Privacy Policy
Last Updated: February 9, 2026
Halo ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting the privacy of children and families who use our AI-powered educational tutoring app. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard information.
1. Information We Collect
Information Provided by Users
- Student Profile: First name (or nickname), grade level, and learning preferences
- Parent/Guardian Email: Optional, for receiving progress reports
- Student Email: Optional, for students in grade 9 and above
- Conversation History: Questions asked and tutoring sessions with Halo
- Learning Progress: Topics studied, accuracy rates, strengths, and areas for improvement
- Uploaded Content: Textbooks (PDFs) added to the Backpack feature
Information Collected Automatically
- Usage Data: Features used, session duration, and learning patterns
- Voice Input: When using voice features, audio is processed on-device to convert speech to text (on-device recognition is enabled by default)
Information We Do NOT Collect
- Location data
- Device advertising identifiers
- Photos (homework images are processed in-session only and not stored)
- Contacts, calendar, or social media data
2. How We Use Information
We use collected information exclusively for educational purposes:
- Provide personalized AI tutoring tailored to the student's grade level and interests
- Track learning progress and generate warm-up problems based on past performance
- Remember context across tutoring sessions for continuity (learning memory)
- Send optional weekly progress digests to parents (if enabled)
We never use student data for:
- Advertising or marketing
- Profiling for non-educational purposes
- Sale to third parties
3. Data Storage and Security
- Sensitive Data (Keychain): Student name and email addresses are stored in the iOS Keychain, which provides hardware-backed encryption
- Learning Data (On-Device): Learning progress and session history are stored in an encrypted database protected by iOS Data Protection (FileProtection.complete — encrypted when device is locked)
- Server Processing: Tutoring conversations are processed through our secure servers to generate AI responses. Data is associated with a randomly generated device ID, not with the student's name or email
- Uploaded Books: PDF textbooks are stored securely per-student on our server and used only for tutoring. Students can delete uploaded books at any time
- Transport Encryption: All data transmitted between the app and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS
- API Authentication: All server requests are authenticated with a cryptographic API key sent via secure HTTP headers (never in URLs)
- Debug Logging: The app does not log to the device console in release builds
4. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)
Halo is designed for use by students in grades 4–12 and college. We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):
- We collect only the minimum information necessary to provide educational tutoring
- We do not require a child to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary
- Personal information is stored using iOS Keychain encryption, not in plaintext
- We do not use children's data for behavioral advertising
- We do not sell or share children's personal information with third parties for marketing purposes
- Parents can review, request changes to, or delete their child's information at any time
Parental Consent
For children under 13, we recommend that a parent or guardian set up the app and provide consent for its use. The app collects only a first name (or nickname) and optionally a parent email for progress reports.
Parental Controls
Parents can:
- View all learning progress through the app
- Delete uploaded books and stored data
- Disable voice features
- Control weekly progress report delivery
- Request complete data deletion by contacting us
5. Third-Party Services
Halo uses the following third-party services:
| Service | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini AI | Powering tutoring conversations and generating practice problems | Student's question and grade-level context only (no name or email) |
| Apple Speech Recognition | Converting voice input to text | Audio processed on-device |
| Wolfram Alpha (optional) | Verifying math calculations | Math expression only |
We do not share personal information with advertisers or data brokers. Tutoring conversations processed by Google Gemini include only the educational question and anonymized context — never the student's name, email, or other personally identifiable information.
6. Data Retention
- On-Device Data: Retained until the app is deleted or data is cleared in Settings
- Learning Memory: Server-side learning events are retained as long as the student uses the app. Can be deleted upon request
- Uploaded Books: Retained until removed by the student from the Backpack screen, or upon request
- Full Deletion: Contact us to request complete deletion of all server-side data
7. Your Rights
You (or your parent/guardian) have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Request deletion of all data (on-device and server-side)
- Opt out of progress report emails
- Restrict data processing
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify users of material changes through the app or by updating the "Last Updated" date above.
9. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at:
Email: [email protected]
Halo is committed to providing a safe, educational experience for students and peace of mind for parents.