Privacy Policy

Effective September 27, 2026 · Updated October 25, 2026

This policy explains what The Art History App (the "App") does with information about you. The App is operated by Alex Zhang in California, United States ("we"). Contact: thearthistoryapp@gmail.com.

1. Information that stays on your device

Your lesson progress (including lessons you leave part way), hearts, tickets, streak, points, saved and collected artworks, settings, and the profile photo you pick are stored only on your device. We have no server that receives them. Deleting the App, or using Settings, Reset, erases them. Because nothing is backed up by us, we can't restore them for you if they are lost.

If you turn on daily reminders, they are scheduled on your device by iOS. We don’t use a push service, and nothing about your reminders is sent to us or anyone else.

If you choose a profile photo, the App asks iOS for access to the photo you select. The photo is copied into the App's own storage on your device and is never uploaded.

2. Subscriptions and RevenueCat

Art History Plus is sold through the App Store. Apple handles payment; we never see your payment details. We use RevenueCat to check whether your subscription is active. To do that, RevenueCat receives:

• a random, anonymous ID created for your install of the App;
• your purchase and subscription history for the App (product, price, dates, trial and renewal status);
• basic device information such as device model, operating system version, App version, language, App Store country, and IP address.

We use this only to unlock Plus, restore purchases, and understand how many people subscribe. We link your RevenueCat record to your anonymous analytics ID (section 3) so we can see which parts of the App lead people to subscribe. It is not used for advertising and is not linked to your name or email, which we don't have.

3. Usage analytics and PostHog

We use PostHog, an analytics service, to understand how the App is used and where it can be better. PostHog processes this data for us and stores it in the United States. It receives:

• the same random, anonymous ID for your install of the App;
• what you do in the App: screens viewed, onboarding finished, lessons started, finished or left early (with the lesson, difficulty, time spent and number of correct answers), subscription screens viewed and the choices made there, purchases (plan and price, never payment details), and whether an ad was shown or watched;
• the path, learning goal and daily time you picked in onboarding, and summary numbers such as lessons finished and whether you subscribe;
• when the App is opened, closed, installed or updated;
• basic device information such as device model, operating system version, App version and language, and your IP address, which PostHog uses to estimate your approximate location (country and city).

We don't record your screen, we don't collect your name, email, photos or contacts, and we don't use this data for advertising or share it with advertisers.

4. Ads and Google AdMob

If you use the App for free, it shows ads served by Google AdMob. There are two kinds: a full-screen ad on the way back to the lesson path after some lessons (never during a lesson), and a short video you can choose to watch for a reward: to unlock a lesson, earn a ticket, refill your hearts or save your streak. Art History Plus subscribers see no ads, and the ad service is not started for them.

The ads are not personalized. We ask Google for non-personalized ads only, and we never ask for permission to track you. Ads are chosen from general information such as the App itself and your approximate location, not from a profile of your interests. Ad content is limited to Google’s PG rating (general audiences, parental guidance suggested).

To show ads, measure them, cap how often you see the same one, and prevent fraud, Google receives:

• your IP address, which it uses to estimate your approximate location;
• device and app information such as device model, operating system version, App version and language;
• identifiers for your device: on Android, your device's advertising ID; on iOS, an identifier limited to apps from the same developer (we never ask for Apple's advertising identifier);
• how you interact with ads, such as whether an ad was shown, watched to the end, or tapped.

Google uses this as described in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, the App asks for your consent through Google's consent form before any ads are requested, and shows no ads if they can't be requested. We don't receive personal information from Google about you, only totals such as how many ads were shown.

5. Artwork images and Wikimedia

Artwork images are loaded from Wikimedia Commons (upload.wikimedia.org). Like any website, Wikimedia receives your IP address and basic request information when an image loads. See the Wikimedia Foundation Privacy Policy.

6. Feedback emails

If you send feedback from the App, it opens an email to us that you can read and edit before sending. It includes the App version and your device's operating system version. We receive your email address and whatever you write, and use them only to reply and improve the App.

7. What we don't do

• We don't show personalized ads, and we don't ask for permission to track you.
• We don't track you across other companies' apps or websites.
• We don't sell personal information, and we share it only with the services named in this policy, for the purposes described here.

8. Sharing

When you tap Share, the App opens your device's share sheet with a short text you can see before sending. Where it goes is up to you.

9. Children

The App is not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has used the App, email us and we will delete any analytics data we can find for them. Purchases on a child's device are handled by Apple and its parental controls.

10. Your choices and rights

You can erase everything stored on your device at any time by deleting the App or using Settings, Reset. Deleting and reinstalling the App also gives you a new anonymous ID, so new usage data is no longer connected to old data. You can manage or cancel a subscription in your Apple ID settings. Subscribing to Plus turns ads off. If the App asked for your consent to ads, you can change your choice at any time in Settings, Ad choices. On Android, you can reset or delete your device's advertising ID in your device settings. Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR, UK GDPR or California law), you may have rights to access or delete information about you. To ask us to delete your purchase records held by RevenueCat, and the analytics data linked to them, email us and include the receipt Apple sent after your purchase, so we can find the anonymous record. Because we don't know who you are, we can't find analytics data for someone who never subscribed; that data is not connected to your identity. Subscription records Apple keeps are governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.

11. Retention

Information on your device stays until you delete it. RevenueCat keeps purchase records while we use its service, so subscriptions can be restored, unless you ask us to delete them. PostHog keeps usage data for as long as it helps us improve the App, and we delete it on request as described above. Google keeps ad data according to its own policies; we hold no copy of it.

12. Changes

If the App starts collecting anything new, we will update this page and its effective date before that version is released.