Privacy Policy

Almanac Studios Limited ("we", "our", or "us") operates the Pliny mobile application (the "App"). This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use Pliny, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over it.

By using Pliny you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please don't use the App.

1. Information we collect

The list below mirrors exactly what we have declared on Pliny's App Store privacy nutrition label. We collect nine categories of data, all of which are linked to your account.

Contact information

• Name — the username you choose during sign-up (or the display name returned by Apple / Google if you use social sign-in). Used to identify you in the App and on leaderboards.
• Email address — the email you sign up with (or the email proxied by Apple's Hide My Email service if you choose Apple sign-in). Used for account authentication and password recovery. We do not send marketing emails.

Location

• Coarse location (country / region) — derived from your device's network connection. Used to display country flags on leaderboards, deliver region-appropriate advertising, and aggregate product analytics. This data type is used for tracking across other companies' apps and websites (see Section 4).

Identifiers

• User ID — your Firebase Auth UID and the username you choose. Used to associate your account with your progress, quiz history, achievements, and any in-app purchases.
• Device ID — your device's advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS) when you have granted permission via the App Tracking Transparency prompt. Used by our advertising partner (Google AdMob) to deliver relevant ads. This data type is used for tracking (see Section 4).

Purchases

• Purchase history — records of any premium upgrades or in-app purchases you make. Used to grant your account the features you've paid for and to keep auditable records. We never receive your full payment-card details; payment processing is handled entirely by Apple.

Usage data

• Product interaction — events such as app launches, screens viewed, modules completed, quizzes taken, and scores achieved. Used to power your progress and streaks, to power leaderboards, and to help us understand which content is working well so we can improve it.
• Advertising data — ad impressions, completions, and interactions with ads served inside the App. Used to measure ad performance, manage frequency-capping, and reward users who watch opt-in rewarded video ads. This data type is used for tracking (see Section 4).

Diagnostics

• Crash data — anonymised stack traces and device state when the App crashes or fails. Used to diagnose and fix bugs. Provided to us by Firebase Crashlytics.

2. How we use this data

Concretely, we use the data above to:

• Authenticate you when you log in and let you recover access to your account.
• Save your progress, streaks, badges, and quiz scores.
• Show you on leaderboards alongside other users.
• Deliver advertising inside the free version of the App.
• Process and validate any premium upgrades you choose to make.
• Measure how the App is used so we can improve content and features.
• Diagnose crashes and other technical problems.
• Send you in-app reminders such as streak-keeping notifications, when you have opted in to notifications.

3. Legal basis for processing (UK / EU users)

Under the UK and EU General Data Protection Regulations, the lawful bases on which we process your personal data are:

• Performance of a contract — to provide the App and the features you have signed up for (authentication, progress, purchases).
• Your consent — for advertising identifiers and any notifications, both of which you opt into explicitly when prompted.
• Our legitimate interests — to improve and secure the App, diagnose bugs, and prevent fraud, balanced against your rights and freedoms.

4. Tracking and the App Tracking Transparency prompt

Three data types described above (coarse location, device ID, and advertising data) may be used to track you across other companies' apps and websites for advertising purposes. This tracking only happens if you grant permission when iOS shows you the App Tracking Transparency prompt on first launch.

You can change your mind at any time in iPhone Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking, or in iPhone Settings → Pliny. If you opt out, you will still see ads in the free tier of the App, but they will be less personalised.

5. Third parties we share data with

We share data only with the service providers we need in order to run the App. We do not sell your data.

• Firebase (Google LLC) — authentication, database, analytics, push notifications, file storage, and crash reporting. Firebase processes your name, email, user ID, product interaction events, and crash data on our behalf. Google's privacy policy.
• Google AdMob — the advertising network that serves ads in the free tier of the App. AdMob receives your coarse location, advertising identifier, and advertising-interaction data when you have granted tracking permission. AdMob privacy information.
• Apple Inc. — Sign in with Apple authentication (Apple may proxy your email via the Hide My Email service), and App Store in-app purchase processing. Apple's privacy policy.
• Google Sign-In — Google account authentication if you choose to sign in with Google.
• ElevenLabs — text-to-speech generation. Voice narration audio is generated by us in advance from the text content of lessons. We do not send your voice or any of your personal data to ElevenLabs.

All transfers of data to these providers are governed by their own privacy policies and are limited to what is necessary to provide the relevant feature.

6. International transfers

Our service providers (Google, Apple) may process data in the United States and other countries outside the UK / EEA. Where this happens we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards offered by those providers to protect your data.

7. How long we keep your data

We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete your personal data within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain certain records (for example, financial records of in-app purchases) for a longer period. Anonymised aggregated analytics data may be retained indefinitely.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights under data protection law (UK GDPR, EU GDPR, California CCPA, and similar):

• Right to access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure — ask us to delete your account and personal data.
• Right to data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object to processing — including objecting to direct marketing or profiling.
• Right to opt out of tracking — via the iOS App Tracking Transparency prompt or system settings.
• Right to lodge a complaint — with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) or your local data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, email support@almanacstudios.co.uk. We aim to respond within 30 days.

9. Children's privacy

Pliny is not specifically directed at children under 13. Content is suitable for school-age users, but we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact support@almanacstudios.co.uk and we will delete the information promptly.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of the page. For material changes we will notify you in the App or by email. Continued use of Pliny after a change indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact us