Privacy Policy and KVKK Disclosure Notice

This notice explains how the personal data of individuals who use the Little Candle mobile application ("Application") is processed. It has been prepared to fulfill our disclosure obligation under the Turkish Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 ("KVKK").

Little Candle is an AI-powered personal development and reflective journaling application that helps you recognize connections between your goals, behaviors, mood, energy, and daily experiences. Some content you enter into the Application may contain information about your health or well-being and, to the extent that it qualifies as special category personal data under Article 6 of the KVKK, it is protected with particular care.

1. Data Controller

You may send any questions, requests, and applications concerning your personal data to the email address above.

2. Personal Data Processed

2.1. Identity and Contact Data

• First and last name
• Username
• Email address
• Date of birth (solely to verify the minimum age requirement of 18)
• Your selected avatar

2.2. User Content and Special Category Personal Data

The following data is processed as part of the Application’s core functionality:

• The content of your journal notes, reflections, and selected mood labels
• The energy levels you record
• Your goals, manageable steps, and progress toward them
• Information you enter for AI-powered insights, as well as generated weekly reflections, daily analyses, and personal summaries ("CandleAI memory")

To the extent that this content qualifies as special category personal data, its processing is based on your explicit consent. You may withdraw your consent at any time (see Section 7).

2.3. Usage, Notification, and Transaction Security Data

• Application usage records (login dates, number of active days, achievement progress)
• Error and crash logs (through Firebase Crashlytics; including technical device information and error traces)
• Device verification data (through Firebase App Check; for the prevention of fraudulent requests and misuse)
• Reminder preferences and notification settings

2.4. Subscription Data

• Your subscription status (Free / Gold), start date, and renewal dates
• In-app purchase transaction identifiers

Your payment information is not processed by us. All payments are made through the Apple App Store; your card information is never transmitted to us at any stage.

3. Purposes of Processing Personal Data

4. Legal Grounds

• Explicit consent (KVKK Art. 5/1 and Art. 6/2): All content that qualifies as health data and the transfer of such data abroad.
• Establishment and performance of a contract (KVKK Art. 5/2-c): Account creation and recognition of subscription entitlements.
• Legitimate interest (KVKK Art. 5/2-f): Ensuring account, device, and system security, and error tracking.
• Legal obligation (KVKK Art. 5/2-ç): Responding to requests from authorized public authorities.

5. International Data Transfers

The Application uses the infrastructure of the following international service providers to deliver its services:

Transfers are carried out based on your explicit consent and other applicable transfer conditions under Article 9 of the KVKK.

6. Retention Periods

When you delete your account, your data is deleted from active systems or anonymized, subject to retention obligations arising from applicable legislation and any ongoing legal claims. No specific backup deletion period is guaranteed.

7. Your Rights Under the KVKK

Under Article 11 of the KVKK, you have the right to:

• Learn whether your personal data is being processed,
• Request information if your personal data has been processed,
• Learn the purpose of processing your personal data and whether it is being used in accordance with that purpose,
• Know the third parties to whom your personal data is transferred domestically or abroad,
• Request correction if your personal data has been processed incompletely or inaccurately,
• Request the deletion or destruction of your personal data,
• Request that correction, deletion, or destruction operations be communicated to third parties to whom your personal data has been transferred,
• Object to any outcome against you resulting from the analysis of your personal data exclusively through automated systems,
• Claim compensation if you suffer damages due to the unlawful processing of your personal data

as provided by law.

Application: You may submit your requests to info@littlecandle.app. Your applications will be concluded within 30 days at the latest.

Withdrawal of explicit consent: You may withdraw your consent at any time by deleting your account through the Application or contacting the email address above. Because withdrawing consent makes it impossible to provide the Application’s core features, it will result in the closure of your account.

8. Deleting Your Account

You can initiate permanent account deletion within the Application by navigating to Profile → Delete My Account. This action cannot be undone. If you cannot access the in-app process, you may contact info@littlecandle.app for support; email does not replace the standard account deletion method.

Important: Deleting your account does not automatically cancel your subscription purchased through the App Store. You must cancel your subscription separately by navigating to iOS Settings → Your Apple ID → Subscriptions.

9. Data Security

The primary technical measures taken to protect your data include:

• All data transmission takes place over encrypted connections (TLS).
• Database access is protected by security rules that deny access by default and grant access only to your own data.
• Requests sent to the Application are verified through a device attestation mechanism (App Check).
• Critical operations are performed through verified server functions rather than on the client side.
• Passwords are not stored by us; authentication is handled through the Firebase Authentication infrastructure.

10. Age Restriction

Little Candle is intended for use by individuals aged 18 and over. Individuals under the age of 18 are prohibited from creating an account. If such use is detected, the account will be closed without delay and the relevant data will be deleted.

11. Medical and Professional Support Disclaimer

Little Candle supports personal reflection and personal growth; it is not a healthcare service, medical device, diagnostic, treatment, therapy, or crisis intervention tool. AI-generated insights may be incomplete, inaccurate, or unsuitable for your circumstances. You are responsible for using your own judgment and taking responsibility for your decisions. The content does not constitute medical or professional healthcare advice and is not a substitute for support from a qualified professional.

In an emergency, do not use Little Candle as a monitoring or intervention service; contact the emergency services in your location (112 Emergency Call Center in Türkiye).

12. Changes

This policy may be updated from time to time. You will be informed through the Application in the event of material changes. The current version will always be published on this page.