1. Introduction
Bible Trust International Ministries ("BTIM," "we," "us," or "our") operates the BTIM App (the "App"). This Privacy Policy describes, in plain language, what the App actually does today — referred to throughout as the current version (V1) — and how that may change in future releases.
We have written this policy to accurately reflect the App's real, implemented behavior. We do not describe a feature as active simply because a software library or permission is present in the App's build — only when that feature is genuinely wired up and in use.
2. Account & Sign-Up Forms
The App includes sign-up and sign-in screens where you may enter a full name, mobile number, email address, and password. In this current version, these screens are a mock, local experience and are not connected to a production authentication backend. No account you create in the App today is a real, persisted account on our servers.
Information entered on these screens is:
- Held only in the App's in-memory state while the App is running;
- Not transmitted to our backend servers from these mock sign-up or sign-in screens;
- Not written to device storage, a file, or any local database by these screens.
Because these values are held only in the App's in-memory state and are not saved to disk, they do not persist as stored account records — closing the App removes them along with everything else the App was holding in memory. Signing out does not separately erase them while the App continues running, since this mock flow does not keep a persisted account to erase.
Passwords: any password you type into the current sign-up or sign-in screens is used only to simulate the local sign-in flow. It is never stored — including in the App's in-memory state — saved to device storage, or logged by the App.
The App does not currently include profile photo functionality — there is no option in this version to upload, capture, or store a profile picture.
Additional details — such as date of birth, gender, address, education history, or information about your pastor, church, or calling — are collected only as part of the separate Bible Academy application flow described in Section 6, not through these sign-up/sign-in screens.
3. Audio Library
The Audio Library is the App's primary feature that is genuinely connected to a backend service. Browsing the audio catalog and reading track details (titles, albums, artwork, and similar metadata) is powered by Supabase, our backend service provider.
When you choose to play a track, the App sends the track's identifier to our backend to obtain a short-lived, secure link that allows that specific track to be streamed. Audio playback does not require you to sign in — browsing and listening are open to all users of the App.
We do not use device identifiers, advertising IDs, or similar identifiers to deliver this functionality.
4. Favorites, Likes & Downloads
Favorites and Likes: marking a track as "liked" or adding it to a collection is currently held only in the App's in-memory, on-device state. These preferences are not saved to a server-side user profile, are not linked to any account, and are not written to device storage by this feature.
Downloads: when you download a track for offline playback, the audio file and its related information (such as its local file path) are stored locally on your device only, for the purpose of letting you play that track without an internet connection. We do not keep a server-side record of what you have downloaded.
5. Prayer Requests
The Prayer Request feature in the current version is a local, in-app form. The text you write is not transmitted to our backend or to any ministry team through this feature yet — it is handled entirely on your device for this version of the App.
6. Bible Academy Course Applications
The Bible Academy course-selection and application flow asks for personal details (such as name, mobile number, email address, gender, date of birth, and address), education details, and pastor/church recommendation details. This flow is currently a local, mock experience: information entered in it — and any document you select through the device file picker for this flow — is held only in the App's in-memory state and is not submitted to our backend or to the Academy for review in this version.
Because this information is not transmitted or persisted by the App, it is not retained as a stored application record once the App is closed.
7. Contact & WhatsApp
Contact options in the App — including the WhatsApp button, phone number, email address, map links to our locations, and social media links (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) — hand you off to an external application or service (such as WhatsApp, your device's dialer or email app, Google Maps, or the relevant social media app) to complete that action. The App itself does not collect or transmit any information as part of opening these links. Once you leave the App through one of these links, the privacy practices of that external service apply, not this Policy.
8. What We Do Not Currently Do
To be clear about the current version of the App, here is what is not active today, even where a related technical component may be present in the App's build:
| Area | Current status |
|---|---|
| Analytics / usage tracking | No analytics system is currently integrated. |
| Advertising | No advertising SDKs or ads are currently shown. |
| Payments | No payment processing currently occurs in the App. |
| Push notifications | No push-notification, alert, or messaging system is currently active — the App does not send you any notifications with content. A system notification-permission prompt may appear on Android so the App can show its on-device audio playback controls (play/pause on your lock screen or notification shade) while a track is playing; this permission is not used to deliver notifications, alerts, or messages. A separate push-messaging library is declared in the App's project for future use but is not currently integrated into any feature. |
| Google Sign-In | Google Sign-In is declared as a dependency in the App's project but is not currently used for authentication. |
| Crash reporting | No crash-reporting or diagnostics service is currently integrated. |
| Conferences, Events & Alerts | Sections marked "Coming Soon" are informational placeholders only and do not currently collect any data. |
We will update this Policy before or when any of the above becomes an active part of the App.
9. Third-Party Services
The App currently relies on the following third-party service to deliver real functionality:
- Supabase — provides the backend that stores and serves the audio/media library's catalog, metadata, and secure playback access described in Section 3.
Contact actions may also open third-party apps or services you already have installed or can access through your device's browser — such as WhatsApp, your device's phone dialer or email client, Google Maps, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube — as described in Section 7. These are destinations you choose to visit; the App does not share any of your information with them as part of opening the link.
10. Data Security
Because the mock form flows described above (account/sign-in, Bible Academy applications, prayer requests) hold their data only in the App's in-memory state and do not transmit it to our servers, that information is not exposed to us or to third parties through those flows. Where the App does talk to our backend — the Audio Library, described in Section 3 — access to playback is brokered through time-limited, signed links rather than giving the App direct access to our storage.
No method of electronic storage, transmission, or processing is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Children's Privacy
The App is intended for a general audience interested in Bible Academy courses, worship media, and ministry resources, and is not directed specifically at children under 13. The App does not include an age-verification mechanism. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children through any backend-connected feature of the App — currently, that is limited to the Audio Library described in Section 3, which does not require sign-in or collect personal information to browse or play. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the details in Section 14 so we can address it.
12. Future Versions and Changes
BTIM intends to continue developing the BTIM App. Future versions of the App may introduce additional functionality, which could include:
- Real account creation and sign-in, connected to a production authentication backend;
- Profile management, including the option to add a profile photo;
- Live submission of Bible Academy course applications to the Academy for review;
- Conferences, Events, and Alerts with real content and scheduling;
- Push notifications;
- Additional audio/media features;
- Additional backend functionality or services described in future release notes.
This section describes possible future functionality only — none of the items above are active in the current version of the App, and none of them currently collect data. If future functionality involves the collection, use, storage, or sharing of personal information, this Privacy Policy will be reviewed and updated as appropriate before or when that functionality becomes active, so you can review what has changed.
13. Updates to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the App evolves. Any changes will be reflected on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed. Unless a different effective date is stated, changes become effective as soon as the updated Policy is posted on this page.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how the App handles information, please reach out: