Privacy Policy

This policy explains what Zenko collects, why, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have. We've tried to keep it plain.

Who we are

Zenko is operated by Yan-Kai Huang ("Kojjyan"), an individual developer based in California, United States. For the purposes of data-protection law, Yan-Kai Huang is the "controller" of your personal information. You can reach us any time at support@zenko.chat.

What we collect

• Account & sign-in. When you create an account we receive your email address and a sign-in identifier from Apple or Google (whichever you use). We do not receive your Apple or Google password.
• Your reflections & conversations. The messages you write to the companion, the replies it generates, the action cards you pin, and the reflection notes you write afterward are stored to your account so your history and context are preserved between sessions.
• Your "memory." To feel personal over time, the app keeps a short, evolving set of facts you've shared (for example, a goal you're working toward). You can clear this by deleting your account.
• Onboarding & preferences. Answers you give during onboarding, your language/locale, and in-app settings.
• Progress. Gamification progress such as streaks and items you've collected.
• Subscription status. Whether you have an active subscription and its state. Payments are handled by the app stores — we never see your card details.
• Usage records. How many conversations you have started, how many messages you send, and the estimated cost of generating replies. We use these to apply your free conversations and fair-use limits.
• Voice input (optional). If you speak instead of type, your device's speech recognizer converts your voice to text. On some devices this is processed by the operating system's provider (Apple or Google); we only receive the resulting text.
• Voice playback. The companion's spoken voice is generated on your device. If you turn on the experimental voice, the app downloads a voice model from GitHub, which — like any download — sees your device's IP address.
• Device & technical data. Basic technical information needed to run the app reliably — app version, platform, locale, and coarse diagnostics. Reminders are scheduled on your device; we do not collect a push-notification token.

Beta waitlist

If you sign up for the beta on this website, we collect your email address and, if you choose to answer them, your answers to three short questions (what you put off, how often, and what you have tried). We also record which version of the page you saw, the link you came from (for example a TikTok or Instagram link), and your language.

We use this only to invite you to the beta and to choose testers whose needs fit what Zenkodoes. It is stored in a Google Sheet that only the developer can access, under Google's terms. We delete it when the beta ends, unless you become a user of the app. To have it deleted sooner, email support@zenko.chat.

The beta pages also count visits with Vercel Web Analytics, which uses no cookies and does not identify you. It tells us only how many people saw each version of the page.

How we use your information

• To provide the core experience and generate the companion's replies.
• To remember your context, preferences, and progress across sessions.
• To manage your subscription and account.
• To respond when you contact us, investigate problems, and improve how the companion responds — which can include reading your conversations (see "Who can read your conversations" below).
• To keep the app working — diagnosing crashes and errors, and, only if you opt in, understanding how features are used.
• To keep Zenko safe and to comply with our legal obligations.

How your information is shared

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only with the service providers that make the app work, and only as needed for the purposes below. Each processes your data under its own terms and privacy policy.

We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights, safety, and security of our users or the service.

Who can read your conversations

Your conversations, stored "memory," and reflection notes are kept in our database, and only the developer (Yan-Kai Huang) can access them. We may read them to answer a support request or complaint, to investigate a bug or a reply that went wrong, and to improve how the companion responds — for example, by adjusting the instructions it follows. We look only as far as that purpose needs, we don't share what we read with anyone beyond the service providers listed above, and we don't use your conversations for advertising or to train AI models.

AI processing by Anthropic or Google

Zenko's companion is powered by a third-party AI model — either Anthropic's Claude or Google's Gemini, depending on which we are using at the time. When you send a message, its text (together with relevant context such as your recent conversation and your stored "memory") is transmitted to that provider's API to generate a reply and to update your memory. Both process it under their paid commercial terms, which say they do not use it to train their models. Each may retain the data for a limited period for safety and abuse-prevention purposes. Before your first conversation, the app asks for your permission to send your messages to these providers.

Replies are generated automatically by AI and may not always be accurate. If a message suggests you may be in crisis, the app shows crisis resources, and that moment is kept out of your stored "memory" so it isn't brought up again in later conversations.

Analytics and your choices

We use PostHog to understand which features are used so we can improve the app. Product analytics are on by default, including anonymous events while you go through the introduction before you sign up. You can turn them off with the checkbox on the sign-up screen, or at any time in Settings → Privacy; once off, no analytics events are sent. We never send the content of your messages. Separately, we use Sentry to capture crashes and errors so we can fix them — these reports contain technical details (such as an error name and stack) but not the content of your reflections.

How long we keep your information

We keep your account information and content for as long as your account exists, so your history and context are available to you. When you delete your account, your data is removed from our live systems and purged from routine backups on a rolling basis shortly afterward. We may retain minimal records where required for legal, security, or fraud-prevention reasons.

Your privacy rights

Wherever you live, you can access, correct, or delete your personal information. The easiest way to delete everything is in the app (see below); for anything else, email support@zenko.chat and we'll respond within a reasonable time.

California (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use it, to request access to or deletion of it, to correct inaccurate information, and to not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may use an authorized agent to submit a request. To exercise any right, email us at the address above.

Europe, the UK, and other regions (GDPR)

If you are in the EEA or UK, our legal bases for processing are: to perform our contract with you (providing the app), your consent (for sending your messages to our AI provider), and our legitimate interests (keeping the app secure and working, handling support requests, improving the companion's replies, and product analytics, which you can switch off at any time). You have the right to access, correct, erase, restrict, port, or object to processing, and to complain to your local supervisory authority. Because we operate from the United States, using Zenko involves transferring your information to the US.

Delete your account and data

You can permanently delete your account and all associated data yourself, at any time:

• In the app, open Settings → Delete account and confirm.
• Or email support@zenko.chat from the address on your account and ask us to delete it.

Deletion removes your account, your reflections and conversations, your stored "memory," your preferences, and your progress. It cannot be undone. If you subscribed through the App Store or Google Play, deleting your Zenko account may not cancel that subscription — to be sure you stop being billed, cancel it in your Apple or Google account settings.

Children's privacy

Zenko is intended for people aged 13 and older and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it. Where local law sets a higher age of digital consent, that age applies.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures — including encryption in transit and access controls — to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we'll revise the "Effective" date above, and for material changes we'll let you know in the app. Continued use of Zenko after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact us

Questions or requests? Email Yan-Kai Huang at support@zenko.chat.