Privacy Policy

Rafīq — Hajj & Umrah Companion  |  Last updated: 5 April 2026

1. Introduction

Rafīq ("we", "our", or "the app") is a free, offline-first Android application designed to assist Muslim pilgrims during Hajj and Umrah. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, and your rights.

By installing or using Rafīq, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please uninstall the application.

2. Data We Collect Summary

Data Type	Purpose	Where Stored	Shared?
GPS / Coarse Location	Indoor & outdoor navigation, pilgrim context detection (Makkah / Madinah / Hajj sites)	Device only (RAM); never written to disk by the app	No
Motion Sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, compass, step counter)	Sensor-fusion indoor positioning inside Masjid al-Haram	Device only (RAM)	No
Language preference	Display content in your chosen language (Arabic, English, Urdu, Bahasa Indonesia, Turkish)	Device SharedPreferences	No
Gender preference	Filter gender-specific ritual guidance	Device SharedPreferences	No
Text size preference	Accessibility — adjust font size	Device SharedPreferences	No
Arabic font preference	Display Arabic text in your preferred script style	Device SharedPreferences	No
Ritual progress (steps completed)	Resume Umrah / Hajj guide from where you left off	On-device Room database (SQLite)	No
Prayer alarm settings & cached prayer times	Schedule daily Adhan notifications for the correct city	Device SharedPreferences	No
Hajj simulator state (day & hour)	Debug / demo mode for testing Hajj live activity widget	Device SharedPreferences	No

3. Third-Party Network Services

Certain features require an internet connection and contact external APIs. All requests are initiated by actions you take (e.g., opening the home screen, enabling navigation). We do not control these services' privacy practices — please review their policies:

• Open-Meteo (open-meteo.com) — Weather data for Makkah and Madinah. Your approximate location (city name, not GPS coordinates) is sent as a query parameter. No API key is used. Free and open-source.
• Aladhan (aladhan.com) — Islamic prayer times. Requests include city name and calculation method (Umm al-Qura). No personal data is sent.
• OpenStreetMap / OSMDroid (openstreetmap.org) — Map tiles for the online navigation mode. Tile requests include the map area you are viewing. Tiles are cached on your device to reduce repeated network calls.
• OSRM (Project-OSRM) (project-osrm.org) — Pedestrian route calculation between Masjid al-Haram points of interest. Requests include origin and destination GPS coordinates only.
• Google Fonts (via Jetpack Compose) — Optional downloadable Arabic fonts (Noto Naskh Arabic, Amiri, Scheherazade New, Lateef, Nastaliq Urdu). Font files are fetched from Google servers only when you select a non-system font. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

4. Android Permissions Explained

• ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION / ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION — Required for GPS-based outdoor navigation and detecting whether you are in Makkah, Madinah, or Hajj sites. Location is never uploaded.
• INTERNET / ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE — Required for weather, prayer times, online maps, and route calculation.
• ACTIVITY_RECOGNITION — Step counter sensor for indoor pedestrian dead-reckoning inside Masjid al-Haram. Step data stays on device.
• WAKE_LOCK — Keeps the screen active during active ritual guidance so the app does not sleep mid-step.
• POST_NOTIFICATIONS — Required on Android 13+ to display prayer time Adhan reminders.
• SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM — Ensures prayer time notifications fire at the precise Adhan moment.
• RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED — Re-schedules prayer alarms after the device restarts if you had them enabled.
• READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE / WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE — Used on older Android versions (≤ Android 9) for offline map tile caching only.

5. Data Retention & Deletion

All data stored by Rafīq resides exclusively on your device. There is no server-side account or cloud backup managed by us. You can delete all app data at any time via:

• Android Settings → Apps → Rafīq → Storage → Clear Data
• Uninstalling the application

Both actions permanently remove all preferences, ritual progress, prayer alarm settings, and cached files.

6. Children's Privacy

Rafīq is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children. As the app collects no personal information from any user, there is no additional risk profile for younger users.

7. Security

Since Rafīq stores all data locally on your device, security of your data depends primarily on your device's security (screen lock, encryption). We do not transmit ritual progress, preferences, or sensor readings to any server. Network requests to the third-party APIs listed above are made over HTTPS.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the app gains new features. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. Continued use of Rafīq after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: aleem.salman@icloud.com

We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 7 business days.