Altar App — Last updated: April 2026
Altar can be used without creating an account. When you use the app without an account, your data (bookmarks, reading progress, and preferences) is stored locally on your device only.
When you create an account, we collect:
If you join or create a church, we additionally collect:
If you enable push notifications, we collect your device's push notification token (via Expo Push Notification service) to deliver church reading updates and engagement reminders. You can disable push notifications at any time through your device settings.
Altar stores data locally on your device using AsyncStorage for offline access. This includes bookmarks, reading progress, engagement check-ins, and church data. This data remains on your device until you create an account and sync, or until you uninstall the app.
Your information is used solely to provide and improve the Altar App experience. Specifically:
When you use AI-powered features (verse explanations, chapter summaries, Study Room), the Bible text and your queries are sent to our AI provider (OpenRouter) to generate responses. OpenRouter processes this data according to their privacy policy. We do not send personal information (such as your email or name) to our AI provider — only the Bible text and your study questions.
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share anonymized, aggregated data for analytics purposes.
We use the following third-party services to operate the app:
These services may process your data in accordance with their own privacy policies.
We collect anonymized usage events (such as screens viewed, features used, and engagement actions) to understand how the app is used and to improve the experience. These events do not contain personally identifiable information.
Your data is stored securely using industry-standard encryption and hosted on trusted cloud infrastructure. We take reasonable measures to protect your information from unauthorized access.
You can delete your account at any time from the Settings screen in the app. This will permanently remove all your personal data, including bookmarks, notes, reading progress, and AI conversation history.
If you are a founding pastor and delete your account, your church will be deleted and all associated member data (readings, check-ins) will be removed. Your name and email will be cleared from any remaining church records.
Altar is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the app after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at [email protected].