Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 25, 2026

Welcome to Tangents. We're committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use, and protect your information. This Privacy Policy explains our practices in clear, straightforward language.

Information We Collect

Authentication Information

• Phone Number: When you sign up using phone authentication, we collect and store your phone number to create and secure your account.
• Account Identifiers: We generate a unique user ID to identify your account in our system.

Conversation Data

• Voice Transcripts: Your voice conversations are transcribed and stored to enable personalized learning. We save the text of what you and the AI discuss.
• Learning Context: We maintain a "knowledge document" - a rolling summary of topics you've explored to provide better, contextually-aware responses in future sessions.
• Conversation Metadata: Titles, descriptions, timestamps, and summaries of your learning sessions.

Learning Profile

• Topics Explored: A record of subjects you've discussed and their exploration depth (intro, explored, deep).
• Key Concepts: Important ideas and definitions you've learned.
• Intellectual Threads: Connections between topics you've explored.
• Profile Summary: A high-level summary of your learning journey and interests.
• Session Statistics: Count of conversations and exchanges for analytics.

Technical Information

• Device Information: Basic device type and operating system version for compatibility.
• Usage Data: Timestamps and session duration to improve the service.

How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide the Service: Enable personalized, contextual voice learning conversations.
• Improve Your Experience: Build your learning profile to suggest relevant topics and adapt to your interests.
• Maintain Security: Authenticate your identity and protect your account.
• Develop and Improve: Analyze usage patterns to enhance features and fix issues.
• Communicate: Send you important service updates (we will never spam you).

Third-Party Services

Tangents integrates with the following third-party services to function:

Firebase (Google)

• Purpose: Authentication and database storage.
• Data Shared: Phone number, user ID, conversation data, learning profile.
• Privacy Policy: firebase.google.com/support/privacy

Google Gemini API

• Purpose: Real-time voice AI processing and conversation generation.
• Data Shared: Voice audio (processed in real-time), conversation context, transcripts.
• Privacy Policy: policies.google.com/privacy

LiveKit

• Purpose: Real-time communication infrastructure for voice sessions.
• Data Shared: Audio streams (not stored permanently).
• Privacy Policy: livekit.io/legal/privacy

Unsplash

• Purpose: Topic images for visual learning context.
• Data Shared: Image search terms (no personal information).
• Privacy Policy: unsplash.com/privacy

Audio and Voice Data

Important: Your voice audio is processed in real-time through Google's Gemini API with echo cancellation. While the audio itself is not permanently stored by Tangents, the transcribed text from your conversations is saved to provide personalized learning.

Google may temporarily process audio according to their privacy policy. Audio transmission uses secure WebSocket connections.

Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored securely in Google Cloud Firestore with the following protections:

• Encryption: Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest.
• Access Control: Strict Firestore security rules ensure you can only access your own data.
• User Isolation: All data is scoped to your user ID - other users cannot see your conversations or profile.
• Secure Authentication: Firebase Auth with phone OTP verification.

Your Rights and Choices

Access and Export

You can view all your conversation history and learning profile within the app. To request a complete export of your data, email us at alexsteinapple@gmail.com.

Deletion

You have the right to request deletion of your data at any time. Contact us at alexsteinapple@gmail.com with your account phone number, and we will:

• Delete all your conversation transcripts and learning profile data
• Remove your authentication records
• Confirm deletion within 30 days

Anonymous Mode

You can sign in anonymously without providing a phone number. However, if you uninstall the app or clear data, your conversations cannot be recovered.

Children's Privacy

Tangents is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at alexsteinapple@gmail.com.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by:

• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top
• Sending an in-app notification
• Requiring acceptance of new terms for material changes

Continued use of Tangents after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

International Users

Tangents is based in the United States. By using our service, you consent to your information being transferred to and processed in the United States and wherever our service providers operate.

Do Not Track

We do not track you across third-party websites. We do not respond to Do Not Track signals as we do not track users outside of the app.

Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us:

• Email: alexsteinapple@gmail.com
• General Inquiries: alexsteinapple@gmail.com

This Privacy Policy is written in plain language to be as clear as possible. If you need clarification on anything, we're here to help.