Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-03-09

This Privacy Policy describes how "How Are You?!" (the "App") collects, uses, and protects your information. We are committed to transparency about data practices and protecting your privacy.

Important Legal Disclaimers

NOT a Medical Device: How Are You?! is NOT FDA approved, is NOT a medical device, and does NOT provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Does NOT Replace Emergency Services: This app does NOT replace 911, emergency services, or professional medical care. In case of known emergency, ALWAYS call 911 immediately. Do not rely solely on this app for emergency detection.

No Guarantees: Statistical behavioral monitoring cannot guarantee 100% emergency detection. The app MAY MISS emergencies (false negatives possible) and MAY GENERATE false alerts (false positives possible). Detection accuracy depends on the learning phase quality.

By using How Are You?!, you acknowledge understanding these limitations and accept all terms of service.

1. Information We Collect

To provide emergency detection services, How Are You?! collects the following information:

Precise GPS coordinates (location data) - Used to identify your location patterns and detect deviations
Motion sensor data (accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer) - Used to detect activity levels and unusual stillness
Activity patterns (sleep schedules, stillness duration, daily routines) - Learned during the learning phase
Email addresses - Alert recipients configured by family members
Device identifiers (Android ID) - Used for app functionality only
Safe zone patterns (home, park, coffee shop locations) - Learned from your regular movement patterns

2. How We Use Information

Your information is used exclusively for the following purposes:

Emergency detection - Statistical anomaly analysis detects unusual stillness, abnormally long sleep periods, and location deviations from safe zones
Behavioral pattern learning - Google's Gemini AI processes anonymous behavioral summaries securely to analyze your patterns during the learning phase
Emergency alerts to family - When anomalies are detected, GPS coordinates and timestamp are sent to configured email addresses via Gmail API
Monthly pattern recalibration - Automatic threshold updates to adapt to changing routines

Your data is NOT used for:

Advertising or marketing
Analytics or user tracking
Third-party sharing or selling
Any purpose other than emergency detection

3. Data Storage and Security

We implement the highest privacy and security standards:

All detailed data stored locally - All behavioral data is stored on your device only using Room database with SQLCipher encryption
Anonymous summaries only - Only anonymous behavioral summaries (no GPS coordinates, no personal information) are sent to Google's Gemini AI via secure encrypted connection for safety analysis
Secure credential storage - OAuth tokens are stored securely in Android Keystore
Encrypted transmission - Emergency alerts are encrypted with TLS 1.3 when sent via Gmail API
Secure AI processing - Google's Gemini AI processes anonymous behavioral summaries securely; no raw sensor data or GPS coordinates are transmitted

Data Transmitted for AI Safety Analysis

To provide accurate safety analysis, the app sends anonymous behavioral summaries to Google's Gemini AI via secure encrypted connection (HTTPS/TLS). This includes:

Activity pattern summaries (e.g., "morning activity 7-9 AM, 5 days/week")
Stillness duration statistics (e.g., "average daytime rest: 2 hours")
Routine deviation indicators (e.g., "stillness exceeds learned threshold")
General location context (e.g., "at home", "at frequent location")

This data does NOT include:

GPS coordinates or specific addresses
Personal information (name, age, contacts)
Raw sensor data
Any data that could identify the user

Google's AI processes the summary and returns a safety assessment. Google does not use this data for advertising or model training (paid API tier). See Google's Gemini API Terms of Service for details.

4. Data Sharing

Your data sharing is extremely limited:

Emergency alerts ONLY: GPS coordinates, timestamp, and anomaly description are sent to configured family email addresses when an emergency is detected
NO third-party sharing: Zero analytics services, zero ad networks, zero tracking pixels
NO data selling: We will never sell or license your data
NO secondary use: Your data is used only for emergency detection
NO marketing: We do not use your data for promotional purposes

5. Data Retention and Deletion

You have complete control over your data:

Retention period: Behavioral data is retained until app uninstall OR "Reset Learning" button is triggered
Immediate deletion on uninstall: Android automatically deletes all app data when you uninstall
Immediate deletion on reset: The "Reset Learning" button (accessible from your device) deletes all behavioral data immediately - preserving dignity and autonomy
No cloud backups of your personal data: All detailed data is stored locally and always deleted completely
Complete control: You maintain full control over your data lifecycle

6. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your data:

Access: View your behavioral data via the Status Dashboard
Delete: Delete all data via "Reset Learning" button or app uninstall
Update: Update email recipient addresses anytime through Settings
No account required: Privacy-by-design means no account creation or registration
Maintain autonomy: "Reset Learning" is accessible from your device - you are always in control

7. Children's Privacy

How Are You?! is not directed at children:

Not for children under 13: COPPA compliant - we do not knowingly collect data from children
Target audience: Adult children (30+) setting up the app for elderly parents (60+)
No data from minors: We do not collect or process data from anyone under 13

8. Changes to Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time:

Updates posted here: Changes will be published at this URL
In-app notification: Material changes will be announced in-app when you launch the app
Last updated date: Always visible at the top of this policy

9. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or the app:

Developer email: stoyan.minchev@gmail.com

User Responsibility

By using How Are You?!, you are responsible for:

Configuring recipient email addresses correctly
Keeping contact information up to date
Ensuring recipients monitor email regularly
Testing the alert system periodically using the in-app test feature
Understanding and accepting system limitations

Limitation of Liability

How Are You?! and its developers are NOT liable for:

Missed emergencies or delayed detection
False alerts or incorrect anomaly detection
Technical failures, connectivity issues, or email delivery problems
User error in configuration or recipient setup
Battery drain or device performance issues
Any harm resulting from reliance on the app

Informed Consent

Important ethical requirements:

The elderly person (parent) MUST be informed that monitoring is active
No secret or deceptive monitoring is permitted
The parent maintains autonomy and can reset learning at any time
Monitoring requires informed consent from the person being monitored

Background Location Usage

This app uses background location for critical safety features:

Emergency detection when app is closed or not in use - Continuous monitoring even when phone screen is off
Safe zone identification - Learning your regular locations (home, park, coffee shop)
Location deviation alerts - Detecting when you've moved outside normal patterns

Privacy reassurance: Your location is NEVER shared except during emergencies. Only anonymous behavioral summaries (without GPS coordinates) are sent for AI safety analysis.

Terms Acceptance

By using How Are You?!, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and accept all terms of service, limitations, and disclaimers outlined above.

First-time use requires explicit acceptance of these terms.