Privacy Policy

Effective September 29, 2026

Who we are and what this covers

Engineering Bits (“we”, “us”) makes the Upheld iPhone app and runs this website. This policy covers both. Contact: vl [at] engineeringbits.xyz.

What stays on your iPhone

Everything you enter or choose in Upheld is stored on your device and is not sent to us:

• your answers to the opening questions, including your first name and what weighs on you;
• your reminder time, text size and appearance settings;
• highlights, bookmarks, notes, saved prayers and the days you have completed;
• your answers to the questions at the end of readings;
• what you search for in the Bible and the prayer library.

Reminders are scheduled on the device itself, and the home screen widget reads the verse from the app on the device. If you back up your iPhone to iCloud or a computer, this data is part of that backup under Apple’s terms. Deleting the app deletes it from the phone.

What leaves your iPhone

• Recorded audio. The first time you play a recording, the app downloads it from our server, which runs on Cloudflare. Like any web request, this carries your IP address and basic device information. It does not carry your name or anything you have written.
• Anonymous usage data. To learn which parts of the app help and which do not, the app sends events such as “a prayer was opened” or “a day was completed”, with the app version and the id of the topic, prayer or verse involved. Events are tied to a random identifier created by the app, not to your name, email, Apple ID or the device’s advertising identifier. No free text is ever sent: not your name, your notes, your answers or your searches. An analytics provider processes these events for us. You can turn this off at any time under You → Share anonymous usage data, and from then on nothing is sent.
• Purchases. Subscriptions are bought and billed through the App Store. Apple tells us, through our subscription service RevenueCat, which product was bought, when, in which country, and whether it is active, renewed, cancelled or refunded. This is tied to a random identifier, not to your name or payment details.
• Crash reports. If you have chosen to share analytics with app developers in your iPhone’s settings, Apple passes us anonymous crash and performance reports.
• Messages you send us. If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you write.

Sensitive information

Using a Bible app can say something about your religious beliefs, and the topics you choose, such as health, marriage or grief, are personal. That is why they stay on your device. The only trace of them in usage data is the id of a topic, not linked to who you are.

This website

The website is served by Cloudflare, which processes your IP address, browser type and the page you asked for in order to deliver it and protect the site from abuse. The website has no accounts and no forms, and uses no cookies, analytics or advertising trackers.

What we do not do

• We do not show ads.
• We do not track you across other companies’ apps or websites, which is why the app never asks for permission to do so.
• We do not sell or rent personal data, and we do not share it for advertising.

Who we share data with

Only the providers that run the service for us, each limited to its part: Apple (the App Store, payments, crash reports), RevenueCat (subscription status), Cloudflare (the website and audio downloads), our analytics provider (anonymous usage data) and our email provider. We may also disclose data when the law requires it, or as part of a merger or sale of the business, in which case this policy continues to apply to it.

Retention

Data on your device stays until you delete it or the app. Anonymous usage data is kept for up to two years. Subscription records are kept as long as tax and accounting law requires. Emails are kept for up to two years after the conversation ends. Cloudflare keeps its technical logs under its own policies.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, including the EEA, the UK and US states such as California, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or export your personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. Because the app does not know who you are, most of your data can only be reached on your device, where you can delete it yourself. For anything else, email vl [at] engineeringbits.xyz. We reply within 30 days. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

Children

Upheld is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal data. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

International transfers

We are based in the United States. Data is processed there and in other countries where our providers operate.

Changes

When we change this policy we will post the new version here and update the effective date. If a change affects what the app sends, we will say so in the app before it takes effect.

Contact

Engineering Bits. Email: vl [at] engineeringbits.xyz.