custom notes.
Exam Events: Exam titles, dates, associated subjects, custom colors, and notes.
Revision Reminders: Chapter titles, associated subjects, next revision due dates, scheduling intervals, and completion status.
Streak Records: Daily study durations, daily goals met, total goals scheduled, and self-reported sleep quality.
Test Results: Subject associations, exam names, test dates, marks obtained, total marks, breakdown of correct/incorrect/unattempted questions, grading standards, negative marking configurations, and chapter-by-chapter scores.
Holidays & Breaks: Holiday titles, start/end dates, break types, and recurring options to exclude dates from automated study plans.

B. UserDefaults Preferences

Anonymous Leaderboard Nickname: If you participate in the "Study Buddy" feature, you select an anonymous nickname (e.g., StudyNinja_42). This is stored locally and is completely anonymous.
App Customization: Selected theme (Light, Dark, or System), accent colors, and custom colors.
App Lifecycle Data: Total launch count, onboarding completion state, and active navigation selections.
Backup Settings: Preferences regarding automatic iCloud backups and the timestamp of the last successful backup.

3. Local Device Integrations & Hardware Access

A. Local Notifications

The App requests permission to schedule on-device notifications for daily study reminders, upcoming exam alerts, revision cues, streak warnings, and weekly performance summaries. All notifications are created, managed, and fired locally on your device by the iOS UserNotifications framework. StudyFlow does not use remote push notification servers, and no notification content is transmitted externally.

B. App Group Shared Container (Widgets)

The App writes basic study summaries and streak counts to a secure App Group shared container on your device to feed Home Screen Widgets. This sharing occurs entirely locally on your operating system and does not involve any internet transmission.

4. Cloud Storage & Backups (iCloud Drive)

StudyFlow offers an optional iCloud Backup feature allowing you to secure your data and restore it if you change devices.

These backups are hosted entirely on Apple's secure servers using your private Apple ID. We do not host, store, or have any technical ability to access, read, download, or delete your iCloud backup files.

If enabled, a JSON file of your entire CoreData database is written to your personal iCloud Drive space (iCloud.com.decmac.studyflow) under /Documents/Backups.
The App automatically keeps only the last 5 backup files, deleting older ones to conserve space.
You can manually delete any backup at any time from the Settings screen or via the Apple Files app.

5. Third-Party Services & Remote Data Transfers

To maintain, improve, and fund the development of StudyFlow, the App communicates with three specific external services.

A. Google Firebase Core & Firebase Analytics

We integrate the Google Firebase SDK to compile anonymized analytics and understand how features are used.

Information Logged: Anonymized custom events such as sf_screen_view, sf_study_session_completed, sf_exam_added, sf_streak_milestone, and sf_timer_started, along with session duration and subject names.
Metadata Collected: Device model, OS version, and location metrics at country/city level.
No PII: No personally identifiable information such as your real name, email address, or specific study notes is ever logged or sent to Firebase.

See Google's Privacy & Terms for Firebase's full privacy practices.

B. Google Mobile Ads (AdMob)

StudyFlow displays banner, interstitial, rewarded, and app open advertisements to support the free tier of the App.

Remote Configuration: At app launch, the App fetches active AdMob Ad Unit IDs from https://rktechnology.xyz/iOS/get_ads_studyflow.php.
Data Collected by AdMob: Device advertising identifiers (IDFA under iOS 14.5+ or IDFV), IP addresses, device types, and ad interaction data.
Personalized Ads: If you grant permission via Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt, AdMob may use device tracking identifiers to show ads customized to your interests.
Non-Personalized Ads: If you deny permission, AdMob will only deliver contextual advertisements.
You can adjust tracking preferences anytime at Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.

C. Update Checking

The AppUpdateManager class queries our secure JSON endpoint once per day. It reads the server's version code and compares it with your installed version. No personal information or persistent device identifier is transmitted during this check — it is a standard HTTP GET request retrieving static configuration data.

6. User Controls, Access, and Deletion Rights

We believe in giving you full control over your personal data:

Export Data (JSON): Download a complete JSON file of your entire database at any time. Go to Settings → Data & Privacy → Export Data (JSON).
Import Data (JSON): Import a previously exported JSON file to restore your profile, syllabus, and study progress. Go to Settings → Data & Privacy → Import Data (JSON).
Reset Progress: Wipe your study history and chapter progress without erasing your subjects or profile. Go to Settings → Subjects & Syllabus → Reset Progress.
Reset All Data: Instantly delete your entire local database, all UserDefaults, and your profile. Go to Settings → Data & Privacy → Reset All Data.
Delete Backups: View, restore, or permanently delete your iCloud backups via Settings → iCloud Backup or through the Apple Files app.

7. Children's Privacy (COPPA & GDPR Compliance)

StudyFlow is designed to help students organize their academic lives.

We do not knowingly collect, request, or solicit personally identifiable information (PII) from children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Union).
The Study Buddy leaderboard nickname feature is explicitly built to be anonymous and does not request real names, email addresses, or phone numbers.
If a parent or guardian becomes aware that their child has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the details below so we can take immediate corrective action.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. Any updates will be posted directly in this file within the App or on our official website. We recommend checking this page periodically to stay informed about how we safeguard your information.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions, feedback, or concerns regarding your privacy while using StudyFlow, please contact the developer:

Developer Email: koratpiyush05@gmail.com