Whyworld — Privacy Policy
Effective date: 1 October 2026
Whyworld ("the app") is published by Srofia ("we", "us"). This policy explains what the app collects, why, and the choices you have. Contact: support@srofia.com.
Summary
- No account. You do not sign up, and we do not ask for your name, email or phone number in the app.
- Your reading stays on your device. Your countries, settings and reading history are stored only on your phone.
- Anonymous usage statistics. We count how screens and features are used, with no profile, no location and no personal data. You can turn this off in Settings.
- Ads only for free users. Ads are shown by Google AdMob. Where the law requires it, you are asked first, and on iOS you choose whether apps may track you. Subscribers see no ads, and the ad software never starts for them.
- Payments are handled by Apple or Google. We never see your card details.
What we process and why
| Data | Where it comes from | Purpose | Legal basis (UK/EU) | Kept for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Settings, chosen countries, reading history, unlock state | You, in the app | Making the app work | Contract | On your device until you delete the app |
| Anonymous usage events (e.g. "topic opened", "share card created", topic and category ids, app version, device type) | The app, via PostHog | Improving the app; finding which features work | Legitimate interest — you can opt out | 12 months |
| "Report this topic" signals (topic id, reason) | You | Hiding inaccurate or harmful summaries (a topic is hidden automatically after repeated reports) | Legitimate interest | 12 months |
| Crash reports (stack trace, device model, OS version; no personal data) | The app, via Sentry | Fixing crashes | Legitimate interest | 90 days |
| Advertising identifier, IP address, approximate location, ad interactions | Google AdMob (free users only) | Showing and measuring ads; personalised ads only with your consent | Consent (personalised ads) / legitimate interest (non-personalised ads) | Google's retention policy |
| Purchase status (an anonymous app user id and your entitlement) | Apple/Google, via RevenueCat | Unlocking Whyworld Plus and restoring purchases | Contract | While your subscription is active, plus up to 3 years for tax and accounting records |
| Push token (local notifications only) | Your device | The optional daily digest | Consent (the system permission prompt) | On your device |
We do not collect contacts, photos, precise location, health or financial data. We do not sell personal data.
News content
Topic summaries are written by AI from public sources (news publishers, Google Trends, Wikipedia, GDELT). This happens on our servers before anything reaches your phone. Nothing you do in the app is sent to an AI model.
Service providers
- Google AdMob (ads; free users only)
- PostHog (anonymous analytics; EU hosting, with IP addresses discarded)
- Sentry (crash reports)
- RevenueCat (subscription status)
- Apple and Google (app stores and payments)
- Cloudflare (delivering the news files; it handles standard connection data such as your IP address to serve them)
Each provider processes data under its own terms and data processing agreement. Some providers process data outside your country, including in the United States. Such transfers rely on Standard Contractual Clauses, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or an adequacy decision.
Your choices and rights
- Analytics: Settings → "Share anonymous usage data" switches it off.
- Ads:
- Change your ad consent with Settings → "Privacy choices".
- On iOS, change tracking in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
- On Android, reset or delete your advertising ID in device settings.
- Whyworld Plus removes ads completely.
- Notifications: Turn them off in the app or in your device settings.
- Delete your data:
- Deleting the app removes everything stored on your device.
- Analytics and crash data are not linked to you. To ask about them, email us.
- Subscriptions are managed and cancelled in your App Store or Google Play account.
- Your rights by region:
- UK, EU and similar laws: you may ask for access, correction, deletion, restriction or portability, and you may object. You may also complain to your data protection authority (in the UK, the ICO).
- California: you have the right to know and to delete. We do not sell or "share" personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising outside the ad consent described above.
Children
Whyworld is not directed to children under 13 (under 16 in the EU/UK). We do not knowingly collect data from children.
Changes
If this policy changes, we will update the date above. If the change is material, we will also show a notice in the app.
Contact
Srofia — support@srofia.com — https://srofia.com