Your Privacy Matters

Welcome to UPSC Prep 2026 ("we," "our," or "us"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Android mobile application designed to help aspirants prepare for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination.

By installing or using the application, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please uninstall the application and discontinue use.

We collect information in two ways — automatically and directly from your use of the app:

Automatically Collected Data

• Device Information: Device model, operating system version, unique device identifiers (Android ID), and mobile network information.
• Usage Data: Features accessed, quiz sessions started/completed, scores, time spent, and interaction patterns (crash logs and diagnostics).
• Advertising ID (GAID): Google Advertising ID collected by Google Mobile Ads (AdMob) for personalized advertising, subject to your consent and device settings.
• Network State: Whether your device is connected to the internet (used to manage ad loading and connectivity).

Data Stored Locally on Your Device

• Quiz Progress & Scores: Your mock test results, subject performance, and overall score history stored in a local encrypted SQLite database.
• App Preferences: Settings and preferences stored via Shared Preferences on your device.

We use the information collected for the following purposes:

• To provide, operate, and maintain the UPSC Prep 2026 application.
• To track and display your quiz performance, scores, and progress charts.
• To serve relevant advertisements through Google AdMob (rewarded and banner ads).
• To analyze app performance and diagnose crashes or technical issues.
• To improve features, content accuracy, and overall user experience.
• To ensure compatibility across different Android device versions.

UPSC Prep 2026 uses Google AdMob to display advertisements, including rewarded video ads shown before score results and banner ads within the app. AdMob may collect and use data to serve personalized or non-personalized ads.

What AdMob collects:

• Google Advertising ID (GAID) — used for ad targeting and frequency capping.
• IP address, app usage events, and device characteristics.
• Ad interaction data (impressions, clicks, view-through events).

Your Ad Choices: You can opt out of interest-based advertising at any time by:

• Going to Settings → Google → Ads on your Android device.
• Enabling "Opt out of Ads Personalization."
• Resetting your Advertising ID from the same screen.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Data may be shared only in the following limited circumstances:

• Google AdMob: As described in Section 4, AdMob collects data for advertising purposes per Google's own policies.
• Legal compliance: If required by law, regulation, court order, or government authority, we may disclose information.
• Security: To detect, investigate, or prevent fraudulent transactions and other illegal activities.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction.

All user progress data (quiz scores, performance history, and subject analytics) is stored entirely on your device using a local encrypted SQLite database (SQLCipher). No user data is transmitted to or stored on our servers.

• Encryption at rest: The question database and user progress database are encrypted using SQLCipher.
• Local storage only: Preferences are stored via Android Shared Preferences and are not backed up externally.
• No remote servers: We do not operate backend servers that store your usage data.

While we implement reasonable security measures, no method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to keep your device protected with a PIN, password, or biometric lock.

UPSC Prep 2026 is designed for individuals preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination and is intended for users aged 18 years and above.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete such information.

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your data:

• Access: Request information about what data we or our partners hold about you.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your locally stored data by uninstalling the app. All on-device data is removed automatically upon uninstallation.
• Opt-out of Ads: Opt out of personalized advertising via your Android device settings.
• Data portability: Since all data is local, you retain full control over it on your device.

The app integrates the following third-party SDKs and libraries. Each operates under its own privacy policy:

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we do, we will revise the "Effective Date" at the top of this page.

We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy. Your continued use of UPSC Prep 2026 after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please reach out: