Which version applies to you? These terms apply from the version of Rootling that shows a "Before you start" screen. If your app does not show it yet, our current privacy policy applies.
Short version: Rootling saves your child's learning progress and how the app is used to our secure servers, so progress is kept safe and we can make Rootling better. We never show ads, never sell data and never use it for advertising. We never collect your child's photo, voice, location or contact details.
Part 1: Terms of Use
Rootling ("the app") is an early-childhood learning app made by Trevexs Technology Ltd ("we", "us", "our"), Kampala, Uganda. These terms are the agreement between us and the parent or guardian who uses Rootling with their child. Part 2 explains how we handle data, and is part of the same agreement.
Who Rootling is for
- Rootling is for children aged 3 to 6, played with a parent, guardian or another grown-up.
- The person who accepts these terms must be an adult and the child's parent or guardian. You accept them for yourself and on your child's behalf.
Accepting these terms
- The app shows a short summary of these terms when it first opens. To use Rootling, you must accept them and complete a short adult check.
- If you do not accept, the app cannot be used and nothing is sent from your phone.
- If we change these terms in an important way, the app will ask you to accept again before you can carry on.
Withdrawing and deleting
You can withdraw your agreement at any time in the app's grown-ups' area (Your data). We then stop collecting data straight away. You can also ask us to delete your family's data, in the app or at getrootling.com/delete-data. After withdrawing, Rootling cannot be used again until you accept. See Your choices and rights.
Using Rootling
- Rootling is free to use during our pilot. The children's part of the app has no ads and no shop.
- Learning content is downloaded to your phone so it can be played offline. Downloading uses mobile data or Wi-Fi, and your network may charge for it.
- Rootling supports learning at home. It does not replace a school, a teacher or professional advice about your child's development or health.
Our content
The app and its learning content (stories, pictures, sounds and activities) belong to us or to the people who licensed them to us. You may use them on your own devices for your family's personal, non-commercial use. You may not copy, sell, share or republish the content, or take apart the app, except where the law allows it.
Fair use
Please don't misuse Rootling: for example, by trying to get into our systems, interfering with the app or our servers, or sending us false data on purpose.
Our responsibility
- We work hard to keep Rootling safe, accurate and working, but we provide it "as is". We cannot promise it will always be available, free of errors, or suitable for every child.
- As far as Ugandan law allows, we are not responsible for indirect losses, or for losses caused by things outside our reasonable control, such as network or device problems.
- Nothing in these terms takes away rights you have under the law that cannot be taken away.
Ending use
You can stop using Rootling at any time by uninstalling it. We may stop offering Rootling, or a part of it, and will try to give notice in the app or on this website first. If we close Rootling, we will still handle the data we hold as Part 2 describes.
Law and disputes
These terms are governed by the laws of Uganda. If you have a concern, please contact us first at support@getrootling.com and we will try to put it right. Otherwise, the courts of Uganda will decide any dispute.
Part 2: Privacy Policy
This policy explains what the app collects, why, who helps us process it, and your choices as a parent or caregiver.
Who this policy covers
Rootling is designed for children aged 3 to 6, used with a parent or caregiver. This policy is written for the adult who installs the app and accepts these terms on the child's behalf.
Your agreement
When the app first opens, it shows a short summary of these terms. A parent or guardian must accept them, and confirm they are an adult, before the app can be used. Your acceptance is the prior consent of a parent or guardian that Uganda's Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019 (section 8) requires for a child's data, and it includes your consent to storage outside Uganda (section 19). Providing this data is required to use Rootling. If you do not accept, the app cannot be used, and nothing is sent from your device. We will ask again if what we collect changes in an important way.
Withdrawing: you can withdraw your agreement at any time in the grown-ups' area. We then stop collecting data straight away, and you can ask us to delete what we hold. Rootling cannot be used again until you agree.
What we collect
| What | Examples | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Learning activity | Which sessions and activities were played; whether a child answered on their own, with help or after a demonstration; attempts and hints used; skipped activities; how long a session was actively played; what you record about how your child got on | To save and restore progress, show you how your child is getting on, and improve activities that are confusing |
| Learner profile | The first name you choose and the age band (for example, 3–4 years). The age band is also recorded when you add a learner, without the name. | To restore your child's profile on another device, and to suggest learning for the right age |
| Caregiver actions | Starting set-up, adding a learner, viewing progress, and the app language you choose | To understand where families get stuck and improve the app |
| Content downloads | Which learning pack was downloaded, its size, how long it took, and whether it failed (for example, not enough storage) | To make downloads more reliable and keep data costs low |
| App health | App version, whether the app closed unexpectedly, and crash reports | To find and fix problems |
| An app ID | A random ID created when the app is installed (not your phone's ID) | To keep your family's records together |
| Your acceptance | The version of these terms you accepted, when, and in which language | To record your agreement |
We do not collect: your child's photo, voice, drawings, birth date or exact age; your location; your contacts; advertising IDs or your phone's hardware IDs; or anything you type as free text.
Who helps us
We use these service providers to run Rootling. They process data only on our instructions:
| Provider | What they do | Data they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Stores your records securely | All of the records above |
| PostHog | Helps us understand app usage | A limited set of records with coded IDs instead of your app ID or your child's profile. Never names. |
| Sentry | Crash reports | Technical error details, with personal data removed |
| Cloudflare | Delivers learning content | Which content files are requested |
Our providers store data in the European Union, which has data protection law and an independent regulator. Each provider works under a written data processing agreement requiring confidentiality and security. We keep a record of each transfer and its safeguards.
How long we keep it
- Learning records and profiles: while you use Rootling, and deleted within 30 days of a deletion request or after 24 months of no use.
- Download and app-health records: 13 months.
- Usage data in PostHog: up to 1 year.
Your choices and rights
- See or correct your data: ask us, and we will respond within 30 days.
- Delete your data in the app: open the grown-ups' area → Your data → Delete my data. You'll get a reference code, and the app shows when deletion is complete. You can also remove everything from the phone at the same time.
- Delete your data without the app: visit getrootling.com/delete-data, or email support@getrootling.com with your app ID or reference code (both are shown in Your data).
- What happens: we delete everything we hold about your family from our servers and from PostHog, normally within 7 days and always within 30 days. Copies in our encrypted database backups expire within 1 year days. We keep only a record that a deletion happened (date and reference code), with no personal data. If you use Rootling again afterwards, you start fresh.
- Stop collection: uninstalling the app stops all collection. Data already sent is kept as described above unless you ask us to delete it.
- Questions or complaints: contact our data protection officer below. You may also complain to Uganda's Personal Data Protection Office (pdpo.go.ug).
If something goes wrong
If we believe your data has been accessed without authorisation, we will notify the Personal Data Protection Office immediately, and tell you if the Office directs us to.
Advertising
Rootling has no advertising, no advertising trackers and no cross-app tracking. The children's part of the app has no shop and no purchase prompts.
Children's privacy
We collect children's data only with a parent's or caregiver's acceptance, only what is listed above, and only to run and improve Rootling. We built Rootling with Uganda's Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019 as our primary framework, alongside the app store rules for apps used by children.
Changes to these terms
If we change what we collect, or change these terms in an important way, we will update this page with a new version number and ask you to accept again in the app before any new kind of data is collected.
Contact
Trevexs Technology Ltd · Kampala, Uganda · P.O. Box 185683
Data protection officer: email support@getrootling.com, with "Data protection" in the subject
Registered with the Personal Data Protection Office: PDPO-202510-8405