Your data, plainly.

Last updated: August 26, 2026

The short version: your journal stays on your device. Check-ins, patterns, and conversations are processed securely on our servers, linked to your account so Vela can show them back to you. We never share or sell your data, we don't show ads, and deleting your account removes it all.

1. What stays on your device

Journal entries and your crisis list — the support contacts you choose to save, including any names and phone numbers you add — are stored only on your phone and are never uploaded to our servers. They aren't backed up or synced, and we can't read them. If you delete the app, they're deleted with it (unless you've made your own device backup).

2. Check-ins & patterns

Mood check-ins and episode logs are sent to our servers over an encrypted connection so Vela can compute your patterns. They're stored with your account, used only to show your own patterns back to you, never for advertising, and deleted when you delete your account. We treat this as sensitive health data: it's encrypted in transit and at rest, and it is never shared with or sold to third parties.

3. Conversations

When you talk with Vela by text, your messages are sent over an encrypted connection to our AI processing partners so Vela can respond, and are saved to your conversation history so you can revisit them. Photos you attach in chat are sent with your message and stored with the conversation. When you talk by voice, the microphone records only while you're in a voice conversation — the audio is transcribed and answered, a transcript is saved to your history, and the recording itself is discarded. We contractually require that conversation content is not used to train models. Your history is deleted when you delete your account.

4. What we collect

Beyond the conversation and check-in processing described above: we collect the email address you sign in with — it's needed to create your account, restore purchases, and move to a new device — and your purchase history for anything you buy in the app. Nothing else. Vela currently collects no analytics, crash reports, or usage tracking, and there are no advertising identifiers, no ad trackers, and no selling or sharing of personal data for marketing.

5. Security

Data on your device is protected by your device's encryption. Anything in transit uses TLS. Server-side data (check-ins, patterns, account email, subscription status) is encrypted at rest and accessible to a minimal set of systems.

6. Your rights & choices

You can delete journal entries at any time, and delete your account from Settings — this removes our server-side records and wipes the journal and crisis list from your device. You can also request deletion by emailing [email protected]. Depending on where you live (e.g. GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA), you may also have rights to access, correct, delete, or port personal data, and to complain to your local supervisory authority. We honor these requests regardless of where you live.

7. Children

Vela is not directed at children under 16, and we don't knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child has used Vela, contact us and we'll delete any associated data.

8. Changes & contact

If this policy changes, we'll post the new version here and update the date above; for material changes we'll tell you in the app. Questions: [email protected].