Privacy Policy
Last Updated: August 11, 2026
1. Introduction
Welcome to the Gita Samvad (गीता संवाद) application ("we," "our," or "us"). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting any information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your data when you use our mobile application and related services.
Gita Samvad (गीता संवाद) is a spiritual Android application that brings the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita to your fingertips — featuring all 18 chapters with multilingual audio recitations, AI-powered dialogues, background music mixing, and daily verse notifications.
2. Information Collection and Use
Personal Data: We do not actively collect, store, or process any personal identification information (such as your name, email, or phone number) through this application.
Usage Data: We may collect non-identifiable usage data (such as app interactions and crash reports) strictly to improve the functionality, performance, and user experience of the app.
User Preferences: Reading preferences (translations, text size), audio settings (voice selection, speech rate, background music), bookmarks, saved verses, journal reflections, and home screen layout configurations are stored locally on your device using encrypted Shared Preferences or a local Room database. This data is never transmitted to our servers.
3. Cloud Services & Audio Streaming (AWS S3)
Gita Samvad (गीता संवाद) uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 as its audio content delivery infrastructure. When you listen to a verse recitation or Gita Samvad dialogue, the app may:
- Perform a request to our S3 bucket (
shrimad-bhagavad-gita.s3.amazonaws.com) to fetch pre-recorded MP3 audio files for Sanskrit, Hindi, and English recitations. - On a cache miss, synthesize audio via a third-party AI TTS provider and upload it to S3 in the background — creating a shared global audio cache that benefits all users.
- Access S3 securely using AWS Cognito Identity Pools. No persistent user identity is created; Cognito issues temporary, scoped credentials only for audio resource access.
Standard AWS server access logs may record metadata such as IP addresses and request timestamps. These logs are governed by the AWS Privacy Policy.
4. Premium AI Text-to-Speech (TTS) Providers
The app optionally integrates with premium AI voice providers for high-quality audio recitation:
- ElevenLabs — for premium English and multilingual voices.
- Cartesia — for additional voice options.
- Sarvam AI — preferred provider for Hindi and Indic language recitations.
Bring Your Own Key (BYOK): If you choose to use these premium providers, you may enter your own API keys within the app. These keys are stored exclusively on your device using encrypted preferences and are never transmitted to or stored on our servers. API calls are made directly from your device to the respective provider's API.
When using a BYOK provider, the verse text being recited is sent to that provider's API for synthesis. Each provider's handling of this data is governed by their own privacy policy.
5. Device Permissions
The app may request the following device permissions to deliver its core features:
- Internet: Required to fetch audio streams, dynamic content feeds (Spiritual Insights, Chapters of the Week, background music), and AI-generated recitations from cloud services.
- Notifications / Alarm Scheduling: Used to deliver daily verse notifications via the system AlarmManager. You can enable or disable this at any time from within the app's Settings.
- Text-to-Speech (System TTS): The app interfaces with your device's installed TTS engine for local audio playback. No audio data is transmitted externally when using the system TTS. Language support, regions, and voice quality options are dynamically detected from your device's capabilities.
6. Play Integrity API
To protect the app from abuse and ensure it runs in a trusted environment, Gita Samvad (गीता संवाद) uses the Google Play Integrity API. This service performs a device attestation check verifying the app has not been tampered with and is running on a certified Android device. The integrity token is sent to our backend solely for verification — no personal information is collected or stored as part of this process. For more information, see Google's Play Integrity documentation.
7. Local Data Storage
The following data is stored locally on your device and is never shared with us or any third party:
- Room Database: Reading progress, bookmarks, and personal journal reflections.
- Encrypted Shared Preferences: App settings (dark mode, text size, voice preferences, BYOK API keys) and home screen layout configurations.
- TTS Audio Cache: Locally cached audio buffers generated by the system TTS engine to avoid re-synthesis of previously heard verses.
All locally stored data remains entirely under your control and can be cleared by uninstalling the application or clearing app data from your device settings.
8. Dynamic Content Feeds
The app's Home Screen fetches dynamic content from our cloud infrastructure, including:
- Spiritual Insights Feed: Video and carousel content for daily inspiration.
- Chapters of the Week: Weekly featured chapters and thematic audio.
- Background Music Tracks: Instrumental music configurations for the ambient mixer.
These are network requests to JSON configuration files on our S3 bucket. They do not transmit any personal information about you.
9. Children's Privacy
Our application is intended for a general audience and does not purposefully collect any personal information from children under the age of 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.
10. Third-Party Services Summary
The following third-party services may be engaged by the app. Each is governed by its own privacy policy:
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions or suggestions about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us at amitpuri.pro@gmail.com or visit https://go.shrimadbhagavadgita.org.