Privacy Notice

1. The personal data we collect

We collect and process the following categories of personal data when you use PsychApply:

• Account data: your email address, (optional) full name, account role, and sign-in method (email + password, Google, or Apple “Sign in with Apple”). If you sign in with Apple, Apple may share a private relay email address instead of your real email.
• Free-trial and study data: XP points, streaks, quizzes completed, questions answered, accuracy, completed sub-topics, level, and your A-Level/Global track preference.
• Answers and content you submit: answers to quizzes and homework/essay checker questions, AI Tutor questions, and any text you enter into AI or study tools.
• AI sessions: your questions and the AI responses within features such as the AI Tutor, Homework Checker, Help Centre and model-answer generation.
• Subscription and billing data: your email, Stripe customer/subscription identifiers, subscription status and billing period, and the plan/price you subscribe to. We do not store your card number — payment details are handled by Stripe.
• Referral data: your referral link, the email of anyone you refer, and any bonus trial days applied.
• Survey responses: if you complete any optional research survey (for example how you heard about us, your age range, location, exam board and suggestions).
• Device and local storage: authentication/session data and your preferences stored on your device (see our Cookies & Storage Notice).
• Usage and technical data: information handled by our hosting and processing providers in the course of operating the service (e.g. request logs, device/browser type, and similar technical data needed to run the app).

2. How and why we use your data

We use your personal data only for clear, limited purposes:

• To provide your account and the service (provision of contract) — creating and managing your account, your study progress, quizzes, leaderboards, and Premium access.
• To provide AI features — sending your questions and submitted text to our AI processors to generate AI tutor answers, essay feedback and model answers.
• To manage subscriptions and billing via Stripe — the 3-day complimentary Premium, the £4.99/month membership, recurring billing and access entitlement.
• To run referrals and any free-day bonuses you participate in.
• To send service emails to your registered account (for example verification codes, welcome/onboarding, progress nudges, and expiry/reminders about your complimentary period).
• To communicate with you about support questions and your rights requests.
• To keep the service safe, secure and working — administration, security, fraud prevention, error fixing, and improvements.
• Where you give consent — for example optional surveys or optional marketing you have agreed to. You can withdraw consent at any time.

3. Lawful basis for processing

We rely on the following lawful bases under the UK GDPR:

• Performance of a contract with you (providing your account and the service, processing subscriptions).
• Our legitimate interests in operating, securing and improving the service, communicating with users, and preventing abuse (balanced against your rights and expectations).
• Legal obligations (for example retaining certain billing/tax records).
• Your consent where we ask for it (for example optional surveys). Consent can be withdrawn at any time without losing access to the core service.

4. Who we share your data with (processors and others)

We do not sell your data. We share personal data only with the processors we need to run the service, and where law requires:

• Base44 — our platform provider: authentication (login), the database that stores your account and study data, serverless functions, file/content hosting and CDN, in-app email to registered users, and the analytics capability of the platform.
• Stripe — payment processing, subscription billing, invoices and card verification. Stripe receives your email, subscription and price identifiers, and limited metadata needed to process payments.
• Google — “Continue with Google” sign-in, and the web font used for display text (Google Fonts). These are separate Google services with their own privacy practices.
• Apple — “Sign in with Apple” authentication, including Apple’s private email relay if you use it.
• AI processor providers — the AI models behind AI Tutor, Homework Checker, Help Centre and model answers. These may include providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google AI. Your inputs (questions, essay text, chat history) are sent to these providers to generate responses.

We may also disclose data where required by law, regulation, or to protect the rights, safety or security of users and the service.

5. International transfers

Some of the processors above (for example AI providers, Google, Apple and Base44) may process data outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States. We only transfer data to processors under appropriate safeguards, such as the UK’s International Data Transfer Agreement / Standard Contractual Clauses or where the transfer is covered by an adequacy regulation, and we select providers and settings intended to limit unnecessary processing of your personal data.

6. How long we keep your data (retention)

• While your account is active: we keep your account and study data for as long as you use PsychApply.
• AI sessions and submitted content: kept on your account while it is active so you can review sessions; deleted with your account.
• Account deletion: if you delete your account, your personal data is permanently removed within 30 days.
• Subscription and billing records: retained for as long as reasonably necessary for tax, accounting and legal record-keeping, even after account deletion, in line with applicable law.
• Failed/abandoned sign-ups: limited data may be kept briefly for fraud/security and then deleted.

7. Children and young people

PsychApply is intended for users aged 16 and over. If you are 16 or 17 you may use the service with a parent or guardian’s permission. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 16. If you believe a child under 16 has provided data, please contact us and we will delete it.

8. Your UK data protection rights

You have the right to:

• be informed about how we use your data (this Notice);
• access your data and receive a copy;
• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
• ask us to erase your data (you can also do this yourself in the app via Profile → Account & Data → Delete My Account);
• ask us to restrict or object to processing;
• receive your data in a portable format;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
• lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we handle your data.

To exercise any right, email us at psychapply6@gmail.com. We will respond within one month (we may extend this by two months for complex requests, and tell you why).

9. Cookies, local storage and analytics

For details of the session, preference, service-worker and third-party storage we use, see our Cookies & Storage Notice. We do not currently use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

10. Automated processing and AI

We use AI tools to generate responses to your questions and to provide feedback on content. These tools do not make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you. They are aids for learning and revision, and their output may contain errors (see our Safety & Educational Disclaimer).

11. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, and we rely on the security provided by our processors. No online service is completely secure, and you should take care with your account details (for example do not share your password).

12. Changes to this Notice

We may update this Notice. We will keep the “Last updated” date above current. Significant changes will be communicated through the app or by email where appropriate.

13. Contact

If you have any question about this Notice or your personal data, contact us at psychapply6@gmail.com or by post at 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. See our Contact page for our full identity and contact details.