BuddhaCat Publishing

Privacy policy

Happy Journal

1. Overview

Happy Journal is a journaling app developed by BuddhaCat Publishing e.K. (“we”, “us”). We are committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data the app handles, how it is stored, and what rights you have.

The short version: Happy Journal stores all your journal entries locally on your device. We do not collect, transmit, or have access to your personal data. There are no accounts, no analytics, no tracking, and no advertising.

2. Data controller

BuddhaCat Publishing e.K.
Jan Schulenberg (Owner)
Plankensteinstr. 8 · 81673 Munich, Germany
Email: info@buddhacat.eu

3. Data the app stores

All data is stored locally on your device and is under your full control:

  • Journal entries – your text responses to the four reflection questions, including timestamps
  • App settings – your preferences (theme, language, reminder times, backup settings)

This data never leaves your device unless you explicitly choose to use the optional cloud backup or export feature.

4. Cloud backup and sync (optional)

If you choose to enable cloud backup, your journal data is synced to your personal cloud storage. On iOS, this also enables automatic synchronisation of your entries across all your Apple devices signed into the same iCloud account.

  • iOS: Apple iCloud Drive, using your personal iCloud account
  • Android: Google Drive, using your personal Google account

On Android, the app uses the Google Drive API with the drive.appdata scope. This means the app can only access its own hidden application data folder – it cannot see, read, or modify any other files in your Google Drive. The backup file is not visible in your regular Google Drive interface.

We do not operate any servers. Your backup data is stored directly in your personal cloud storage account. We have no access to it. Synchronisation between devices happens exclusively through your personal cloud storage – no additional servers or services are used.

5. Export and import

You can export your journal entries as a ZIP file, optionally protected with AES-256 password encryption. Exported files are saved to a location you choose on your device. Import allows you to restore entries from a previously exported file. These operations happen entirely on your device.

6. Data we do NOT collect

We want to be explicit about what we do not do:

  • We do not collect personal information
  • We do not require or offer user accounts
  • We do not use analytics or tracking tools
  • We do not display advertising
  • We do not share data with third parties
  • We do not use cookies
  • We do not process data on external servers

7. Biometric authentication (optional)

The app offers an optional App Lock feature using your device’s biometric authentication (Face ID, Touch ID, or fingerprint). Biometric data is processed entirely by your device’s operating system – the app only receives a success/failure response and never has access to your biometric data.

8. Push notifications (optional)

You can set up optional reminders to journal. Notifications are scheduled locally on your device using the operating system’s notification system. No notification data is sent to external servers.

9. In-app purchases

Happy Journal offers a one-time premium purchase to unlock additional features. This transaction is processed entirely by Apple (App Store) or Google (Play Store). We do not receive or store any payment information. We only receive confirmation that a purchase was made, which is stored locally on your device.

10. Children’s privacy

Happy Journal is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

11. Your rights

Since all data is stored locally on your device, you have full control at all times. You can:

  • View all your data within the app
  • Export your data at any time
  • Delete individual entries or all data
  • Delete cloud backups from the app’s settings
  • Uninstall the app to remove all local data

Under the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), you have additional rights including the right to information (Art. 15), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20), and objection (Art. 21). Since we do not collect or process your data on our systems, these rights are inherently fulfilled by the app’s local-first architecture. For any questions, contact us at info@buddhacat.eu .

12. Supervisory authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The authority responsible for us is: Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht (BayLDA), Promenade 18, 91522 Ansbach, Germany.

13. Email contact

If you contact us by email, the personal data you provide (name, email address, message content) will be processed for the purpose of handling your enquiry. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in responding to enquiries). Your data will be deleted once the enquiry has been fully resolved and no statutory retention obligations apply.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The current version is always available at this URL. Material changes will be communicated through the app’s update notes.

Last updated: March 2026