Privacy policy
Last updated 13 October 2026. This policy covers the Parakh app for Android and iOS and the getparakh.in website.
The short version
- Checking a car needs no account. To buy a report or Pro you sign in with your mobile number, your email address or your Google account, so your purchases stay with you on a new phone. We don't ask for your name.
- We don't keep your mobile number or email address: only the last 4 digits of the number or a masked copy of the address (like a•••@gmail.com), and a scrambled (keyed hash) form used to find your account.
- Your saved car checks stay on your phone. If you have Pro and are signed in, we also keep a list of the cars you looked up, so you can see your history.
- Photos are sent for analysis only when you tap Analyse, and we don't keep them.
- Our server keeps only what it needs to honour your purchases and help you if you contact support, and deletes it on a fixed schedule.
- The free version shows ads from Google AdMob, which uses your device's advertising ID.
What we process, and why
| Data | When | Why, and who sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Registration number and the car's details you enter | When you check a car | You look the car up yourself in the government's free mParivahan app or Parivahan website and type the details into Parakh. They stay on your phone. The registration number is sent to our server only if you buy a complete report (see below). |
| Mobile number | When you sign in (needed only to buy a report or Pro) | Sent to our server and to our SMS provider (MSG91) to text you a one-time code. We don't store the number: we keep its last 4 digits (shown in the app) and a keyed hash of it, so the same number finds the same account next time. The code is kept in memory for 10 minutes. |
| Email address | When you sign in by email or with Google | By email: sent to our server and to our email provider (Resend) to send you a one-time code. With Google: Google tells our server your Google account ID and email address after you choose to sign in; we don't get your Google password or access to your Google account. We don't store the address or the Google ID: we keep a masked copy of the address (shown in the app) and keyed hashes of both, so you find the same account next time. Signing in with Google and by email with the same verified address opens the same account. Codes are kept in memory for 10 minutes. |
| Account ID and sign-in session | While you're signed in | A random account ID that your purchases are filed under (with RevenueCat), so Pro and reports follow you to a new phone. Your phone keeps a sign-in token in its secure storage; our server keeps only a hash of it. |
| Anonymous app ID | Every request from the app | A random ID created by our purchase provider (RevenueCat) when the app is installed. It isn't linked to your name, number or email. We use it to find your purchases, and so support can find your phone from the Parakh ID shown in Settings. |
| App details: platform, app version, language, first and last use | When the app talks to our server | Kept against the anonymous app ID so we can help you if you contact support and fix problems on particular versions. |
| Screenshot or photo of the RC | When you tap Read the screenshot or Photograph the RC | Sent to our server and to Google's Gemini API to read the car's registration details, then discarded by us. It may show the owner's name and address: we keep neither, and the app only shows the owner's initials. Google may keep it for a limited time and use it to improve its products (Gemini API terms). |
| Photos of the car | Photo check, when you tap Analyse | Resized on your phone, sent to our server and to Google's Gemini API for analysis, then discarded by us. We don't store them. Google may keep them for a limited time and use them to improve its products, as described in the Gemini API terms, so don't photograph people or documents you wouldn't want shared. |
| Purchases | If you subscribe to Parakh Pro or buy a complete report | Google Play or the App Store handles payment; RevenueCat confirms the purchase to us with your account ID. We list your purchases in the app under Your account. We never see your card or UPI details. |
| Registration number tied to a complete report | When you start a complete report for a car | Stored with the anonymous purchase so the report works for that car, and so you can use its photo checks for 7 days. |
| Advertising ID, approximate location from IP | Free version only | Google AdMob uses these to show and measure ads (a banner and an in-list ad marked "Ad"). See how Google uses data from apps that use its services. On iPhone, ads aren't personalised. Where the law requires it (for example in the EEA and the UK), Google's consent form asks you first, ads load only if allowed, and you can change your choice any time under Settings → Ad privacy choices. Pro has no ads. |
| IP address | Any request to our server | Used briefly in memory to limit requests per hour and stop abuse. Not logged. |
| IP address and browser details (website) | When you visit getparakh.in | The website loads its fonts from Google Fonts, so Google receives your IP address and browser details. The website has no cookies, analytics or ads. |
How long we keep it
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Account (keyed hashes of your number, email address or Google ID; the last 4 digits of the number or a masked email address; account ID) | Until you delete the account in the app (Settings → Your account → Delete account), or ask us to |
| Sign-in sessions | Until you sign out, or 6 months without use |
| Registration number tied to a complete report | The 7 days the report lasts, plus 30 days. After that we keep only a note that the purchase was used, without the registration number. |
| App details against the anonymous app ID | Deleted after 12 months without use |
| Your full mobile number or email address, photos, vehicle records, IP addresses | Not stored |
What stays on your phone
Your car checks (records you entered, inspection answers, cost settings) and your language choice are stored only on your device. Delete them any time in Settings, or by uninstalling the app.
What we don't do
- We don't sell your data.
- We don't build a profile of you, and we don't read your contacts, messages or other photos.
- We don't use your photos to train AI models, but Google may use photos sent to the Gemini API to improve its products.
Your rights
Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you can ask what personal data we hold about you, ask us to correct or erase it, and withdraw consent. You can delete your account yourself in the app (Settings → Your account). Purchases made with a deleted account can't be restored, and a Pro subscription keeps renewing until you cancel it in Google Play or the App Store. Saved checks are deleted in the app's Settings. For anything else our server holds, write to the contact below and include the Parakh ID from Settings.
Children
Parakh is meant for adults buying a car and is not directed at children under 18.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date above and, for significant changes, tell you in the app.
Contact
Grievance officer and privacy questions: [email protected].