Easy Shabad FinderPrivacy Policy
Thank you for using Easy Shabad Finder. Your privacy and trust matter to us. This policy explains what information the App handles and why.
The short version: we do not ask you to create an account, we do not sell your data, and the things you save — favourites, folders, bookmarks, pinned Banis — stay on your device.
Looking for the Terms of Service? They now have their own page.
1. Information we handle
No account is required. You can install and use the App without signing up or giving us your name or email.
- Personal information — only if you choose to contact us, for example by email or through the in-app feedback form. We use it to reply to you.
- Device identifier — the App generates a random identifier for your installation so it can talk to our servers securely. It is not your name, phone number, advertising ID or email. It is shared only with the service providers listed in section 5, and is never sold or used for advertising.
- Diagnostics — crash reports and basic performance data, so we can find and fix problems.
- Usage data — anonymous, aggregated information about which features are used and which searches return no results, so we can improve search quality.
- Subscription status — if you buy Premium, our servers keep a record of whether that installation's subscription is active, which plan it is, and when it renews or expires. It is linked to the random device identifier above, and it is what unlocks the paid features. It is a record of status, not of payment.
- Screenshots you choose to send — the in-app feedback form lets you attach a screenshot. It is sent only with your feedback, used only to investigate what you reported, and kept only as long as the correspondence (see section 6). Nothing is read from your photo library unless you pick an image yourself.
- We do not collect financial information, contacts, precise location, or the content of your messages. We do not access your photo library except for a screenshot you attach yourself. Payment is handled entirely by Apple and Google — we never see your card details.
2. What stays on your device
The following are stored locally on your phone and are not uploaded to our servers:
- Favourite Shabads, favourite videos and the folders you organise them into
- Bookmarks in Banis and in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
- Pinned Banis and recently viewed Shabads
- Language, translation, theme and text-size preferences
- Content saved for offline reading
Because this data lives only on your device, uninstalling the App or clearing its data will remove it, and we cannot restore it for you.
3. Voice search and your microphone
Voice search uses your device's own built-in speech recognition, provided by Apple or Google as part of your operating system.
- We do not record, store or upload audio. Easy Shabad Finder never keeps a copy of your voice.
- Your speech is converted to text by your device, and only that text is used to run a search — exactly as if you had typed it.
- The microphone is used only while you are actively holding a voice search open. It is not accessed at any other time.
- Your phone will ask permission the first time. If you decline, everything else in the App continues to work — only voice search is unavailable.
- Apple's and Google's speech recognition may process audio on their servers under Apple's or Google's own privacy policies. That processing is between you and your device maker.
4. How we use information
- To return search results and load Shabads, Banis and Kirtan videos
- To improve search relevance — particularly searches that find nothing
- To diagnose crashes, fix bugs and improve performance
- To send notifications, if you have allowed them
- To prevent abuse of our servers, such as automated scraping
We do not use your information to build advertising profiles.
5. Sharing and third-party services
We do not sell your personal data. Limited technical data is processed by:
- Google Firebase — analytics, crash reporting (Crashlytics) and push notifications.
- Branch — powers shareable Shabad links, so that opening a shared link takes you to the right Shabad even if you install the App first. It receives basic device and install information in order to match a link to an opening.
- YouTube — Kirtan videos play through the official embedded YouTube player. When a video plays, YouTube may set cookies and collect data under its own policies. Easy Shabad Finder does not host or store any video content and is not affiliated with YouTube or any channel.
- RevenueCat — if you buy Premium, RevenueCat manages the subscription on our behalf and tells the App and our servers whether it is active. It receives the random device identifier and the purchase receipt issued by the app store. It does not receive your payment card details.
- App stores — Apple and Google handle any purchase you make. We never see or store your payment card details.
- Legal — we may disclose information if required by law or to protect the safety and rights of users.
Advertising: the App does not currently show advertisements, and we do not share data with advertising networks. Advertisements shown by YouTube during video playback are served and controlled by YouTube, not by us. If this ever changes, we will update this policy first.
6. Storage and retention
- Your saved content stays on your device until you delete it or uninstall the App.
- Diagnostic and analytics data is held by Firebase under Google's retention periods.
- Emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to help you.
- We keep server-side data only as long as necessary for the purposes above.
7. Security
- All communication between the App and our servers uses HTTPS encryption.
- Access to our systems is restricted and protected.
- No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security — but we take it seriously and fix issues promptly.
8. Children's privacy
- The App is suitable for general audiences.
- We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
- If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
- Parents and guardians are encouraged to supervise use, including video content played through YouTube.
9. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete or restrict the processing of personal data we hold, or to object to it. In most cases Easy Shabad Finder holds no information that identifies you personally.
- To delete everything you have saved: uninstall the App, or clear its data in your device settings. This removes your favourites, folders, bookmarks and preferences immediately.
- To turn off notifications: use your device's notification settings.
- To revoke microphone access: use your device's privacy settings.
- For any other request: email us and we will respond within a reasonable time.
10. International users
Easy Shabad Finder is operated from Canada. By using the App, you understand that information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including by the service providers listed in section 5, which may have different data protection laws.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date above. Material changes will be signalled in the App or on this page. Continued use of the App means you accept the updated policy.
12. Contact us
Questions about privacy? Email easyshabadfinder@gmail.com — we read every message.
Terms of Service
The Terms of Service previously appeared on this page and now have their own: read the Terms of Service →
Acknowledgements
Gurbani content and translations are sourced from BaniDB. We are grateful to the contributors for making Gurbani accessible.
The complete Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji reader uses data from the Shabad OS Database (public domain). English translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa; Punjabi translation (Sri Guru Granth Darpan) by Prof. Sahib Singh Ji. We gratefully acknowledge these scholars and the Shabad OS contributors.