Privacy Policy

Last Updated: May 14, 2025 Welcome to Addicted – Chat Stories! Your privacy is critically important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how Taras Kalkovets, FOP (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects your information when you use our mobile application “Addicted – Chat Stories” (the “App”). By downloading, accessing, or using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the App.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly to us, information that is collected automatically when you use our App, and information from third parties.

a. Information You Provide Directly:

• Account Information: When you create an account, either anonymously or by signing in with Google or Apple, we collect a unique User Identifier (UID). If you use Google or Apple Sign-In, we may also receive your email address, display name, and profile photo URL, as permitted by your privacy settings with those services.
• User-Generated Content (Interactive AI Stories): For our interactive AI story features, we collect the text of messages you send and choices you make within the chat interface.
• Feedback and Ratings: If you provide feedback or rate stories or the App, we collect this information.
• Communications: If you contact us for support or other inquiries, we will collect the content of your communications and any information you provide.

b. Information Collected Automatically When You Use the App:

• Usage Data (Classic Stories):
  • Your progress within classic stories, favorited stories, and downloaded story status are stored locally on your device using an internal database (SQLite).
  • Story content (text files) and images for classic stories are cached locally on your device to improve performance and enable offline access for downloaded stories.
• Usage Data (Interactive AI Stories):
  • Your chat history for interactive AI stories, including your messages, choices you make, and AI-generated responses, is stored in our secure cloud database (Firebase Firestore). This data is linked to your user ID and the specific story session and includes message content, sender role (user/model), message type (e.g., in-story, summary for context), and timestamps.
  • Preferences related to AI stories, such as message limits for non-premium users and whether you’ve watched an ad to unlock more messages for a specific image, are stored locally on your device (SharedPreferences).
• Analytics Data (Firebase Analytics):
  • We use Firebase Analytics to collect information about how you use and interact with our App. This includes events such as: stories started and completed, features used (e.g., search, filters, “continue reading,” “act” button in AI chat), navigation patterns, settings changes (theme, display preferences), ad views and clicks, session duration, crash reports, and general engagement with different parts of the App.
  • Firebase Analytics also collects certain device information, such as device model, operating system version, app version, country, and language settings, and may infer general location from IP address. This data is primarily used in an aggregated and often anonymized form.
• Advertising Data (Google AdMob & User Messaging Platform):
  • For non-premium users, we display advertisements through Google AdMob. AdMob may collect and use data such as your device’s Advertising ID, IP address, and interaction data with ads to provide personalized advertising.
  • We use Google’s User Messaging Platform (UMP) SDK to request and manage your consent for personalized advertising in regions where this is required by law (such as the European Economic Area and the UK). Your consent preferences are stored.
• In-App Purchase and Subscription Data (RevenueCat):
  • If you subscribe to our premium features, your purchase is processed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. We use RevenueCat to manage subscription statuses. RevenueCat provides us with information about your current subscription (e.g., “Premium” entitlement active status, subscription plan, expiration date) so we can grant you access to premium features. We do not directly access or store your payment card details.
• Firebase Services Data:
  • Remote Config: To manage feature availability (e.g., determining if you are eligible for new AI story features based on certain criteria), Firebase Remote Config may collect app instance information.
  • App Check: To protect our backend services from abuse, Firebase App Check verifies that requests originate from authentic instances of our App by collecting device attestation data.
  • Cloud Messaging (FCM): If you opt-in to receive push notifications, we collect an FCM registration token to send you relevant updates.
• Locally Stored Preferences (SharedPreferences):
  • We store various preferences locally on your device, including your chosen theme (Dark/Light/System), whether to hide finished classic stories, any app rating you’ve provided, the ID of the last classic story you read, total in-app clicks (an internal metric, e.g., for timing rating prompts), and your notification consent preference.
  • Cached image URLs from Firebase Storage are also stored locally to improve loading times.
• Technical Log Data:
  • Our servers and third-party services may automatically record information (“Log Data”) created by your use of the App. Log Data may include information such as your IP address, device type, operating system, browser type, referring URLs, pages visited, and error logs. This is primarily used for debugging, monitoring service health, and security.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

• To Provide and Maintain Our App: To operate and maintain the App, authenticate users, deliver classic and interactive AI story content, save your progress, and enable all App features.
• For Interactive AI Story Functionality:
  • To transmit your messages and relevant chat history to our generative AI model (Google’s Gemini model via Firebase Cloud Functions and Vertex AI) to create dynamic and contextual story responses and suggestions.
  • To store your AI chat history, allowing you to pause and resume interactive stories.
  • To manage message limits and ad-based rewards for non-premium users accessing AI stories.
• To Personalize Your Experience: To remember your settings and preferences (e.g., theme, story filters, last read story) and to tailor content and features to you.
• To Improve and Develop Our App: To understand how users interact with our App through analytics, identify areas for improvement, fix bugs, enhance existing features, and develop new ones.
• To Provide Customer Support: To respond to your requests, questions, and feedback.
• For Advertising (Non-Premium Users): To display advertisements and, with your consent, to personalize these advertisements.
• To Manage Subscriptions and Premium Features: To verify your subscription status with RevenueCat and provide access to premium content and features.
• For Communications: To send you push notifications about new stories, app updates, or other relevant information, if you have opted in.
• For Security and Compliance: To protect the security and integrity of our App, users, and backend systems (e.g., using Firebase App Check), and to comply with applicable legal obligations.
• To Manage Feature Rollouts: Using Firebase Remote Config to control the availability of certain features to different users or at different times.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our App, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them. These include:

• Firebase (Google): We utilize a suite of Firebase services:
  • Firebase Authentication: For user sign-in, account creation, and management.
  • Firestore: For cloud storage of your user profile data and interactive AI chat messages.
  • Firebase Cloud Functions & Google Vertex AI: Your interactive AI chat messages and conversation history are processed by our Firebase Cloud Functions, which securely communicate with Google’s Vertex AI platform (specifically, the Gemini family of models) to generate AI responses. Data handling by Google in this context is subject to their privacy policies and terms of service for these cloud AI services. We send only the necessary data for generating relevant in-story responses.
  • Firebase Analytics: For app usage analytics and insights. Data shared is subject to Google’s Privacy Policy.
  • Firebase Remote Config: For managing feature availability.
  • Firebase App Check: For ensuring requests to our Firebase backend are from authentic app instances.
  • Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM): For delivering push notifications.
• Google AdMob: For displaying advertisements to non-premium users. AdMob may collect and use data as described in Google’s Ads Privacy Policy to serve ads, including personalized ads if you have consented. You can manage your consent preferences via the “Manage Consent” option in the App’s settings.
• RevenueCat: To manage in-app purchases and subscriptions. RevenueCat acts as an intermediary with the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for processing payments and managing subscription lifecycle events. Their data handling is governed by RevenueCat’s Privacy Policy.
• Google Sign-In / Apple Sign-In: If you use these services to create an account or sign in, information is exchanged with Google or Apple respectively, in accordance with their privacy policies and your privacy settings on those platforms.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) comply with a legal obligation; (b) protect and defend our rights or property; (c) prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the App; (d) protect the personal safety of users of the App or the public; or (e) protect against legal liability.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or other similar event, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to standard confidentiality agreements.

4. Data Retention and Deletion

• User Account Data (Firestore): We retain your user profile information (UID, email if provided, preferences linked to your account in Firestore like premium status) for as long as your account remains active. If you choose to delete your account via the App’s settings, we will initiate the deletion of this information from our active databases.
• Interactive AI Chat History (Firestore): Chat messages from interactive AI stories are stored to allow you to resume your progress. This data is linked to your user ID. Upon account deletion, this chat history will also be scheduled for deletion from our active databases. Please note that data sent to Google’s Vertex AI for response generation is subject to Google’s data retention and processing policies for their AI services. We do not control retention within Google’s systems beyond the scope of our direct interactions for providing the service.
• Locally Stored Data: Information stored locally on your device (such as classic story progress in SQLite, preferences in SharedPreferences, cached files) is generally removed if you clear the App’s data through your device settings or uninstall the App.
• Analytics Data: Aggregated and anonymized analytics data collected via Firebase Analytics may be retained for longer periods to help us understand trends and improve the App. Firebase Analytics provides data retention controls that we manage.
• Advertising Identifiers & Consent: Data related to advertising identifiers and your consent choices are managed according to Google’s AdMob and UMP SDK policies.
• Backup Systems: Please be aware that deleted information may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time for our disaster recovery purposes, but will not be available to other users or for operational use.

5. Your Data Rights and Choices

Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These can include:

• Access and Portability: You can access much of your account information (e.g., email, sign-in provider) through the “Account” section in the App’s settings.
• Correction: You can update your profile information (e.g., name, photo URL) if you signed in via Google or Apple through their respective services. Other preferences (like theme) can be managed in the App’s settings.
• Deletion (Account Deletion): You can delete your account through the “Account” section in the App’s settings. This will remove your user profile and associated interactive AI chat histories from our active Firebase Firestore database. Data stored locally will be removed if you uninstall the app.
• Manage Advertising Consent: In applicable regions (e.g., EEA/UK), you can withdraw or change your consent for personalized advertising at any time through the “Manage Consent” option in the App’s settings.
• Push Notifications: You can opt-out of receiving push notifications by changing the notification settings on your device.
• Object to Processing: In certain circumstances, you may have the right to object to our processing of your personal data.

To exercise any ofthese rights not directly available through the App’s interface, please contact us using the details provided below.

6. Data Security

We are committed to protecting your information. We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. We leverage Firebase’s robust security infrastructure for data stored on their platform. However, please be aware that no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

7. Children’s Privacy

Our App is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your region, such as 16 in some parts of the European Union). We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under this age. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

8. Links to Other Websites and Third-Party Services

Our App may contain links to other websites or services that are not operated by us (e.g., links to our social media pages or to review platforms). If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site or service. We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every site and service you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page or made available within the App.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

• Email: addicted.app.official@gmail.com
• Website/Feedback Form: https://addictedchat.wordpress.com/contact/