Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

SoulNear ("we," "us," "the app") is operated by Tessa Labs, based in India. We make a mobile AI companion app available on iOS and Android. This policy explains what data we collect from you, why, and what you can do about it.

For questions about this policy or to exercise your rights, write to support@soulnear.tessalabs.in.

2. What we collect

2.1 Account information

You can use SoulNear as a guest without giving us any personal information. We assign your device a random identifier so we can keep your conversation history on that device.

If you choose to create an account, we collect:

• Email address
• A password (stored as a one-way hash, so we never see your actual password)
• Optional display name

2.2 Things you tell Soul

Anything you type or speak to Soul, including messages, voice notes, journal-style reflections, and the AI's responses, is stored so we can show you the conversation history and so Soul can remember context. Voice recordings are converted to text; the audio file is retained only as long as needed to deliver the reply and improve quality.

2.3 Profile preferences

Optional and editable. Includes preferred language, spiritual path or worldview (Hindu / Muslim / Christian / Sikh / Buddhist / secular / mixed / unknown), preferred tone (gentle, direct, etc.), and comfort style. These help Soul speak in a way that feels right to you. You can change or clear them at any time in Settings.

2.4 Memory

Memory is opt-in. When enabled, Soul may save short notes about you (e.g. "is preparing for a job interview," "lost his grandmother last month"). On the free tier, memory is kept for 7 days; on Pro, indefinitely until you delete it.

You can view, edit, or delete any memory at any time from the Memory screen inside the app.

2.5 Soul Signature

Periodically we generate a short paragraph (a "Soul Signature") that summarises who you are to Soul: your tone, what you tend to want, what helps you. This is built from your recent conversations and saved memories, and replaces the previous signature each time it is generated. It is used only to give Soul better context inside your account.

2.6 External context (only with your explicit consent)

Each of the following is off by default. You can turn them on individually in Settings → "Help Soul know you", and turn them off again at any time. When you turn one off, we stop collecting it immediately and delete the previously-collected summary.

• Calendar. When enabled, we read the title, start, and end time of your upcoming events (next ~7 days) so Soul can say things like "good luck with the interview at 4." We do not read past events, attendee lists, or descriptions.
• Health. When enabled, we read aggregated metrics from Apple Health (iOS) or Health Connect (Android). For example, your 7-day average sleep duration, last night's sleep length, average steps, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability. We do not collect raw samples, timestamps, GPS, or workout routes.
• Contacts. When enabled, we store only a flag indicating that you said yes. Your address book (names, numbers, emails) never leaves your device. We do not upload it.

2.7 Push notification tokens

If you allow notifications, we store the platform push token (issued by Apple on iOS or Google on Android) so we can deliver a check-in or a reply notification to your device.

2.8 Device and usage data

We log a small amount of technical data to keep the app working:

• Device type, operating system version, app version
• Device locale and timezone (so Soul knows it is 11pm in Kochi, not 1:30pm in California)
• API request logs (timestamps, response codes, used for rate limiting and debugging; retained for ~30 days)
• Crash reports (stack traces, breadcrumbs) when the app errors

2.9 Payment data

If you subscribe to Pro or buy a one-time upgrade, the purchase is processed by Apple (App Store) or Google (Play Billing). We never see your card details. We store the purchase receipt and your subscription status so we can give you the right features. Payment processor handling and retention are governed by Apple's and Google's own policies.

3. How we use what we collect

• To deliver Soul's replies and remember the context of your conversation.
• To send the proactive check-ins you opted in to.
• To unlock features you've paid for and enforce free-tier limits.
• To prevent abuse and respond to crises (see Section 7).
• To fix bugs and improve the product based on what crashes or breaks.
• To comply with legal obligations (tax, accounting, lawful requests).

We do not use your data for advertising. We do not share it with advertisers, data brokers, or anyone profiling you for marketing purposes.

4. Who we share it with

We share specific pieces of data with a small number of service providers so the app can function. They process the data on our behalf, under contract, and only for the purpose listed. We never sell your data, and we never share it with advertisers or data brokers.

• Language and voice processing infrastructure. The text of your conversation, your profile preferences, recent memories, and (if enabled) your summarised external context are processed by language-model infrastructure so Soul can compose a reply. Voice messages are transcribed; Soul's spoken replies are synthesised by speech infrastructure. None of these subprocessors train their models on your data under our enterprise terms; raw audio is not retained beyond what is needed to deliver the reply.
• Push notification gateways. Apple and Google operate the push services that deliver notifications to iOS and Android devices respectively.
• Error monitoring. When the app crashes, anonymised stack traces are sent to an error-monitoring service so we can fix bugs. The error monitor receives technical context only, not your chat content.
• Cloud hosting. Our servers and database run on managed cloud infrastructure (currently primarily in the United States) where your account and conversation data live encrypted at rest.
• Apple, Google. Handle payment processing and subscription verification when you upgrade. We never see your card.

A full list of named subprocessors is available on request to support@soulnear.tessalabs.in. Useful if you are an enterprise customer or a regulator.

We may also disclose data when required by law (a valid court order or subpoena, for example) or to protect someone from serious harm. We will push back on overly broad requests and notify you where legally permitted.

5. Where your data lives

Our servers run in cloud data centres operated by our hosting provider (currently primarily in the United States). Your data may therefore be transferred outside India. We rely on standard contractual safeguards with all of our service providers.

6. How long we keep it

• Account and conversation history: until you delete your account or ask us to.
• Memory: 7 days on free tier (after which old entries age out automatically) · indefinite on Pro until you delete it.
• Voice audio: processed and discarded within hours.
• Soul Signature: regenerated periodically; the old version is replaced, not archived.
• External context (calendar / health summary): the most recent summary is kept; older syncs overwrite it. Removed immediately when you turn the toggle off.
• Device tokens: until you uninstall or sign out.
• Payment records: retained as required by tax and accounting law (typically 7 years), even after account deletion.
• API and crash logs: ~30 days.

7. Crisis and safety

SoulNear is a companion, not a clinician. If Soul detects that you may be in serious distress or danger, she will pause her usual conversational style, acknowledge what you've shared, and share contact information for crisis services in your country. We may also temporarily limit certain features to keep you safer.

If you write something that suggests an immediate risk to yourself or someone else, we may share the relevant message with emergency services or law enforcement only where we believe it is necessary to prevent serious harm. We do not proactively monitor conversations for anything else.

8. Your choices and rights

• Access & export. You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you by writing to support@soulnear.tessalabs.in. We respond within 30 days.
• Correction. Edit your profile and memories directly in the app, or email us.
• Deletion. Delete individual memories in-app, or delete your entire account (and all associated data) by emailing support@soulnear.tessalabs.in from the address on the account.
• Withdraw consent. Turn off calendar, health, or contacts in Settings → "Help Soul know you", or revoke OS-level permission. Either action stops collection and removes the corresponding summary.
• Turn off notifications. Either in the app's Notifications settings, or at the OS level in Settings → Notifications.
• Complain. If you are in India, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India. If you are in the EU/UK, to your local data protection authority.

9. Children

SoulNear is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under that age. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has used SoulNear, please write to us and we will delete the account and all associated data.

10. Security

Data is transmitted over HTTPS. Passwords are hashed with bcrypt. Backend access is restricted to a small number of named employees with audit trails. We can never see what is, technically, end-to-end encrypted (because of how AI models work), but we encrypt at rest and in transit and treat your data as if it were our own.

If we ever experience a breach affecting your data, we will notify affected users within 72 hours of discovery, alongside any required regulatory disclosures.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves or the law changes. Material changes will be announced in the app and (if you have an account) by email at least 14 days before they take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page always reflects the latest revision.

12. Contact

Tessa Labs
India
Email: support@soulnear.tessalabs.in