Hidden Word (“the app”) is operated by John Hullander, Cartersville, Georgia, USA (“we”). This policy explains what the app collects and why. We keep it minimal.
Your verse library, practice history, review schedule, difficulty and appearance settings, and reminder time are stored only on your device (browser storage or app storage). We don’t receive them.
To use friends and leaderboards you choose a display name and a PIN. We store:
For the friends feature, no email, phone number, contacts, location, or advertising identifiers are collected (an email is used only if you separately create a sync account, below). Friends see your display name and stats; the global board shows them only if you opt in.
Scripture is from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB) or another bundled translation you choose, all bundled with the app; looking up verses sends nothing to anyone. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, unfoldingWord, Bible Aquifer, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God’s Word has been dedicated to the public domain. Other translations (KJV, WEB, MSB, ASV, RV, YLT, Darby, Webster, BBE, Geneva 1599) are in the public domain. “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org; the WEB text is unmodified. Literal Standard Version (LSV) © 2020 Covenant Press and Free Bible Version (FBV) © 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher are used unmodified under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; texts via eBible.org. Additional languages (Reina-Valera 1909, Bíblia Portuguesa Mundial, Louis Segond 1910, Luther 1912, Riveduta 1927, Russian Synodal, Korean 1910, Vietnamese 1934) are public domain, sourced from eBible.org via helloao.org, and download from our site the first time you choose them; that download is an ordinary file request with no account or personal data.
Daily reminders (the time and days you pick) are scheduled on your device by Android or your browser. We don’t send push notifications from a server, and your reminder settings never leave your device. On Android the app asks for notification permission and, optionally, “Alarms & reminders” so reminders arrive on time; you can turn either off in system settings.
Verses are spoken by your device’s built-in text-to-speech engine. The app does not record audio or use the microphone, and sends no text to us. (Your device’s speech engine is provided by your phone or browser maker under their own privacy terms.)
Verse cards are created on your device and only shared where you choose. Group challenges contain just a name, an optional leader/church name and verse references, encoded in the link itself; we don’t store them, and each member’s progress stays on their own device. The home-screen widget shows a verse bundled in the app and reads no personal data.
If you create an account, your email address and your progress (verse library, review schedule, streaks, practice history, settings and challenges) are stored in Google Firebase (Firebase Authentication and Cloud Firestore, run by Google LLC) so they can sync between your devices. Passwords are handled by Firebase; we never see them. Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS), is readable only by your signed-in account, and is never sold or used for advertising. You can delete your account and all cloud data anytime in the app (Me → Your account → Delete account) or as described on our account deletion page. If you sign in with Google on the website, Google shares your name, email and profile picture with Firebase for sign-in; we only use the email.
“Back up to email” creates a backup file (or a short backup code) on your device and hands it to the app you choose, such as your email. It goes only where you send it; we never receive it. Restoring reads the file or code on your device. On Android, the app also keeps a copy of your progress in its private storage so Android’s built-in Auto Backup can save it to your Google account and restore it on a new phone. That backup is handled by Google under your Android settings, and we can’t access it. You can turn it off in Android Settings → Google → Backup.
Hidden Word is free, with no in-app purchases or subscriptions. Optional donation links open The Creed of Ink’s Give Lively page or your text-messaging app; the app itself collects no payment information.
The app and its data are hosted by Netlify, Inc. (USA). Data is not sold or shared for advertising.
Account data is kept while your account is in use. To delete your account and all server data, email hullanderink@gmail.com with your friend code; we’ll delete it within 30 days. Clearing the app’s storage or uninstalling removes on-device data.
The app is intended for adults and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect children’s information.
Connections use HTTPS, PINs are hashed with a per-account salt (scrypt), and sign-in attempts are rate limited.
We’ll update this page if anything changes and revise the date above.
John Hullander, Cartersville, GA, USA • hullanderink@gmail.com • info@thecreedofink.org
A ministry of The Creed of Ink (Creed of Ink Inc.), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Cartersville, GA (EIN 86-3671409) providing therapeutic tattoo sessions for veterans and first responders. Hidden Word is free; optional donations to The Creed of Ink are tax-deductible as allowed by law.