Golden Hilal ("the App", "we", "us") is a free prayer-times and Quran companion with an optional Pro upgrade. We respect your privacy. This policy explains what the App accesses, how it is used, and the choices you have. An account is optional for most of the App (Listen needs one): without one, your data stays on your device; if you sign in, it is also kept on our server so it follows you between devices.
Location (optional): With your permission, the App uses your device GPS coordinates — or a city you choose manually — only to calculate accurate prayer times and the qibla (prayer) direction for your area. You can decline location access and search for a city by name instead. Prayer times, the qibla direction, and the Hijri date are computed entirely on your device; your coordinates are not sent to us or to any third party to calculate them.
Data stored on your device: Your preferences (language, theme, calculation method, reminder settings), Quran bookmarks, reading history, last-read position, and cached Quran text and recitation audio are saved on your device so the App works offline. If you are not signed in, none of this is sent to us.
Microphone (optional, Recite mode): When you turn on Recite mode and tap the microphone, the App listens to your recitation to follow along and reveal the verses you have recited. The sound is turned into text by a speech model that runs on your device; it is never recorded, stored, or sent to us or anyone else. The model (about 190 MB) is downloaded once from our public media repository. You can deny or revoke microphone access in your device settings at any time; the rest of the App works without it.
Notifications (optional): Prayer times and daily reminders are scheduled on your device and need no server. If you have allowed notifications, the App also registers a push token with our server (delivered through Expo and Apple or Google) so that a reply to feedback you sent can reach you as a notification and, if you use Ummah, so can likes and comments on your posts, new messages, and moderation notices about your account (you can turn Ummah notifications off in Ummah). The token identifies this installation; for Ummah, it is matched to your account through your list of signed-in devices.
You can sign in with Apple or Google. We then receive from that provider a unique account identifier, your email address (with Apple you may share a private relay address instead), and your name if you allow it. We never receive your Apple or Google password.
While you are signed in, the following is stored on our server and kept in sync between your devices: your settings, Quran bookmarks and favourite surahs, last-read position, reading history and daily reading time, surah progress and khatm history, notes on verses, prayer log and qada counts, fasting log, tasbih counts, and favourite duas. Your location, cached Quran text and audio, and store purchases are never synced — they stay on each device.
We also keep a list of the devices signed in to your account (a random installation identifier and the platform, such as iOS or Android) so that sync and rewards work and cannot be abused.
If you are signed in, your crescent balance, the history of crescents earned and spent, your invitation code, and any Pro time you take with crescents are stored with your account. Reading rewards are worked out on our server from the reading time you sync.
If stars are on, your star balance, the days you checked in, the daily quests you claimed, and your star history are stored with your account too. Quests are checked on our server against the reading time, prayer log, and tasbih count you sync for that day. Days restored with stars are stored the same way.
If we pause an account’s rewards for abuse (a timeout or a ban), we record the reason and when it ends. If the account is deleted while the pause is running, we keep only a one-way hash of its Apple or Google sign-in identifier — never your email or name — until the pause ends, so that signing in again with the same account does not undo it.
When someone enters an invitation code, we record which code was used, their account and installation identifier, and the network (IP) address the request came from. We use these only to prevent abuse — for example, one person inviting themselves from several accounts or phones — and to count the friend once they have read. Neither of you is shown the other’s name or email.
If you buy Golden Hilal Pro as a gift, Apple or Google gives the App a proof of that purchase (a signed transaction or purchase token with the product, date, and transaction or order number), which our server checks with them — never your payment details. We store it with the gift code and the card you write: the recipient’s name, your name, your message, and the design. Anyone who has the gift link or code can see that card, so write only what you are happy for the recipient to read.
When a gift is opened, we record the device (a random installation identifier) and, if the recipient is signed in, their account, so the gift works on their other devices and can be ended if the purchase is refunded.
The App has an optional in-app feedback form for bug reports and feature requests. Nothing is sent unless you write a message and tap Send. When you do, basic anonymous device information is attached and sent to our own feedback service so we can understand and fix the issue. A feedback report includes:
Reading Ummah needs no account. To post, comment, like, report, block or send messages you sign in, choose a display name and accept the community guidelines. Your display name, posts, comments, photos, likes and the time of each are shown to other members; how many people viewed a post is counted, and to count each person only once we record which account or installation has viewed it. Searches in Ummah are sent to our server to find members and posts; they are not saved with your account, but our server’s request logs, which are kept for a limited time, may include them.
When you use Ummah signed in, the App sends our server the country of your prayer location (or your phone's region) as a two-letter code, never your coordinates. If you allow it, the country is shown next to your name; you can turn this off in Ummah. If you have Golden Hilal Pro, a Pro badge is shown next to your name: on iPhone the App sends the App Store's signed record of your subscription to our server, which checks it with Apple; we receive no payment details.
Private messages are stored on our server so they reach the other person and your other devices. They are not end-to-end encrypted. No one else reads them, except that a message its recipient reports is shown to the Golden Hilal moderation team, which may remove it. You can choose who can message you, block members, and delete a chat on your side.
We keep your reports and blocks, the notifications about your posts (for three months), and a record of moderation decisions (removed posts, mutes and bans). Deleting your account deletes your posts, comments, likes, messages and these records about you.
Golden Hilal Pro is an optional paid upgrade purchased through the App Store or Google Play. All payment processing is handled by Apple or Google: we never receive or store your payment card details, billing address, or store account credentials. If you are signed in when you buy, the App asks Apple or Google to attach your account’s random identifier to the purchase, so that Pro follows your account: it applies while that account is signed in (on devices using the same Apple ID or Google account) and leaves a device when you sign out. A purchase made while signed out belongs to the first account that signs in on that device. Your purchase history itself is managed by the store — you can re-activate a purchase with "Restore Purchases". Gift purchases are described above.
The App makes requests to the following services. As with any internet request, these providers may receive your device IP address and the content of the request (for example, a surah number). Please refer to each provider’s own privacy policy.
The App is suitable for users of all ages and does not knowingly collect personal information from children. Signing in is optional for most features; if you believe a child has created an account without appropriate consent, contact us and we will delete it.
Data kept only on your device stays there until you remove it. You can clear cached prayer data from Settings, revoke location permission in your device settings at any time, or uninstall the App to delete all locally stored information.
If you have an account, you can delete it at any time in the App (Settings → Account → Delete account). This immediately and permanently erases your account, synced data, crescent balance, and history from our server, removes your data from the phone, and, for Sign in with Apple, revokes the App’s access to your Apple ID. Signing out keeps your account but removes your data from the phone: it is saved to your account first and comes back when you sign in again. A few records that are not about you stay on the phone to prevent abuse: the random installation identifier, the free listening time already used, and which account a store purchase belongs to.
A few records outlive a deleted account because they concern payments or other people: gift purchases (detached from your account) and gift codes you gave, which keep working for their recipients; and a minimal record of invitation codes and their use (the code, random installation identifiers and, where a code was entered, the network address), so the same device or person cannot be rewarded twice.
Data travels between the App and our server over encrypted connections (HTTPS), and account sessions are signed. We take reasonable measures to protect the information the App handles. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date shown at the top of this page within the App.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at support@goldenhilal.com.
Golden Hilal