Privacy Policy

Effective date: June 12, 2026 · Last updated: June 12, 2026

This policy explains what HALE collects, why, and the choices you have. We tried to write it like a person, not a lawyer.

The HALE team ("HALE," "we," "us") operates the HALE mobile app (the "App"), a nicotine-cessation app that helps you quit with streaks, an AI coach, and an accountability buddy. By using HALE you agree to this policy. If you don't agree, please don't use the App.

Who HALE is for

HALE is intended only for adults 21 years of age or older. The App asks you to confirm your age before any content is shown. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 21, and if we learn that we have, we will delete it. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a minor has used HALE, contact us at johnpulavarthy@gmail.com.

Information we collect

Information you give us

• Your quit profile. During setup you tell us the nicotine product you use, roughly how much and what it costs, your craving triggers, your hardest time of day, your reason for quitting, and an optional first name. We use this to build your plan and savings estimate.
• Activity you log. Check-ins, streaks, cravings you record, slips or relapses, and goals.
• Messages to Sage. Anything you type to our in-app AI coach.
• Social activity. Buddy pairings, squads you join, and referral codes you share or use.

You can start using HALE without an email or password. We begin with an anonymous account tied to your device, so most of the above stays on your device and our backend without ever being connected to your real-world identity unless you choose to provide it.

Information collected automatically

• Usage data. Which screens and features you use and actions you take, so we can understand and improve the App.
• Device and technical data. Device type, operating system and app version, language, time zone, and an app-generated identifier.
• Diagnostics. Crash logs and performance data to fix bugs and keep the App stable.

We do not collect your precise location, contacts, photos, microphone, or camera.

Information from others

• Subscription status. Whether you have an active HALE+ trial or subscription, from our payments provider. Apple processes your payment; we never receive your full card number.

How we use your information

• Build and personalize your quit plan, savings, and recovery timeline.
• Run core features: streaks, check-ins, the craving SOS toolkit, buddy pairing, squads, and referrals.
• Power Sage, our AI coach, so it can respond to you.
• Send the notifications and emails you opt into, such as a nudge before your hardest hour or a streak reminder. You can turn these off at any time.
• Measure and improve the App, fix crashes, and keep it secure.
• Process your subscription and the referral reward.
• Comply with the law.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

The Sage AI coach

When you message Sage, your text leaves your device. To generate a reply, your message and recent chat context are sent to the AI providers that run the model and help it find relevant cessation information (currently Groq and Google). Under our agreements, these providers process your text only to return a response and do not use it to train their general models. Please avoid sharing anything you wouldn't want processed this way.

Sage offers general support, not medical advice. If you are in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988 in the US) or your local emergency number.

What other people can see

If you pair with a buddy or join a squad, those people can see limited information: your first name or display name, your current streak, and whether you've checked in. They cannot see your cravings, your slips, your money details, or your messages to Sage. If you share a referral link and someone installs the App through it, we link that person to you so we can credit your referral.

Who we share information with

We share information only with the service providers that help us run HALE, and only as needed to operate the App. Each is bound by terms requiring them to protect your information and use it only to provide services to us.

• Apple: app distribution and payment processing
• RevenueCat: subscription management
• Convex: backend database and app logic
• PostHog: product analytics
• OneSignal: push notifications
• Resend: account and lifecycle email
• Sentry: crash and error reporting
• Groq: AI language-model processing for Sage
• Google: AI embeddings for Sage's knowledge search

We may also disclose information if required by law, to enforce our terms, or in connection with a business transfer such as a merger or acquisition.

How long we keep it

We keep your information while your account is active or as needed to provide the App. You can delete your account at any time in Settings → Delete Account. When you do, we delete your account and the personal content tied to it from our systems, except limited records we're required to keep for legal, security, or accounting reasons (for example, subscription and transaction records held by Apple or our payments provider). Residual copies may persist in backups for a limited time before being overwritten.

Your choices and rights

• Delete your data. Use Settings → Delete Account at any time. To request a copy of your data, email us at johnpulavarthy@gmail.com.
• Notifications. Turn push off in your device settings or in the App; turn emails off using the unsubscribe link in any email.
• Regional rights. Depending on where you live (for example, the EEA, UK, or California), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, port, or restrict the use of your information, and to complain to a data-protection authority. Contact us to exercise these and we will respond as required by law.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your data and to limit who can access it.

Tracking

HALE does not track you across other companies' apps and websites for advertising, and does not use the iOS Advertising Identifier (IDFA). We don't show ads.

International users

We operate from the United States and process information there. If you use HALE from outside the US, you understand that your information will be processed in the US, which may have different data-protection laws than your country.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We'll post the new version with a new effective date, and for significant changes we'll let you know in the App.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data? Email johnpulavarthy@gmail.com.