Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Al-Qalam is a mobile app published by Haanz Tech Ltd, a company based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom ("we", "us"). We are the controller of the personal information described in this policy.

This policy covers the Al-Qalam app and this website. It is written to comply with UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).

2. What we collect

You can use most of Al-Qalam without an account. We collect only what each feature needs:

• Account details (optional): your email address and a password, so you can sign in. Your password is handled by our authentication provider and is never visible to us.
• Profile details (optional): a username, short bio and profile emoji if you choose to add them.
• Prayer tracker (optional, needs an account): the dates and which of the five daily prayers you mark as completed, used to show your streak.
• Your questions to Ask Al-Qalam AI: the text you type into the AI feature (see section 6).
• Location, only if you allow it: used for prayer times, Qibla direction, and finding nearby mosques and halal restaurants (see section 3).
• Settings stored on your device: your chosen theme, text size, prayer alert choices, calculation method, adhan sound, tasbeeh counts, Zakat calculator entries, Jumu'ah checklist and lesson progress. These stay on your phone and are not sent to us.

We do not run advertising or tracking in the app, and we do not sell your personal information.

3. Location

Al-Qalam asks for location permission only while you are using the app. We do not store your location on our own servers. However, to give you results, your approximate coordinates are sent to the following services, which return the information you asked for:

• Aladhan (aladhan.com): to calculate prayer times and the Hijri date for your location.
• Google Maps Platform (Places): to find mosques and halal restaurants near you.
• OpenStreetMap Nominatim: to turn your coordinates into a town or city name.

These providers also receive your device's IP address as part of the request, and handle it under their own privacy policies. You can turn location access off at any time in your phone's Settings. Prayer times and nearby search will then not work, but the rest of the app will.

4. How we use your information

• To provide the features you ask for, such as signing in, showing your prayer times and tracking your streak.
• To send prayer time and reminder notifications. These are scheduled on your device, and you control them in Settings and in the app.
• To answer support requests and keep the app secure and working.

Our legal bases are: performing our agreement with you (your account and the features you use), your consent (location and notifications, which you can withdraw at any time in your phone settings) and our legitimate interests in keeping the app working and secure.

5. Who we share it with

We use a small number of service providers, who act on our behalf or provide the content you request:

• Cloud database and authentication provider: stores your account, profile and prayer log securely.
• Anthropic: processes the questions you ask the AI feature.
• Aladhan, Google, OpenStreetMap: as described in section 3.
• Al Quran Cloud and Islamic Network: provide Quran text and recitation audio.
• A news feed converter service: used to load Islamic news headlines. It receives only your device's IP address.
• Apple: distributes the app through the App Store.

Links in the app may open other websites or apps, such as YouTube or Buy Me a Coffee. Those services have their own privacy policies. We do not share your personal information with anyone else except where the law requires it.

6. Ask Al-Qalam AI

When you ask a question, the text of your conversation is sent to Anthropic, the provider of the AI model, so that it can generate an answer. We do not store your questions in our own database. Please do not include sensitive personal information such as health details, passwords or financial information in your questions.

AI answers are general educational information. They are not a religious ruling (fatwa), and can contain mistakes. Please speak to a qualified scholar for personal rulings.

7. Storage, security and retention

Account data is stored with our cloud provider using industry-standard security measures, and information is sent over encrypted connections. No system is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We keep your account data while your account is active. If you delete your account, your personal data is removed promptly and in any case within 30 days. Data stored only on your device is removed when you delete the app.

8. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to access your personal data, have it corrected, have it deleted, restrict or object to our use of it, and receive a copy in a portable form. You can also withdraw consent at any time.

You can delete your account and its data yourself in the app: Profile → Delete Account. For any other request, email haanztechltd@gmail.com. If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

9. Children

Al-Qalam is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

10. This website

This website is a simple information site. It does not use analytics or advertising cookies. Our web host may keep standard server logs, and the site loads its fonts from Google Fonts, which means your IP address is shared with Google when a page loads.

11. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy we will update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will tell you in the app.

12. Contact us

Haanz Tech Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.
Email: haanztechltd@gmail.com