Privacy Policy — Athar

Developer: Ibrahim Al-Dossary

Last updated: 8 September 2026

1. Local data and backups

Local data includes dhikr counters, reading and prayer logs, personal khatmah progress, bookmarks, favourites, your own written reflections on ayat, and preferences. Necessary data is shared with app extensions. Prayer settings and tasbih increments are exchanged between your phone and watch through system services. Exporting a backup sends it only to the destination you choose. Resetting statistics does not remove all preferences, cloud data, or exported copies.

2. Optional iCloud sync

Sync is off by default and runs only if you turn it on yourself in Settings → Your data. When enabled, the following are copied into the key-value store of your own iCloud account and updated between devices signed in to that account: the text of your own written reflections on ayat, exactly as you wrote them; Mushaf bookmarks and highlights; your reading position and stop mark; saved hadith; appearance, font, home-screen and tab-arrangement preferences; and athan, pre-athan, iqamah, tasbih phrase and target, and secondary city settings.

Reflections are kept together with their earlier revisions, so text edited or deleted on one device is not lost on another. Deleting a reflection in the app removes it from the ayah without erasing its earlier revisions straight away, so they stay recoverable on your devices for a while. The archive is bounded: a limited number of earlier revisions is kept per ayah, under an overall cap, and the oldest are dropped first. When your iCloud quota is tight, the uploaded copy carries your live reflections and deletions without the revision history. Sync excludes progress counters, statistics, prayer and reading logs, and group khatmah data.

This sync happens between your device and your own iCloud account through Apple's service alone. It does not pass through any server owned by the developer, and the developer cannot read it. Turning sync off stops all further syncing and does not erase the existing copy in iCloud, which remains in your Apple account and is governed by your device's iCloud settings.

3. Group khatmah

Creating or joining a group sends the group title, chosen display name, page count, timestamps, and a randomly assigned membership identifier to the app's public CloudKit database. CloudKit also maintains record metadata, including the creator's association with an iCloud account. This data supports group functionality and is not used by us for advertising.

The developer can access public records for operation and support. The app uses a group code to display members, but the code is not an authorization boundary. Access to public records is not restricted to group members. Use a nickname and avoid sensitive information in names or titles.

In versions offering “Leave and delete my participation”, leaving successfully deletes your membership record, without changing your personal khatmah. The group record and title remain. Older versions may have left membership records behind. Contact us with the code and display name for help deleting these records; we may need sufficient information to verify a request. Uninstalling the app does not delete public CloudKit records.

4. Location

Location permission is optional and used while the app is in use. Prayer times and qibla direction are calculated on-device. Coordinates may be sent to Apple's reverse-geocoding service to obtain a city name. You can select a city manually without location permission. Apple's services are governed by Apple's privacy policy.

5. Audio, speech, and streaming

Recitation playback and downloads request files from MP3Quran.net or everyayah.com. Providers receive ordinary connection information, such as an IP address and requested file. Downloads remain on-device. Recitation checking uses microphone and speech permissions after you start listening, preferring on-device recognition where supported and otherwise potentially sending audio to Apple's speech service. Athar does not save a recitation-check recording.

At most once a day the app asks Apple's App Store lookup service for the latest published version of Athar, so it can tell you when yours is older. Only the app's bundle identifier is sent — nothing about you. If the request fails, nothing is shown.

Opening the live player loads YouTube for official channels. Google may receive network, device, and interaction data under Google's privacy policy. A nonpersistent web data store limits local browsing persistence; it does not delete data held by the provider. Radio playback connects to the Saudi Broadcasting Authority’s stream through Kwikmotion, which may receive ordinary connection information. Playback may continue in the background until stopped.

6. Notifications, Wallet, and sharing

Notifications are local and require periodically reopening the app to renew their limited schedule. Wallet passes are bundled, signed, not personalized, and do not use our own pass-update server. Athar checks whether its passes are in Wallet to display their status. Remove them in Wallet; uninstalling Athar does not automatically remove them. Text is copied to the system clipboard, images are generated locally, and sharing uses the destination you select. External websites have their own policies.

7. Retention and choices

Local data remains until erased or the app is deleted, subject to system backups. Exported files, Wallet passes, and iCloud data are separate. There is currently no automatic time-based expiry for public group records. You can revoke permissions, disable sync, delete your group participation, or contact us for assistance. We do not request age or require a real name. Avoid entering children's or other people's personal information into groups. External services follow their own terms and policies.

8. Contact and changes

For privacy questions and access, correction, or deletion requests, contact bip@outlook.sa. Information you send is used to handle your request. Do not post private information in public GitHub issues. This page will be updated when data practices change.