This Privacy Policy explains what information the Tarabalam app
(package com.arkaastro.tarabalam) and website (arkaastro.com/tarabalam)
— together, the "Service" — collect from you, how we use it, who we share it with, and the
choices you have. Tarabalam is operated by Arka Astro ("we", "us", "our").
By using the Service you agree to this Policy.
1. Information we collect
Account information
When you sign in (with Google or with an email address and password) we receive, via Google Firebase Authentication, your email address, your display name (if provided by your Google account), and a Firebase user ID. We use these to create and secure your account and to link your subscription to it.
Location
To calculate accurate, location-based Vedic timings (sunrise/sunset, Panchangam, daily Tarabalam), the Service uses either:
- your device's approximate or precise location, if you grant location permission (used once to auto-detect your city); or
- a city you choose from the in-app search.
Your chosen location (city name, coordinates, timezone) is stored on your device for functionality. We do not use location for advertising or track your movements.
Birth details you enter
In "Find Your Nakshatra" you may enter a date of birth, time of birth, and place of birth. These are used on your device to compute your birth nakshatra, pada and rasi. Your selected birth star is saved locally on your device. We do not require your real name or identity to use these features.
Payment information
Premium subscriptions are processed by Razorpay, a third-party payment processor, through a secure checkout page. We never receive or store your card, UPI, bank or wallet details — those are handled by Razorpay under its own privacy policy. We store only the record of your subscription (plan, start/expiry dates, and the Razorpay order/payment identifiers) linked to your account, to grant and verify premium access.
Notifications
With your permission, we send local reminder notifications (e.g. a renewal reminder) and use Firebase Cloud Messaging to deliver push notifications — the daily Tarabalam reminder and messages about your free trial or subscription (for example, that your free trial has ended). To do this, when you are signed in the app registers your device's notification (FCM) token with our server, linked to your account, along with your device type. Signing out stops the token from being used, and deleting your account data removes it. You can turn notifications off at any time in your device settings.
Usage analytics
To understand which screens are used and to improve the app, we use Google Analytics (Firebase Analytics in the mobile app). It records which screens you open, a few coarse events (such as opening a notification or completing a purchase), and standard device and app-version information. We do not send your name, email, birth details or other personal data to analytics.
Device identifier & free trial
Tarabalam includes a free trial of 7 days that starts the first time you open the app. So that the trial is given only once — and does not start again if you reinstall the app, update it, sign out, or sign in with a different account — the app reads a device identifier and sends it to our server when you first open it and periodically afterwards. On Android this is the device's Android ID; on other platforms it is a random ID generated and kept by the app. Our server stores only a one-way (SHA-256) hash of this identifier together with the date and time your trial started — it does not store the identifier itself. This record is not linked to your name, email or account, and we use it only to run the free trial and prevent trial abuse. We do not use it for advertising, tracking or profiling, and we do not share it with anyone other than our infrastructure provider (Google Firebase).
Information stored locally on your device
For the app to work offline and remember your preferences, the following are stored locally on your device (not on our servers): selected birth star and pada, chosen location, app language, the date and time your free trial started, and a cached copy of your subscription status.
Diagnostic data
Our infrastructure providers (Google Firebase, our hosting) may automatically collect limited technical data such as IP address, device/OS type and basic app-interaction logs for security, reliability and abuse-prevention. We do not use third-party advertising or ad- tracking networks.
2. How we use your information
- To provide the Service — compute Tarabalam, Panchangam, nakshatra data and location-based timings.
- To authenticate you and keep your account secure.
- To process and verify subscription purchases and grant premium access.
- To send reminders and service notifications you have opted into.
- To run the 7-day free trial once per device and to prevent trial abuse.
- To maintain, protect and improve the Service and prevent fraud or abuse.
- To comply with legal obligations.
3. How we share information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with service providers who process it on our behalf, and only as needed:
| Provider | Purpose | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Messaging, Firestore) | Sign-in, notifications, storing your account & subscription record | Email, display name, user ID, subscription record, notification (FCM) token, hashed device identifier with free-trial start time |
| Razorpay | Processing subscription payments | Payment details (handled by Razorpay), email/name for the receipt |
These providers have their own privacy policies. We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety and security of our users and the Service.
4. Permissions the app requests
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Location (approximate / precise) | Optional. To auto-detect your city for accurate sunrise-based timings. You can deny it and pick a city manually instead. |
| Notifications | Optional. To send the daily reminder and subscription messages. |
| Internet / network | To sign in, verify subscriptions and load data. |
You can grant or revoke any of these at any time in your device's app settings.
5. Data storage & security
Account and subscription data is stored using Google Firebase/Firestore. Payments are processed over encrypted connections by Razorpay. We use industry-standard safeguards (HTTPS/TLS, authenticated access, server-side verification of payments). No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information.
6. Data retention
We keep your account and subscription records for as long as your account exists or as needed to provide the Service and meet legal, tax and accounting requirements. Locally stored data remains on your device until you clear the app's data or uninstall it. You may delete your account data at any time as described in section 8.
The free-trial record (a hash of your device identifier and the trial start time) is kept for as long as needed to prevent the free trial from being repeated, so it is not removed when you delete your account data. It contains no name, email or other account information, and the link between it and your account (held with your notification token) is deleted along with that token.
7. Refunds & subscription cancellation
Premium subscriptions are non-refundable. Once you have subscribed, a refund cannot be issued for that payment, including for any unused portion of the current billing period.
You can, however, stop future charges at any time by cancelling the auto-renewal of your monthly or annual subscription. After you cancel, your premium access continues until the end of the period you have already paid for, and no further payment will be taken. To cancel your subscription, contact us at support@arkaastro.com.
8. Your rights & choices
- Delete your data — in the app, go to Account → Delete Account, or visit www.arkaastro.com/tarabalam/delete-account, sign in and confirm. This deletes your Tarabalam subscription and payment records, cancels any auto-renewing subscription, and removes your notification tokens and notification log, and removes Tarabalam from your account. If you have only ever used Tarabalam, your sign-in and account record are deleted as well; if you also use another Arka Astro app (Nakshatra Speaks), your shared sign-in is kept for it unless you ask us by email to delete it too. The free-trial record described in section 6 is retained. Razorpay keeps its own payment records under its own policy.
- Access / correction — request a copy of your data, or ask us to correct or delete anything not covered above, by emailing us (see Contact).
- Sign out — signing out clears premium access from the device.
- Location & notifications — manage or revoke these permissions in your device settings at any time.
- Local data — clear the app's storage or uninstall the app to remove locally stored preferences.
- Cancel subscription — you can cancel at any time; access remains until the end of the paid period.
Depending on your location, you may have additional rights under applicable data-protection laws. We will honour valid requests to the extent required by law.
9. Children's privacy
The Service is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
10. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with a new "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.
11. Contact us
For any privacy question or request, contact:
Arka Astro
Email: support@arkaastro.com
Website: arkaastro.com