Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 3, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what information Zelo ("we," "us," "Zelo") collects, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to the Zelo iOS app.
Information We Collect
- Account information. When you create an account, we collect your email address via Supabase Auth. We do not currently offer social/third-party sign-in.
- Scan content. Messages you paste into Zelo, and screenshots you upload for the Scan feature. See "How We Process Your Content" below for exactly what happens to screenshots.
- AI Coach conversation history. Your messages with the AI Coach, and the Coach's replies.
- Zelo Women chat history. Your conversations with Zelo's AI practice personas.
- Person-tagging labels. If you label a scan or thread with a name or descriptor (for example, "Sarah" or "gym girl"), that label is stored as part of your scan history. Please note: because these labels can identify a real person you're talking to, they may constitute personal data about that third party, not just about you. Only enter labels you have the right to store.
- Leaderboard username (paid users only). By default you appear on the leaderboard as an anonymized "Player #[number]." Paid users may optionally set a visible username.
- Usage data. Scan counts, subscription status, and match counts, used to enforce free-tier feature limits and manage your subscription.
How We Process Your Content
Different types of content are processed differently, depending on what's needed to generate a response:
- Uploaded screenshots. When you upload a screenshot, the image is sent directly to OpenAI's API for one-time text extraction (identifying the message in the image). The image itself is never written to Zelo's database or any storage bucket at any point — it exists only in your device's memory and in that single OCR request, and is discarded immediately after. Only the extracted text is kept and used to generate your reply suggestion.
- Pasted or extracted message text. Sent to DeepSeek's API to generate reply suggestions.
- AI Coach and Zelo Women chat messages. Also sent to DeepSeek's API to generate responses. This is the most sensitive category we handle, since it includes the actual text of your conversations.
Third Parties We Share Data With
| Third party | What's shared | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek | Scan message text, AI Coach messages, Zelo Women chat content | Generating reply suggestions and conversational responses |
| OpenAI | Uploaded screenshot images | One-time text extraction (OCR) only — see above |
| Supabase | Account and app data | Backend hosting and database storage |
| Apple / Google | Subscription/billing events | Processing subscriptions via the App Store / Play Store. Zelo does not handle or store your raw payment card information. |
Data Retention
- Free users: scan history is kept for 7 days; up to 2 permanent person threads.
- Paid users: scan history is kept for 30 days; unlimited person threads.
- Uploaded screenshots: not retained at all — see "How We Process Your Content" above.
- Account deletion: if you request account deletion, all associated data is deleted within 30 days, in line with Apple's App Store requirements.
What We Don't Do
- We do not track your location beyond whatever iOS's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) permission itself covers.
- We do not sell your data to advertisers. See our Do Not Sell My Data page for more detail.
- We do not use third-party advertising SDKs.
Your Choices
- Access or delete your data. You can request access to or deletion of your data at any time by contacting us (see below) or, where available, through in-app settings.
- Do Not Sell My Data. We don't sell personal data — see the Do Not Sell My Data page for details.
- AI Disclosure. Zelo uses third-party AI models (DeepSeek and OpenAI) to generate suggestions and process screenshots. See our AI Disclosure page for a full explanation of where and how AI is used.
Children's Privacy
Zelo is not directed at, and is not intended for use by, children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to remove it.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice (for example, within the app or by updating the "Last updated" date above).
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or want to exercise any of the rights described above, contact us at zelo.contacts@gmail.com.