Short version: GistAI runs entirely on your device. We do not collect, store, or share any personal data. Your videos, summaries, and usage patterns stay on your phone. Uninstalling the app permanently deletes all locally stored data.
1. Who We Are
GistAI ("we", "our", or "the app") is an Android application developed and operated by Sam Jin. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us at [email protected].
2. What Data We Collect
GistAI is designed to be private by default. We collect no personal information from users. Specifically:
- We do not require you to create an account or log in.
- We do not collect your name, email address, or any identifying information.
- We do not track your location.
- We do not use any advertising SDKs, crash-reporting SDKs, or analytics libraries (no Firebase, no Crashlytics, no Amplitude, etc.).
- We do not sell, rent, or trade data to third parties.
3. Data Stored Locally On Your Device
All AI inference (summarization) is performed locally using the on-device Gemma AI model. No video content, subtitles, or summaries are transmitted to our servers.
The following data is stored locally on your device only and never leaves it:
- Summary history — generated summaries and their source URLs, stored in a local SQLite database.
- Content reports — if you submit a content report via the in-app report feature, the report is saved locally in SQLite. If you choose to send it, your email client opens a pre-filled message; we do not automatically transmit any data.
- App preferences — settings such as TTS voice selection, font size, and language preference are stored in Android SharedPreferences on your device.
- Review prompt counter — a count of how many times the in-app review prompt has been shown, stored in SharedPreferences, to ensure the prompt is shown at most twice in the app's lifetime.
4. Camera Access — Prominent Disclosure
Camera use: GistAI requests access to your camera only when you explicitly tap "Take Photo" in the image input screen. The camera is opened via Android's standard image picker. Photos are processed entirely on-device for text extraction (OCR) and are never uploaded, transmitted, or stored by GistAI beyond your local device storage.
5. Third-Party Services
GistAI communicates with the following external services. All requests are initiated only when you explicitly submit a URL or trigger an action — no background network calls are made to these services.
- Video & content platforms — when you submit a video or article link, GistAI retrieves publicly available captions, transcripts, or page text from the respective source on your behalf. Only the URL you provide is used; no personal data is transmitted. Your use of third-party platforms remains subject to each platform's own privacy policy.
- Web articles — when you share a web article URL, GistAI fetches the page content directly from the target website to extract text for summarization. No personal data is included beyond standard HTTP metadata (e.g. IP address handled by the destination server).
- Google ML Kit (on-device OCR & Translation) — image text recognition and text translation run entirely on-device. Subject to Google's Privacy Policy.
- Google Play In-App Review — if you choose to rate the app, GistAI triggers Android's standard in-app review flow managed entirely by Google Play. We do not receive or store your rating or review text. Subject to Google's Privacy Policy.
6. AI Model Download
On first launch, GistAI downloads the Gemma AI model (~2.4 GB) from our Cloudflare R2 storage. This is a one-time transfer of the model file only — no personal data is sent. Standard HTTP connection metadata (IP address, request headers) is processed by Cloudflare in accordance with Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.
7. Text-to-Speech (TTS)
GistAI uses your device's built-in TTS engine (e.g., Google Text-to-Speech) to read summaries aloud. This is handled entirely by Android's system TTS service. We do not intercept, record, or transmit the audio or text processed by TTS.
8. Permissions Requested
- INTERNET — required to retrieve captions and content from online sources you submit, and to download the AI model on first use.
- CAMERA — accessed only when you explicitly choose "Take Photo." See Section 4 for full disclosure.
- ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE — checks network availability before making requests. No data is collected.
- FOREGROUND_SERVICE / FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC — keeps AI summarization running while the app is in the background.
- POST_NOTIFICATIONS (Android 13+) — displays a progress notification during background summarization. No notification content is collected.
9. In-App Purchases
GistAI offers an optional subscription for extended features. Purchases are processed by Google Play Billing and entitlement management is handled by RevenueCat. We do not receive or store your payment card information. RevenueCat receives your anonymised Google Play purchase token and subscription status solely to verify your entitlement. For details, see RevenueCat's Privacy Policy and Google's Privacy Policy.
10. Data Retention & Deletion
Because all data is stored locally on your device, you are in full control:
- Summary history — retained until you delete individual entries within the app or uninstall the app.
- App preferences & counters — retained in Android SharedPreferences until the app is uninstalled or app data is cleared via Android Settings.
- Content reports — retained locally until uninstalled. If sent via email, the copy in your email client is subject to your email provider's retention policy.
To delete all data: uninstall GistAI or go to Android Settings → Apps → GistAI → Clear Data. This permanently removes all locally stored summaries, preferences, and reports.
11. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your data:
- Right to access — all your data is already accessible to you directly on your device.
- Right to deletion — uninstall the app or clear app data to permanently delete everything (see Section 10).
- Right to portability — your summaries are stored in a standard SQLite database on your device and can be accessed via Android file management tools.
- Opt-out of sale — we do not sell your data. There is nothing to opt out of.
To exercise any rights or for any privacy-related requests, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
12. Children's Privacy
GistAI is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect any data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it promptly.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please reach out: