Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Tether collects, uses, stores, and shares information when you use the Tether mobile app, website, and related services.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and store the following categories of information:

Account Information

If you create an account or sign in to Tether, we may collect account information such as your email address, user ID, authentication provider, and display name.

Reading and Progress Information

We collect and store information needed to provide the Tether experience, including reading progress, completed chapters or chunks, XP, streaks, completion history, and related app activity.

Social Feature Information

If you use social features such as friends or friend streaks, we may collect and store information needed to provide those features, including your friend connections, shared streak data, verses read, and related account activity. Certain profile and progress information, such as display name, active streak, and verses read, may be visible to friends or other connected users as part of these features.

Device and App Information

We may collect technical information such as device type, operating system, app version, language, timezone, and similar diagnostic or usage information.

Reminder and Notification Information

If you enable reminders or notifications, we may store your reminder preferences, notification settings, and related scheduling metadata.

Subscription and Purchase Information

If you purchase or manage a Tether Supporter subscription, Apple, Google, and our subscription-management provider may provide us with information about the status of your purchase. This may include the subscription product, purchase status, renewal status, expiration date, store transaction identifiers, and the app store used for the purchase.

Tether does not directly receive or store your complete payment-card information. Payments are processed by Apple or Google through their respective app stores.

Support and Communications

If you contact us, we may collect the information you provide in your message and any follow-up correspondence.

Analytics Information

We use analytics tools to understand how people use Tether, including app opens, reading starts, completions, streak activity, feature usage, and similar engagement events.

2. How We Use Information

We use information we collect to:

• create and manage user accounts
• authenticate sign-ins and keep accounts secure
• provide the reading experience and save progress
• sync progress and account data across devices for signed-in users
• show progress, streaks, and other completion feedback
• provide optional social features such as friends and friend streaks
• send optional reminders and notifications if enabled
• verify, provide, restore, and manage Tether Supporter subscription benefits
• understand app usage and improve features, performance, and reliability
• respond to support requests and communicate with users
• detect misuse, protect the app, and enforce our terms

3. Authentication and Sign-In Providers

Tether may allow users to sign in using email and a verification code, Sign in with Google, Sign in with Apple, or other supported methods.

If you choose to sign in with Google or Apple, we receive information from that provider necessary to authenticate your account and provide the service. This may include your email address and a provider-specific user identifier. We may also receive your display name if provided by the sign-in provider.

We use this information for account authentication, account management, syncing, and related user-facing features within Tether.

4. How Information Is Shared

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share information with service providers that help us operate Tether, such as providers of authentication, cloud hosting, databases, analytics, app delivery, notifications, and subscription management. These providers process information on our behalf to perform services for Tether.

Apple and Google may also process information when you use their sign-in services or make purchases through their app stores.

We may also share information:

• if required by law or legal process
• to protect the rights, safety, or security of users, Tether, or others
• in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to applicable privacy obligations

5. Data Storage and Retention

Some data may be stored locally on your device, and some may be stored in cloud systems used to operate Tether.

Local Data

Certain app data, settings, and cached information may be stored on your device to support app performance and offline use.

Cloud Data

If you create an account, Tether may store account information, synced progress, streak data, friend data, and related records in cloud infrastructure.

We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the service, maintain the product, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. If you request deletion of your account, we will take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify applicable data we control, subject to legal, security, fraud-prevention, backup, or operational requirements.

6. Your Choices

You may be able to:

• use core reading features without creating an account
• create an account if you are at least 13 years old to access syncing, friends, friend streaks, subscriptions, and related features
• choose whether to sign in using email, Google, or Apple
• disable notifications in your device settings
• request deletion of your account or data we control
• stop using optional social features if and when they are available

If you request deletion, we may need enough information to verify your identity and locate the relevant data.

7. Children's Privacy

Tether is a general-audience, family-friendly app. Tether's core reading experience may be used without creating an account.

Children under 13 may not create or maintain a Tether account unless any parental consent required by applicable law has been obtained.

If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without required consent, we will take appropriate steps to delete the information and close or restrict the account.

8. Security

We take reasonable steps intended to protect information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. International and Third-Party Services

Tether may rely on third-party infrastructure and service providers that process data on our behalf. Their systems may operate in different jurisdictions. By using Tether, you understand that your information may be processed through such providers as necessary to operate the service.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we may update the effective date above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice inside the app or through other reasonable means.

11. Contact

For privacy questions or data requests, contact: hi@tetherscripture.com