Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Vela ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. Vela is an AI-powered emotional wellness companion designed to provide supportive, personalized conversations.

By using Vela, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the app.

2. Information We Collect

a. Information You Provide

• ·Account information (email address)
• ·Optional name or nickname
• ·Messages and conversations with Vela
• ·Voice input during voice calls (processed as described in Section 4)
• ·Images you share in chat
• ·Optional preferences, goals, or onboarding responses

b. Automatically Collected Information

• ·Device information (device type, operating system, app version)
• ·Usage data (features used, session frequency)
• ·Technical logs (errors, crashes, performance data)
• ·Approximate location (country-level only)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• ·Generate AI responses to your messages
• ·Process voice input during voice calls
• ·Maintain conversation context within and across sessions
• ·Enable chat, voice, and memory features
• ·Provide meaningful and personalized responses over time
• ·Analyze usage trends to improve performance and safety
• ·Respond to your support requests
• ·Comply with legal obligations

We do not use your information for advertising. We do not sell your data to any third party.

4. AI Processing and Third-Party Services

Vela uses AI to generate responses to your conversations and to power its voice features. To make this possible, we send certain user data to trusted third-party AI and audio processing providers. By using Vela, you are required to review and agree to this Privacy Policy, including the data sharing practices described below.

a. Our AI and Audio Processing Providers

We work with the following third-party providers:

• ·Anthropic— processes chat messages to generate Vela's text responses
• ·Google (Gemini) — processes chat messages and supports content generation
• ·OpenAI — processes chat messages, memory summaries, and supporting features
• ·ElevenLabs— generates Vela's spoken voice in voice calls
• ·Cartesia — processes voice audio for speech-to-text transcription, speech synthesis, and voice-based interactions

b. What Data Is Shared With These Providers

The specific types of data shared with these providers include:

• ·Message text: The text content of your conversations with Vela
• ·Voice audio:Audio recordings you submit via the App's voice features, which may be processed for speech-to-text transcription, speech synthesis, and voice-based interactions
• ·Images: Images you share in chat messages may be sent to our AI providers for processing and response generation
• ·User profile information: Relevant profile details such as your first name so Vela can address you personally
• ·Conversation history: Your current conversation history within the session
• ·Memory data: Summaries from past conversations, which help Vela remember context from your previous interactions to provide more personalized responses
• ·Onboarding data: Information you provide during onboarding, such as your stated focus or goals (for example, stress, relationships, grief), which is shared to deliver personalized experiences
• ·Timezone and language preference: Used to tailor responses to your context

c. What Data Is NOT Shared With These Providers

• ·Your email address
• ·Your password or authentication credentials
• ·Your payment or subscription information
• ·Device identifiers
• ·Precise location data
• ·Any contact information beyond your first name

d. Third-Party Protections

Our AI and audio processing providers do not use your data to train their AI models. Data is processed only to generate responses or deliver the requested service and is not retained by these providers beyond the time needed for processing. These providers are contractually obligated to process your data only as necessary to provide their services to us and are required to maintain appropriate security measures to protect your data.

All data sent to these providers is encrypted in transit.

For more information on how each provider handles data, please refer to their respective privacy policies:

• ·Anthropic Privacy Policy
• ·Google Privacy Policy
• ·OpenAI Privacy Policy
• ·ElevenLabs Privacy Policy
• ·Cartesia Privacy Policy

e. Your Consent

Before your first message is sent, the app will ask you to explicitly agree to the AI processing described above. You can revoke this consent at any time in Settings. Revoking consent will disable the chat feature until consent is granted again.

5. Memory System

Vela may store summaries from your interactions to improve continuity across conversations. These may include your preferences, recurring themes, and context from past conversations.

You can:

• ·Delete individual messages by long-pressing the message bubble
• ·Clear all stored memory in Settings
• ·Delete your entire account anytime in Settings

Memory summaries are shared with our AI providers as described in Section 4 so that Vela can remember you across sessions.

6. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your data with advertising networks.

We may share information in the following cases:

a. Service Providers

In addition to the AI and audio processing providers described in Section 4, we work with trusted third-party providers for:

• ·Cloud hosting and database infrastructure
• ·Authentication and account management
• ·Error monitoring and performance analytics (no message content is shared with these)
• ·Payment processing (handled entirely by Apple App Store and Google Play; we do not receive your payment details)

These providers are required to protect your data and use it only for the specified purposes.

b. Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law or to protect rights, safety, or security.

c. With Your Consent

We may share information if you explicitly allow it.

7. Data Security

We use industry-standard security practices, including:

• ·Encryption in transit and at rest
• ·Secure password hashing
• ·Access controls limiting who on our team can view data
• ·Regular security monitoring

No system is completely secure. While we take reasonable measures to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention

• ·Conversations are stored until you delete them
• ·Memory data remains until you clear it
• ·Account data is deleted when you delete your account

When you delete your account, all associated personal data is removed within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

9. Your Rights and Choices

You have control over your data. You may:

• ·Access your data
• ·Delete individual messages or clear your full conversation history
• ·Clear stored memory
• ·Delete your account
• ·Revoke AI processing consent at any time

Regional Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, port, and object to the processing of your personal data, and the right to withdraw consent at any time.

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) gives you the right to know what personal information we collect, request deletion of your personal information, and opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information).

To make any request, contact: support@vela.app

We respond to privacy requests within 30 days.

10. International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed on secure servers located in different countries. We take appropriate measures, including the use of Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable, to ensure your data remains protected regardless of where it is processed.

11. Children's Privacy

Vela is not intended for users under the age of 18.

If we become aware that we have collected data from someone under 18, we will delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If significant changes are made, we will notify you through the app or by email. Where required by law, we will ask for your renewed consent.

13. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data: