The short version
- You do not need an account. We never ask for your email, phone number or location.
- Your chat history is saved only on your own device.
- To write an answer, your message is sent to our server and to Anthropic, the company that makes the Claude AI model. We do not store your messages on our server.
- The app has no ads, no analytics and no tracking tools, and we never sell or share your data for marketing.
What stays on your device
The app saves these things in your phone's or browser's own storage:
- Your conversations and the list of your chats.
- The name you choose to be called by, if you enter one. This is optional.
- Your sound settings. If you add your own song, the app copies that file into its own folder on your device. The file is never uploaded.
- A random device ID that the app makes up the first time it runs. It is not your phone's advertising ID or any hardware ID.
- An access code, if you were given one for a test version.
You can delete chats in the app. Uninstalling the app, or clearing the site's data in your browser, removes all of this.
What is sent when you ask a question
To answer you, the app sends the following to our server at ramana.nxtduo.com:
- Your new message.
- The last few messages of the same chat, shortened, so that the answer makes sense in context.
- Your name, if you entered one, so the answer can address you by it.
- The random device ID, which is used only to count your daily messages.
Our server finds the passages from Sri Ramana Maharshi's recorded words that are closest to your question. It then sends your message, the recent context, your name if given, and those passages to Anthropic's Claude model, which writes the answer. The answer comes back to your device and is saved there.
Your messages may include personal feelings or worries. That is fine, but please do not share things like phone numbers, addresses or ID numbers in a message.
What our server keeps
- No conversations. We do not save the text of your messages, and there are no user accounts to link them to.
- Daily message counts. To keep the app free, each device has a daily message limit. We store a count for each day next to a hashed (scrambled) form of your device ID. If a request has no device ID, we count it by a hashed form of your IP address instead. These counts contain no message text, and we delete old days' counts regularly.
- Short-term rate limiting. Your IP address may be used for a few seconds to stop too many requests in one minute. It is not stored for this.
- Shared answer cache. Many people ask the same short opening question, such as "Who am I?". For the first message of a chat, when it is short, when you have not given a name, and when it is not about distress, we may keep the answer for up to 7 days so the next person gets it faster. The cache is looked up by a one-way code made from the question. It does not contain your name, device ID or IP address, and it cannot be traced back to you.
- Technical logs. Our server records basic facts about each request, such as the topic and a safety rating, so we can keep the app working and safe. These logs contain no message text. Error logs may hold technical details for a short time.
Services that help run the app
- Anthropic (the Claude AI model) receives the content described above to write each answer, and handles it under its own privacy policy and commercial terms. Under those terms, Anthropic does not use data sent through its API to train its models.
- Cloudflare hosts our server and website. It also runs the search over the book passages, and stores the daily counts and the answer cache. As the host, Cloudflare sees your IP address when your device connects. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.
- Google Fonts provides the typefaces on the web version, so your browser connects to Google to load them. The iOS and Android apps include their fonts and do not make this connection.
Your data may be processed outside India by these providers. We do not use any other third parties, and we do not sell, rent or share your data with anyone else.
Safety and distress messages
Every message is checked automatically for signs that someone may be in distress. When the check finds them, the app answers gently and shows the free Tele-MANAS helpline (14416 or 1-800-891-4416) and the emergency number 112. This check exists only to show you help. Nothing is reported to anyone, and these answers are never cached.
Arunachala is an AI. It is not a person, a teacher, a doctor or a counsellor. If you are struggling, please talk to someone you trust or a professional.
Permissions
The app uses the internet to get answers. It does not ask for access to your camera, microphone, contacts, photos or location. If you choose to add your own song, your phone's file picker opens, and only the file you pick is used.
Children
Arunachala is meant for adults. It is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from children. Because we do not collect names, emails or accounts, we have no way to identify a child's data. If you have a concern, write to us.
Your choices and rights
- You can delete any chat in the app, or remove everything by uninstalling the app or clearing the site's data.
- You can use the app without giving a name.
- We keep no messages and no account, so in most cases there is nothing on our side to access or delete. Daily counts are linked only to a scrambled random ID and are removed regularly.
- Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and similar laws, you can ask us about any data we hold, or ask us to correct or delete it. Write to us and we will reply within 30 days.
Changes to this policy
If the way the app handles data changes, we will update this page and change the effective date at the top. If a change is significant, we will also mention it in the app.
Contact
For questions, requests or complaints about privacy, write to NxtDuo at support@nxtduo.com. This address is also our grievance contact for privacy matters.
Arunachala is an independent project by NxtDuo. It is not an official app of Sri Ramanasramam and is not endorsed by it.