Privacy Policy

Pamoja · Last updated 11 August 2026

1. Introduction

Pamoja ("together" in Swahili) is a social group step-tracking Android application operated by Balaji Thukuntala, sole proprietor, trading as Arkayen Labs ("we", "us", "our"), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Pamoja lets you form private walking groups, set shared weekly step goals, and track progress together on a leaderboard.

This policy explains what we collect, why, who can see it, and what choices you have. By installing or using Pamoja you agree to the practices described here.

2. Accounts and sign-in

Pamoja requires an account. You create one using any of three methods:

Method	What we receive
Google	Your Google account's email address, and the display name and profile picture URL attached to it
Phone number	Your phone number in international format
Email and password	Your email address. The password is handled by Firebase Authentication and we never see or store it

Whichever you choose, Firebase Authentication issues a stable user ID that identifies you across devices. Signing in again with the same method on a new phone restores your groups and history.

We do not collect identity documents, government identifiers, or any financial information.

Phone verification

If you sign in by phone, Firebase sends a one-time code by SMS. Your carrier's standard message rates apply. The number is used to authenticate you and to recognise you on a future device. It is never shown to other members of your groups.

3. What we collect

a) Account identifiers

• Your email address, if you signed in with email or Google
• Your phone number, if you signed in by phone
• The user ID Firebase assigns to your account

b) Profile information

• Display name, shown to members of your groups
• Age, optional
• Height and weight, optional

Age, height and weight are collected but not currently used by any feature, and are never shown to other members. We are reviewing whether to keep collecting them.

c) Step count data

• Your daily aggregated step count, read from Google Health Connect
• The date each count corresponds to

Only the daily total is read and uploaded. No heart rate, sleep, nutrition, exercise sessions, or any other health metric is ever accessed or stored.

d) Group and membership data

• Groups you create or join: group name, weekly step target, member cap
• Your role in each group, admin or member
• Your display name, copied onto your membership record so leaderboards can render without other members reading your profile
• The time you joined

e) Usage and analytics data

We use Firebase Analytics to understand how the app is used. Events logged include screen views, onboarding progress, group lifecycle events (created, joined, invite link used, weekly goal reached), and background sync outcomes.

Analytics events may include your user ID, group ID, step count and a timestamp. They do not include your display name, email address, phone number, age, height or weight.

f) Crash and diagnostic data

We use Firebase Crashlytics to find and fix crashes. When Pamoja crashes it sends a stack trace along with your device model, operating system version, available memory and storage, and a Crashlytics-generated installation identifier. Crash reports do not include your step data, display name, email address or phone number.

Crash reporting is disabled in development builds and active only in the version distributed through Google Play.

g) Device integrity

We use Firebase App Check with Google Play Integrity to confirm that requests come from a genuine, unmodified copy of Pamoja rather than a script. This checks the integrity of the app and device, not you, and returns no personal information to us.

h) Data stored on your device

Pamoja keeps a small amount of data locally using Android Jetpack DataStore: your user ID and display name, onboarding status, Health Connect permission status, active group ID, step baseline values, a pending invite code if you opened an invite link before signing in, and counters used to time and rate-limit notifications.

This never leaves your device and is deleted when you clear app data or uninstall Pamoja.

4. Google Health Connect

Pamoja reads step data through Google Health Connect. Health Connect is built into Android 14 and above, and available from the Play Store on Android 9 to 13.

Permission requested: android.permission.health.READ_STEPS, daily step count only.

We request no other Health Connect permission. We do not read or write heart rate, sleep, blood pressure, nutrition, exercise sessions, body measurements, or any other data type.

How step data flows

1. Health Connect stores step records from your device's sensors and any connected fitness apps
2. Pamoja reads your aggregated total for the current day, on your device
3. Only that single daily number is uploaded to Cloud Firestore, for your group's leaderboard
4. No individual step records, session timestamps, or source app names are transmitted

Limited Use disclosure

Your use of Health Connect is also governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

5. Background step sync

Pamoja uses Android WorkManager to sync your step count roughly every 30 minutes, only when the device has network connectivity and the battery is not low. Each run reads the current day's total from Health Connect and uploads that one number. No foreground service or persistent notification is used.

If Health Connect is unavailable, or you revoke step-reading permission, sync stops quietly without retrying or prompting you.

6. Notifications

Pamoja sends reminders and updates about your groups. On Android 13 and above these require your permission, which you can grant or refuse when asked and change at any time in system settings. Refusing does not affect any other part of the app.

Notifications are generated on your device from data already synced. Notification content avoids anything sensitive so it is safe on a lock screen.

7. How your data is shared

Pamoja is a private, invite-only product:

• Your display name, daily step count, weekly total and ranking are visible to members of groups you have joined
• Your email address, phone number, age, height and weight are never visible to other members
• Groups are reachable only through an invite link or code shared by a member. There is no public directory
• Invite links stop working once a group reaches its member cap, and work again if a place frees up
• Nothing is public, and nothing is visible to anyone outside your groups
• We do not sell, rent, license or share your data with advertisers, data brokers or marketing platforms
• Pamoja contains no advertising

8. Third-party services

Pamoja relies on the following Google services. Each is governed by Google's own privacy policy.

Service	Purpose
Firebase Authentication	Google, phone and email sign-in, and session management
Google Play Services, Credential Manager	Presenting the Google sign-in sheet and returning a sign-in token
Cloud Firestore	Storing profiles, groups, memberships and daily step counts
Firebase Analytics	Aggregated usage and onboarding funnel analytics
Firebase Crashlytics	Crash reports and diagnostics
Firebase App Check, Play Integrity	Confirming requests come from the genuine app
Firebase Cloud Messaging	Push notification infrastructure, present in the app for future use
Google Health Connect	Reading your daily step count
Google Play In-App Updates	Delivering app updates

Phone sign-in additionally involves your mobile network operator, which carries the verification SMS.

9. Storage and security

Server-side data is held in Google Cloud Firestore, encrypted in transit and at rest. Firestore security rules restrict every record to its owner and to the groups they belong to; your profile document is readable only by you.

Local data sits in the app's private storage, sandboxed by Android and inaccessible to other apps.

We use industry-standard practices, but no method of transmission or storage is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Android permissions

Permission	Why
health.READ_STEPS	Read your daily step count from Health Connect
INTERNET	Sync steps, groups and profile with our database
POST_NOTIFICATIONS	Send step reminders and group updates, Android 13 and above

Pamoja does not request camera, microphone, contacts, location, file, or any other sensor access.

11. Retention and deletion

We keep your data for as long as your account exists.

Deleting your account

Full instructions, including how to delete without the app, are on the dedicated account deletion page.

Settings → Delete Account removes everything, in this order:

1. Every membership you hold, with each group's member count corrected
2. Your entire step history
3. Your profile
4. Your authentication record

For your protection we ask you to confirm your identity first, by signing in again with Google, your password, or a code sent to your phone.

Deletion is immediate and permanent. It cannot be undone.

Deleting your account without the app

Other controls

• Revoke Health Connect permission at any time in your device's Health Connect settings. Background sync stops automatically
• Uninstalling removes all locally stored data and revokes Health Connect access. Your cloud data remains until you delete your account or ask us to

12. International transfers

Your data is processed on Google Cloud infrastructure, which may sit in data centres outside your country of residence. By using Pamoja you consent to that transfer. Google Cloud complies with applicable frameworks for international data transfers.

13. Age requirement

Pamoja is for people aged 18 and over. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.

India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act treats everyone under 18 as a child requiring verifiable parental consent, which is why the threshold is 18 rather than 13.

If you believe someone under 18 has given us personal data, email us and we will delete it promptly.

14. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access your data, correct it, delete it, object to or restrict its processing, or receive it in a portable form.

Your display name is editable in the app, and full deletion is available in Settings. For anything else, email us and we will respond within 30 days.

15. Changes

We may update this policy to reflect changes in the app, our practices, or the law. Material changes update the date at the top of this page. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated policy.

16. Contact