Star Pals: Privacy Policy
The short version: Star Pals works fully on the device and has no ads, analytics or tracking. A parent can choose to sign in with Google to keep the family's Star Pals data the same on their own phones and tablets. Signing in is optional; children never sign in. Without sign-in, nothing leaves the device.
Who the app is for
Star Pals is a picture-based routine and reward app for young children (ages 2 to 6) and their parents or carers. A child ticks off everyday tasks (like brushing teeth or getting dressed), earns stars and looks after a cartoon pet. A parent sets it up in a parent area protected by a PIN.
What is stored on the device
The following is stored inside the app's private storage on the device:
- The child's first name or nickname, chosen language and chosen pet
- The tasks and rewards the parent sets up, stars earned and pet progress (outfits, tricks, collected toys)
- Optional photos a parent takes or picks to illustrate a task, an all-done gift, or as a child's avatar
- Optional voice recordings a parent makes in the parent area to say the name of a custom task or gift in their own voice
- An optional avatar a parent picks for a child (drawn by the app; no face data is used)
- The parent PIN, which is stored as a salted hash (not as the PIN itself)
- App settings such as sound and voice on or off
Without sign-in, none of this is ever sent to us or to anyone else.
Optional parent sign-in and sync
If a parent taps "Sign in with Google" (behind the parent PIN, or on the welcome screen), Star Pals uses Google Firebase (Firebase Authentication and Cloud Firestore, operated by Google) to keep a copy of the family's Star Pals data, so the same children, tasks and progress appear on every device where that parent signs in.
- What is stored: the parent's Google account email address and Google user ID; the children's first names or nicknames, tasks, rewards, stars, pet and avatar choices; the parent PIN (salted hash only); app settings; and, only if the parent added them, task, gift and avatar photos and parent voice recordings.
- Where: in Google Cloud Firestore, in Google's data centres.
- Why: only to show the same family data on the parent's own devices. It is not used for advertising, profiling or analytics.
- Security: encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest by Google. Access rules allow each signed-in parent to read and write only their own family's data. The developer does not look at it.
- Sharing: not sold or shared with anyone. Google processes it only as our service provider.
- How long: kept until the parent deletes it (see Deleting your account and data).
Natural Afrikaans voice for names you type
When a signed-in parent saves an Afrikaans task, reward or gift name that they typed themselves, and the app has no built-in sound for it, Star Pals sends that name (only the text, at most 120 characters, together with a sign-in check) once to the Star Pals voice service, which asks Microsoft Azure AI Speech to read it in the af-ZA-AdriNeural voice. The sound file comes back to the app and is kept and synced like a parent's voice recording. The voice service does not store or log the name; Microsoft processes it only to make the sound, as our service provider. No child information, account details or device identifiers are sent. About 200 common names already have a built-in sound and are never sent. Parents can turn this off in Parent area > Settings > "Natural Afrikaans voice (online)". Without sign-in it is never used.
Voices and sounds
The spoken words in Star Pals are audio files bundled inside the app, so they work offline. Other custom names are read by a voice that runs on the device itself (and, if the parent chooses, the phone's own installed text-to-speech voice); that text is not sent to an online speech service. The optional English voice pack is downloaded from Google Play. Pet sounds are short audio files bundled inside the app.
What we do not do
- No sign-up is needed. Sign-in is optional, for parents only, and only with Google
- No advertising and no advertising ID
- No analytics, crash reporting or third-party tracking SDKs
- No location, contacts, microphone or camera access in the background. The camera opens only when a parent taps "take a photo" in the parent area. The microphone is used only while a parent records a name after tapping "Record name"; Android asks for permission at that moment
- No in-app chat, social features or links that take a child out of the app
- No selling or sharing of any data
Internet permission
The internet is used only for the optional parent sign-in and sync, the optional English voice pack from Google Play, and, for signed-in parents, the natural Afrikaans voice for names they type. Without sign-in, the app works fully offline and sends nothing.
Backups
Star Pals turns off Android cloud backup for its data. If the app is uninstalled, the data on that device is deleted. Data in a signed-in parent's Star Pals account stays until the parent deletes it.
Deleting your account and data
- In the app: Parent area > Settings > "Delete my cloud data". This deletes all synced data and the Star Pals sign-in account straight away. Data on the device stays until you remove the child profile or uninstall the app.
- Without the app: email adri.dippenaar1985@gmail.com from the Google address you signed in with, subject "Delete my Star Pals data". We delete the account and all its data within 30 days and confirm by email. Nothing is kept.
- On the device only: remove the child profile in the parent area, clear the app's storage in Android Settings, or uninstall the app.
Children's privacy
Star Pals is designed for children and follows the Google Play Families Policy. Children never create an account or sign in; only a parent can, from the PIN-protected parent area. Parents stay in control of everything. This approach is intended to meet the requirements of South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the EU/UK GDPR.
Changes
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted on this page with a new date. Updated on 18 October 2026 for version 2.15, which adds optional parent sign-in and sync, and a natural Afrikaans voice for typed names.
Contact
Questions about privacy: support@starpals.co.za or adri.dippenaar1985@gmail.com. Developer: Adri Vermaak, South Africa. WhatsApp: 066 272 9467.
Star Pals: Privaatheidsbeleid
Kortliks: Star Pals werk heeltemal op die toestel en het geen advertensies, analise of opsporing nie. 'n Ouer kan kies om met Google in te teken sodat die gesin se Star Pals-data op sy of haar eie fone en tablette dieselfde bly. Intekening is heeltemal opsioneel, en kinders teken nooit in nie. Sonder intekening verlaat niks die toestel nie.
Wat op die toestel gestoor word
Die kind se voornaam of bynaam, taal en troeteldier; die take en belonings wat die ouer opstel; sterre en vordering; opsionele foto's en stemopnames wat 'n ouer byvoeg; die ouer-PIN (net as 'n gesoute hash, nie die PIN self nie) en instellings. Dit word in die app se private berging op die toestel gehou. Sonder intekening word dit nooit na ons of iemand anders gestuur nie.
Opsionele intekening en sinkronisering
As 'n ouer op "Teken in met Google" tik (agter die ouer-PIN, of op die welkomskerm), gebruik Star Pals Google Firebase (Firebase Authentication en Cloud Firestore, deur Google bedryf) om 'n afskrif van die gesin se Star Pals-data te hou. So sien jy dieselfde kinders, take en vordering op elke toestel waar jy inteken.
- Wat gestoor word: die ouer se Google-e-posadres en Google-gebruiker-ID; die kinders se voorname of byname, take, belonings, sterre, troeteldier- en avatarkeuses; die ouer-PIN (net 'n gesoute hash); instellings; en, net as die ouer dit bygevoeg het, foto's en stemopnames.
- Waar: in Google Cloud Firestore, in Google se datasentrums.
- Hoekom: net om dieselfde gesinsdata op die ouer se eie toestelle te wys. Dit word nooit vir advertensies, profilering of analise gebruik nie.
- Veiligheid: geënkripteer terwyl dit gestuur word (HTTPS) en wanneer dit by Google gestoor is. Elke ingetekende ouer kan net sy of haar eie gesin se data lees en verander. Die ontwikkelaar kyk nie daarna nie.
- Deel: ons verkoop of deel dit met niemand nie. Google verwerk dit net as ons diensverskaffer.
- Hoe lank: totdat die ouer dit uitvee (sien Jou rekening en data uitvee).
Natuurlike Afrikaanse stem vir name wat jy tik
Wanneer 'n ingetekende ouer 'n Afrikaanse taak-, beloning- of geskenknaam stoor wat hy of sy self getik het, en die app het nog nie 'n ingeboude klank daarvoor nie, stuur Star Pals daardie naam (net die teks, hoogstens 120 karakters, saam met 'n intekenkontrole) een keer na die Star Pals-stemdiens, wat Microsoft Azure AI Speech vra om dit in die af-ZA-AdriNeural-stem voor te lees. Die klanklêer kom terug na die app en word gehou en gesinkroniseer soos 'n ouer se stemopname. Die stemdiens stoor of teken nie die naam aan nie; Microsoft verwerk dit net om die klank te maak, as ons diensverskaffer. Geen inligting oor kinders, rekeningbesonderhede of toestel-ID's word gestuur nie. Omtrent 200 algemene name het reeds 'n ingeboude klank en word nooit gestuur nie. Ouers kan dit afskakel by Ouerafdeling > Instellings > "Natuurlike Afrikaanse stem (aanlyn)". Sonder intekening word dit nooit gebruik nie.
Wat ons nie doen nie
Jy hoef nie in te teken nie; intekening is opsioneel, net vir ouers en net met Google. Geen advertensies, geen analise of derdeparty-opsporing, geen skakels wat 'n kind uit die app neem nie, en ons verkoop of deel geen data nie.
Internet
Die internet word net gebruik vir die opsionele ouer-intekening en sinkronisering, die opsionele Engelse stempakket van Google Play, en vir ingetekende ouers, die natuurlike Afrikaanse stem vir name wat hulle tik. Sonder intekening werk die app heeltemal sonder internet en stuur dit niks nie.
Jou rekening en data uitvee
- In die app: Ouerafdeling > Instellings > "Vee my wolkdata uit". Dit vee dadelik al die gesinkroniseerde data en die Star Pals-rekening uit. Die data op die toestel bly totdat jy die kind se profiel verwyder of die app verwyder.
- Sonder die app: stuur 'n e-pos na adri.dippenaar1985@gmail.com vanaf die Google-adres waarmee jy ingeteken het, met die onderwerp "Delete my Star Pals data". Ons vee die rekening en al die data binne 30 dae uit en bevestig per e-pos. Niks word gehou nie.
- Net op die toestel: verwyder die kind se profiel in die ouerafdeling, maak die app se berging in Android-instellings skoon, of verwyder die app.
Kinders se privaatheid
Kinders maak nooit 'n rekening oop of teken in nie; net 'n ouer kan, vanuit die ouerafdeling wat met 'n PIN beskerm word.