Privacy Policy

Effective Date: March 12, 2026

Ulia is operated by Very Machine, Inc. ("we", "us", or "our"). Ulia is a voice-first personal reflection application. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Service").

The core principle: your voice notes are private. They are never shared with other users, never used for advertising, and never sold to third parties.

By using Ulia, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with these terms, please do not use the Service.

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address
• Display name (optional)
• Authentication credentials (stored securely)

Voice Notes

When you record a voice note, we store the audio recording along with an AI-generated transcription and metadata such as the timestamp. When you ask questions about your past notes, we process your question and generate a response based on your notes. All of this data is private to your account and is never shared with or visible to other users.

Device Information

We automatically collect:

• Device type and operating system version
• App version
• IP address
• Timezone (used for date/time context in voice notes)

Usage Data

We collect information about how you use the Service:

• Features accessed and actions taken
• Usage patterns and capacity consumption
• Crash reports and performance data

Location Data

If you grant location permission, we may collect your approximate geolocation when you record a voice note. This is used to add location context to your notes. Location access is optional and can be revoked at any time through your device settings.

Biometric Data

If you enable biometric login (Face ID, fingerprint), the biometric data itself is stored only on your device by your operating system. We never have access to your actual biometric data.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Provide the Service: Transcribe your recordings, organize them, enable search across your notes, and answer your questions
• AI Processing: Process your audio with AI to generate accurate transcriptions and help you search your past notes
• Crisis Detection: Identify voice notes that may indicate crisis situations and surface professional support resources
• Improve the Service: Analyze aggregate usage patterns (not individual content) to fix bugs, improve features, and develop new functionality
• Communicate: Send service-related emails (account verification, security alerts, important updates)
• Process Payments: Handle subscription purchases and manage your account tier
• Prevent Abuse: Detect and prevent fraudulent or abusive activity

3. Your Content is Private

Your voice notes and all associated data are private to your account. Specifically:

• No other Ulia user can see, access, or search your content
• Your content is not used to train AI models
• Your content is not used for advertising or marketing purposes
• Your content is not sold to or shared with third parties for their own purposes
• Our employees do not access your content except when required to provide technical support you've requested, or to comply with legal obligations

4. AI Processing

Ulia uses artificial intelligence to transcribe your recordings, organize your notes, and help you search across them. AI processing involves third-party service providers. Data sent to these providers is used solely for processing your request and is not retained by them for training purposes.

5. Data Storage

Your audio recordings are stored on secure cloud storage with encryption at rest. Each file is associated with your account and is not publicly accessible. Transcriptions and other data are stored in our database with appropriate access controls. Your data is isolated from other users' data.

6. Information Sharing

We share your information only in these limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We work with third parties who help us operate the Service:

• Cloud hosting and storage providers
• AI processing services
• Payment processors (Apple App Store, Google Play)

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the services they provide to us.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

Business Transfers

If Ulia is acquired or merged with another company, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change.

We Do Not Sell Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

7. Data Retention

We retain your information as follows:

• Account data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period afterward
• Voice notes and derived data: Retained while your account is active; permanently deleted when you delete your account or individual notes
• Usage data: Aggregated analytics data may be retained indefinitely; individual usage logs are typically deleted within 90 days

Account Deletion

When you delete your account:

• Audio recordings are permanently deleted
• Transcriptions and associated data are permanently deleted
• Account data (email, settings) is deleted within 30 days

We comply fully with data protection laws including GDPR and CCPA.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Access and Portability

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

Correction

You can update your account information in the app settings, or contact us to correct other data.

Deletion

You can delete individual voice notes in the app at any time. You can delete your account through Settings in the app, which will permanently delete all of your content and data.

Marketing Communications

You can opt out of marketing emails by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.

9. California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

• Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
• Right to request deletion of your personal information
• Right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@ulia.app.

10. European Users (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation:

• Right of access to your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing

Our legal basis for processing your data is:

• Contract: Processing necessary to provide the Service you requested
• Consent: For optional features like marketing communications
• Legitimate interests: For analytics, security, and service improvement

To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@ulia.app.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States. These countries may have different data protection laws. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

12. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS) and at rest
• Secure authentication mechanisms
• Access controls limiting employee access to personal data
• Audio files stored securely and not publicly accessible

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

13. Children's Privacy

Ulia is not intended for users under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from users under 16. If we learn that we have collected information from a user under 16, we will delete it promptly. If you believe someone under 16 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@ulia.app.

14. Third-Party Services

The Service may integrate with third-party services:

• App Stores: Downloads and payments through Apple App Store or Google Play are subject to their respective privacy policies.
• AI Services: Audio processing uses third-party AI providers whose data handling is governed by our data processing agreements with them.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will always update the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy when changes are made. For significant changes, we will also notify you by posting a notice in the app and/or sending an email to your registered address.

Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at:

Very Machine, Inc.
Email: privacy@ulia.app
General support: support@ulia.app

This policy is governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, without regard to conflict of law principles.