Effective date: 05-Aug-2026
Last updated: 05-Aug-2026
This Privacy Policy explains what information the One VTU mobile application ("the App", "we", "us") collects, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.
One VTU is an independent, unofficial study app for engineering students. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) or any of its affiliated colleges.
By using the App you agree to this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.
1. Who we are
Developer: Neekhil
Address: 119, Rd Addiganahalli Rajanukunte Thimmasandra, 39, 1st Cross, Apt, Bangalore, Rajankunte Addiganahalli Airport Road, Bangalore 560064, Karnataka, India
Contact: support@onevtu.in
Website: https://onevtu.in
For any privacy question, correction request, or deletion request, email support@onevtu.in. We aim to respond within 30 days.
2. The short version
We ask for your name, email, and academic details (USN, college, branch, scheme, semester) so the App can filter content to your actual course.
Your academic records — attendance, marks, flashcards, study sessions, timetable progress — are stored on your own device, not on our servers, unless you choose to back them up.
Backups go to your own Google Drive, into a private folder that only this App can see. We never receive a copy.
We show ads. Google AdMob and its partner networks receive your device Advertising ID for this purpose. You control ad personalisation in the App.
AI features send your question — and text from documents you upload — to the AI provider you configure (for example Google Gemini). Your API key stays encrypted on your device and is never sent to us.
Anything you post to the Student Marketplace is public to other users, including the contact number you enter.
We never sell your personal information.
You can request deletion of your account and data from inside the App, or by emailing us.
3. Information we collect
3.1 Account and profile information
Collected when you register or sign in, and when you complete your profile:
Full name
Email address
Account identifier (a random user ID we generate)
University Seat Number (USN)
College name, branch or stream, admission cycle, zone
Scheme, current semester, batch year
Optional: career goal, preferred language, SGPA and CGPA figures you enter
If you sign in with Google: your Google account name, email address, and profile picture URL, as supplied by Google Sign-In
Why: to create and secure your account, and to filter syllabus, question papers, exam dates, subjects and job posts to your specific course. Your USN is used as your academic identifier within the App; we do not use it to look up any external record without your action.
Where it is stored: on our backend provider, Supabase, and in a local cache on your device.
3.2 Academic data you create in the App
This includes your attendance records, marks and results you save, backlog entries, flashcards, quiz attempts and scores, study-session timings, syllabus topics you tick off, personal timetable, study reminders, notes and any custom subjects you add.
This data is stored locally on your device. It is not transmitted to our servers as part of normal use. It leaves your device only if you use Sync my data to back it up to your own Google Drive, or use an AI feature that needs that context to answer, in which case the relevant text is sent to your configured AI provider.
3.3 Content you upload
Documents for AI Professor. PDFs, images or documents you select in order to ask questions about them. Text is extracted on your device.
Student Marketplace listings. The item title, description, price, category, condition, photographs you attach, and the contact detail you enter (phone, WhatsApp number or email). Listing images are uploaded to our storage and served publicly.
Marketplace listings are public. Any phone number, email address or photo you put in a listing is visible to every other user of the App. Do not include information you are not willing to make public.
3.4 AI provider API keys
If you use the AI features, you supply your own API key for a provider such as Google Gemini, OpenRouter or Groq. Keys are held in the operating system encrypted keystore on your device. We never receive, log, or transmit your keys to our servers. They are sent only to the provider you chose, as part of your own requests.
3.5 Advertising and device identifiers
The App displays advertising supplied by Google AdMob, which may serve ads through partner networks (Unity Ads, Meta Audience Network, AppLovin). These services may collect and process:
Your device Advertising ID (a resettable identifier)
IP address, and coarse location inferred from it
Device model, operating system version, language, screen size, and mobile network or carrier information
Ad interactions — impressions, clicks, and whether a rewarded ad completed
3.6 Referral and install attribution
If you install the App from a shared referral link, Google Play passes us the install referrer string, and the App reads it to apply the referral code that sent you. We record which account referred which account, and the resulting credit transactions, so that referral rewards can be granted and abuse can be prevented.
3.7 Usage information
We collect limited, aggregated information about how features are used in order to fix bugs and prioritise improvements. Diagnostic logs about AI requests are written to a file on your own device only. They are not uploaded to us and are removed when you clear the App data or uninstall it.
3.8 Notifications
Study reminders are generated and scheduled entirely on your device. Reminder times, and the fact that a reminder was shown or snoozed, do not leave your device. We do not operate a push-notification server.
4. What we do not collect
We do not collect, and the App does not request permission for:
Precise or GPS location
Your contacts, call logs, SMS messages, or microphone
Photos or files from your device other than the specific items you pick
Health, fitness, or biometric data
Payment card or bank details — the App has no in-app purchases and no payment processing
Your VTU login credentials. When you use the results feature, you interact with the official VTU web page inside a browser view. We do not read, intercept or store what you type there, including any captcha or password. Only the result data you choose to save is stored, and it is stored on your device.
5. How we use your information
Create and secure your account — name, email, user ID, and a password hash handled by our authentication provider
Show content matching your course — branch, scheme, semester, cycle, college, zone
Provide AI answers, quizzes and plans — your question, and the syllabus topics or document text needed to answer it
Track your academic progress — attendance, marks, study sessions, stored on your device
Back up and restore your data — your on-device data, at your request, to your own Drive
Run the Student Marketplace — your listings and the contact detail you provide
Grant referral credits — referral codes, install referrer, credit ledger
Show and measure ads — Advertising ID and the device signals listed in section 3.5
Fix bugs and improve the App — aggregated usage and error information
Prevent fraud and abuse — account identifiers, referral and credit history
Meet legal obligations — whatever a valid legal request requires
Legal bases (where the GDPR or similar law applies): performance of a contract, your consent (advertising personalisation, AI features, Drive backup), our legitimate interests (security, abuse prevention, product improvement), and legal obligation.
6. Who we share information with
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with data brokers. We share only as described here.
6.1 Service providers
Supabase — receives account and profile data, marketplace listings and images, referral and credit records, for hosting, authentication, database and file storage.
Google Sign-In and Google Play services — receive your Google account identity, at your initiation, for sign-in, install referrer and app integrity.
Google Drive — receives your backup file, into your own account.
6.2 AI providers
When you use an AI feature, your prompt and the context it needs are sent directly from your device to the AI provider you have configured. Depending on your choice, that may be Google (Gemini API), OpenRouter, or Groq. These requests are made with your own API key and are governed by that provider terms and retention policy, not ours. We are not a party to that exchange and do not receive a copy of it.
6.3 Advertising partners
Google AdMob, and through it Unity Ads, Meta Audience Network and AppLovin, receive the information in section 3.5 to select, deliver and measure ads. See Google advertising practices and how Google uses data from apps that use its services.
6.4 Other users
Your Student Marketplace listings — including photos and the contact detail you enter — are visible to other users of the App. Your referral code is visible to anyone you send it to.
6.5 Legal and safety
We may disclose information if required by a valid legal process, or where we reasonably believe it is necessary to investigate fraud, protect our rights, or protect the safety of a person.
6.6 Business transfer
If the App is transferred to another owner, your information may transfer with it. We will update this Policy and notify you in the App before that happens.
7. Google Drive backup ("Sync my data")
When you tap Sync my data, the App asks for one narrow Google permission: drive.appdata.
This scope gives the App access only to a hidden, application-specific folder inside your own Google Drive.
The App cannot see, read, list, or modify any other file in your Drive — not your documents, not your photos, nothing you created outside this App.
The backup file contains your on-device academic data and is written into that hidden folder under your own Google account.
We have no access to your Drive and never receive a copy of the backup.
To remove a backup, use the App backup screen, or revoke access at myaccount.google.com/permissions and delete hidden app data from Google Drive settings.
We use Google user data only to provide this backup and restore feature. We do not use it for advertising, we do not transfer it to others, and we do not allow humans to read it.
8. AI features and the documents you upload
The AI features are AI Professor, AI Quiz, Daily Quiz, AI Study Timetable, Flashcards, and Top Questions. They work like this:
You choose a document, a subject, or a topic, or you type a question.
If a document is involved, the App extracts its text on your device — PDF parsing and image text recognition both run locally.
The extracted text is split into passages and stored on your device, so the App can find the passages relevant to your question.
Only the relevant passages, plus your question, are sent to the AI provider you configured, using your own API key.
The answer is returned to your device and stored locally in your chat history, which you can clear at any time.
What this means for you:
We do not receive your documents or your questions. They go from your device to your chosen provider.
The provider policy applies to that data. Some providers retain prompts for a period, and free tiers of some services may use submitted content to improve their models. Read your provider terms before choosing it.
Do not upload confidential material — exam papers under embargo, medical records, identity documents, or anyone else personal data.
AI output can be wrong. Answers, generated timetables, predicted questions and quiz explanations are study aids, not authoritative academic guidance.
9. Advertising and your choices
The App is free and supported by ads.
Consent. Where required (the EEA, the UK, and Switzerland), the App shows a Google-certified consent message before any personalised ad loads, and honours your choice.
Changing your mind. Where the consent form applies, an Ad preferences entry is available in the App so you can revisit your choice at any time.
Device-level control. On Android you can opt out of ad personalisation, or reset or delete your Advertising ID, in Settings, Privacy, Ads.
Google controls. myadcenter.google.com
Turning off personalisation does not remove ads; it makes them less relevant.
10. Data retention and security
Retention.
Account and profile — until you delete your account
On-device academic data — until you delete it, clear the App data, or uninstall
Marketplace listings and images — until you delete the listing, or your account
Referral and credit records — retained after account deletion in a minimal, de-identified form, for fraud prevention
Google Drive backup — until you delete it, or revoke access; it is in your Drive, under your control
On-device AI logs and chat history — until you clear them, or uninstall
Security measures.
All network traffic to our backend and to AI providers uses HTTPS and TLS.
Access to database records is restricted per user by row-level security, so one account cannot read another account data.
AI provider API keys are stored in the platform encrypted keystore.
Passwords are never stored by us in readable form; authentication is handled by our auth provider using industry-standard hashing.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and you share information at your own risk — particularly anything you choose to publish in a marketplace listing.
Where your data is processed. Our providers operate data centres in multiple countries, so your information may be processed outside India, including in the United States. Where required, transfers rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission standard contractual clauses.
11. Deleting your account and your data
Data on your device only. Uninstall the App, or go to Android Settings, Apps, OneVTU, Storage, Clear data. This erases your attendance, flashcards, results, chat history and reminders immediately. It does not delete your account, your marketplace listings, or your Drive backup.
Your account and everything on our servers. In the App, open Profile, Delete my account and submit the short form it opens, and we will erase your profile record, all marketplace listings you posted and their images, and your credit wallet balance. Or email support@onevtu.in from your registered address with the subject "Delete my account". We will confirm and complete the deletion within 30 days.
What survives deletion, and why. A minimal, de-identified record of referral and credit transactions is retained to stop the same referral being claimed repeatedly. It cannot be used to identify you. Anything you have already shared with an AI provider is subject to that provider retention policy, not ours. Your Google Drive backup stays in your Drive until you remove it.
12. Children privacy
The App is intended for university and college students 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, email support@onevtu.in and we will delete it.
If you are between 13 and the age of digital consent in your country, please use the App only with the involvement of a parent or guardian. Personalised advertising is not shown to users we identify as below the applicable age of consent.
13. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
Access the personal information we hold about you
Correct information that is inaccurate — most fields are editable in Profile, Edit profile
Delete your account and personal information
Withdraw consent — for advertising personalisation, AI features, or Drive backup — without affecting the rest of the App
Object to or restrict certain processing
Portability — receive a copy of your data in a machine-readable format
Complain to your data protection authority
To exercise any of these, email support@onevtu.in from your registered address. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting. We will not discriminate against you for exercising a right.
Users in India have these rights under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; users in the EEA and UK under the GDPR; users in California under the CCPA as amended. We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising beyond the advertising described in sections 3.5 and 6.3.
14. Third-party links and content
The App links to and displays content we do not control: the official VTU website, opened in a browser view for the results feature; YouTube setup videos, a WhatsApp community group, and support links; syllabus documents, question papers and job postings sourced from public institutional and employer websites; and listings created by other users. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the accuracy of third-party content.
15. Academic content disclaimer
Syllabus, scheme, question paper, result, job and project content is provided for reference and revision only. Copyright in that material belongs to its respective owners. One VTU is an independent, unofficial application and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Visvesvaraya Technological University or any affiliated college. Always confirm academic information with your college and the university official notifications.
If you own material shown in the App and want it removed, email support@onevtu.in with the details and we will take it down promptly.
16. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy as the App changes. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date above, publish the new version at this URL, and — for changes that materially affect your rights — notify you in the App before they take effect.
17. Contact us
Neekhil
Email: support@onevtu.in
Phone: 7975855582
Address: 119, Rd Addiganahalli Rajanukunte Thimmasandra, 39, 1st Cross, Apt, Bangalore, Rajankunte Addiganahalli Airport Road, Bangalore 560064, Karnataka, India
Website: https://onevtu.in
For privacy requests, please use the subject line "Privacy request" or "Delete my account" so we can route it quickly.