This Privacy Policy explains how KIDDO StoryTime ("the App", "we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares and protects information when you and your child use the App. The App is designed for children and their families, and we take children's privacy seriously.
By using the App, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.
Contents
1. Children's privacy
The App offers stories, audio stories, short videos, worksheets, quizzes, learning games and personalized storybooks for children. We follow the Google Play Families Policy and aim to comply with applicable children's privacy laws, including the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the EU/UK GDPR and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
- The App does not require children to create an account or enter an email address, phone number or home address.
- Features that involve personal information — such as uploading photos for a personalized storybook, making purchases, or sending feedback — are intended to be used by a parent or guardian.
- We do not knowingly allow children to make their personal information publicly available.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us and we will delete it.
2. Information we collect
Information you provide
- Preferences: your child's age group and preferred story language (English, Hindi, Gujarati or Marathi), used to show suitable content.
- Personalized storybook details: the child's first name, age, selected skin tone and photos of the child's face, provided by a parent to create a personalized storybook (see Section 3).
- Feedback: if you send feedback, we receive your message and the email address you enter so we can reply.
Information collected automatically
- Device identifiers: an app-specific Android ID, used to create an anonymous user record so that your favorites, history, coins and purchases are kept for your device; and the Google Advertising ID, used by our advertising partner (see Section 6).
- App activity: stories, videos and worksheets you open, favorites, likes, recently viewed and watch history, quiz progress and coin usage.
- Diagnostics: crash reports and performance data (device model, Android version, app version and the state of the App when a crash happens).
- Install information: how the App was installed (Google Play Install Referrer), used to measure our marketing.
- Push notification token: a token that lets us send notifications about new stories, if you allow notifications.
We do not collect precise location, contacts, call logs, SMS, or microphone recordings.
3. Photos & personalized storybooks
The personalized storybook feature lets a parent create a storybook in which the child appears as the main character.
- Choosing photos: photos are picked from your device using the Android photo picker. The App only receives the specific photos you select; it does not scan your gallery.
- On-device face check: before upload, the App uses Google ML Kit Face Detection, which runs entirely on your device, to check that each photo contains one clearly visible face. No biometric template, face print or face-recognition data is created or stored, and ML Kit does not send the photos to Google.
- Upload: the selected photos, the child's first name, age and skin tone are sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection to our server so the illustrated storybook can be generated.
- Use: these photos and details are used only to create and display your personalized storybook. They are never used for advertising, never sold, and never shared publicly.
- Deletion: you can delete a storybook from the "My Creations" section of the App at any time, or ask us to delete all uploaded photos (see Section 10).
4. How we use information
- To provide the App's stories, audio, videos, worksheets, quizzes, games and personalized storybooks.
- To remember your language, age group, favorites, history, coins and purchases.
- To process purchases and verify subscriptions.
- To send notifications about new content (only if you allow notifications).
- To show advertisements to non-subscribed users, which keeps the App's free content free.
- To fix crashes, improve performance and understand which features are used.
- To respond to your feedback and support requests.
- To comply with legal obligations and prevent fraud or abuse.
We do not sell personal information.
5. Third-party services
The App uses the following third-party services. Each may collect information as described in its own privacy policy.
| Service | Purpose | Privacy policy |
|---|---|---|
| Google AdMob | Displaying ads | Link |
| Google Analytics for Firebase | App usage statistics | Link |
| Firebase Crashlytics | Crash reporting | Link |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging | Push notifications | Link |
| OneSignal | Push notifications | Link |
| Google Play Billing | In-app purchases & subscriptions | Link |
| Google Play Install Referrer | Install attribution | Link |
| Google ML Kit (on-device) | Face check on selected photos | Link |
We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect our rights or users' safety, or in connection with a merger or sale of our business (in which case this policy will continue to apply).
6. Advertising
Free users may see banner, interstitial and app-open ads served by Google AdMob. Ads are not shown to users with an active subscription.
- We request that ads be appropriate for a family audience and comply with the Google Play Families Policy.
- AdMob may use the device's Advertising ID and IP address to deliver ads, limit how often ads repeat, and detect fraud.
- You can reset or delete your Advertising ID at any time from your device settings (Settings → Google → Ads, or Settings → Privacy → Ads on newer Android versions).
Some ads may link to websites or apps outside of KIDDO StoryTime. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those third parties. We recommend that a parent supervise children while using the App.
7. Purchases & subscriptions
Subscriptions and in-app purchases are processed by Google Play. We do not receive or store your card number or other payment details. We receive only the information needed to confirm your purchase (such as the product, purchase token and order status) and link it to your anonymous user record.
You can manage or cancel a subscription at any time from Google Play → Subscriptions.
8. App permissions
| Permission | Why it is used |
|---|---|
| Internet & network state | To load stories, audio and videos, and to show the "No Internet" screen when offline. |
| Notifications | To notify you about new stories and to show audio playback controls. You can turn this off in Android settings. |
| Foreground service (media playback) | To keep an audio story playing when the screen is off or the App is in the background. |
| Storage / photos (older Android only) | To let a parent select photos for a personalized storybook and to save worksheets. Newer Android versions use the system photo picker, which needs no storage permission. |
| Advertising ID | Used by AdMob, as described in Section 6. |
| Vibrate | Haptic feedback on some interactions. |
| Run at startup | To restore your scheduled story-time reminders after the device restarts. |
9. Data retention
- Preferences, favorites, history and purchase records are kept while you use the App and for as long as needed to provide your subscription and coins.
- Personalized storybook photos and details are kept only while the storybook exists in your account, and are deleted when you delete the storybook or request deletion.
- Feedback messages are kept as long as needed to respond and improve the App.
- Crash and analytics data are kept according to Firebase's standard retention periods.
10. Your choices & data deletion
- Notifications: turn off in Android Settings → Apps → KIDDO StoryTime → Notifications.
- History: remove items from your history inside the App.
- Storybooks: delete any personalized storybook from "My Creations".
- Full deletion: email us at the address in Contact us with the subject "Delete my data". Include, if possible, the approximate date you installed the App so we can locate your record. We will delete your user record, history and uploaded photos within 30 days, except information we must keep by law (for example, purchase records).
Uninstalling the App stops all further data collection from your device.
11. Security
All communication between the App and our servers uses encrypted HTTPS connections. We restrict access to personal information to people who need it to operate the App. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.
12. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you or your child's parent/guardian may have the right to access, correct, delete or restrict the use of personal information, to withdraw consent, and to object to certain processing. Parents may review the information collected from their child and ask us to stop collecting or using it. To make a request, contact us. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Effective date" at the top of this page, and for significant changes we will notify users inside the App. Continued use of the App after an update means you accept the revised policy.
14. Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or want to make a privacy request, please contact us:
- App: KIDDO StoryTime – Kids Story
- Email: [email protected]