Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-03-31

1. Introduction

Protecting your personal data is important to us. This privacy policy explains what data is collected when you use the StudyCompass app and the website studycompass.app, how it is processed, and what rights you have.

StudyCompass is a product of BYTEOWLS Software & Consulting, Graz, Austria. For privacy-related questions, you can reach us at contact@studycompass.app.

2. Core Principles

StudyCompass is designed so that your data is primarily stored locally on your device. The app can be used fully offline. No account or registration is required. We do not collect personal data such as your name, email address, or student ID unless you contact us directly. In that case, we store the data you provide (e.g., name, email address, message content) for as long as necessary to resolve your inquiry.

3. Advertising (Google AdMob)

The app displays advertisements via Google AdMob. Google may collect the following data:

  • Your device's advertising ID
  • Device information (model, operating system, screen size)
  • Ad interaction data (clicks, impressions)
  • Approximate location data (based on IP address)

This data is used by Google to serve and optimize advertisements. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

Personalized Ads

By default, Google may show personalized ads based on your interests. You can opt out of personalized ads in your device settings:

  • iOS: Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising → Turn off Personalized Ads
  • Android: Settings → Google → Ads → Opt out of Ads Personalization

Remove Ads

By purchasing "Remove Ads" via in-app purchase, no ads will be loaded and consequently no ad-related data will be transmitted to Google.

4. In-App Purchases

In-app purchases (e.g., "Remove Ads") are processed through the respective platform:

  • iOS: Apple App Store (Apple Inc.)
  • Android: Google Play Store (Google LLC)

Payment data (credit cards, bank details, etc.) is processed exclusively by Apple or Google. StudyCompass has no access to this payment information.

RevenueCat

We use RevenueCat (RevenueCat Inc., USA) to manage purchases. The following data is shared with RevenueCat:

  • An anonymous app user ID
  • Purchase history and transaction IDs
  • Product information (which product was purchased)
  • Platform and app version

No personal data such as name or email address is transmitted to RevenueCat. For more information, see RevenueCat's Privacy Policy.

5. Crash Reporting (Firebase Crashlytics)

To improve app stability, we use Firebase Crashlytics (Google LLC). When the app crashes, the following data is automatically collected:

  • Crash stack traces and error logs
  • Device model and manufacturer
  • Operating system and version
  • App version and build number
  • Timestamp of the crash

No personal data (name, email, university, field of study) is included in crash reports. The data is used solely for bug fixing and improving app quality.

For more information, see the Firebase Privacy Policy.

6. App Tracking Transparency (iOS)

On iOS devices, you will be asked for permission to track when you first open the app (App Tracking Transparency). This dialog is required by Apple.

  • If you allow tracking: Google AdMob can display personalized ads based on your advertising ID.
  • If you deny tracking: Only non-personalized ads will be shown. Your advertising ID will not be shared with ad networks.

You can change your decision at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking on your iOS device.

7. Website

The website studycompass.app is a static website. No cookies are set, no tracking tools are used, and no server-side access logs are written.

8. Data Export and Deletion

Since your data is stored locally on your device, you have full control at all times:

  • Export: You can export your data via the app settings.
  • Deletion: Uninstalling the app permanently deletes all locally stored data. Please export your data beforehand if you wish to keep it.

9. Your Rights (GDPR)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights:

  • Right to access your processed data
  • Right to rectification of inaccurate data
  • Right to erasure of your data
  • Right to restriction of processing
  • Right to data portability
  • Right to object to processing

For requests, please contact contact@studycompass.app.

You also have the right to file a complaint with the relevant data protection authority. In Austria, this is the Austrian Data Protection Authority.

10. Changes

We reserve the right to update this privacy policy as needed, particularly when app features or legal requirements change. The current version is always available at studycompass.app/en/privacy.