Last updated: March 1, 2026

Malawian ("we", "our", or "us") operates the Malawian mobile application and the malawian.com website. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our services.

By using our app or website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and ensuring transparency in how your data is handled.

Information you provide:

• Contact information when you use our contact form (name, email, phone number)
• Account information if you create an account (username, email, password)
• Any messages or inquiries you submit through the app or website
• Music uploads, lyrics, and artist profile details you contribute

Information collected automatically:

• Device information (device type, operating system, app version)
• Usage data (pages visited, features used, music played and streamed)
• Log data (IP address, browser type, access times)
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies for session management

Push notifications:

• We use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to deliver push notifications to your device
• A device token is generated by Firebase and stored on our servers to deliver notifications
• You may subscribe to notification topics (e.g., new music, learn updates) without creating an account
• You can disable push notifications at any time through your device settings

Learning activity:

• If you use the MalawiLearn features, we collect course enrollment data, lesson progress, exercise and quiz results, XP (experience points), streaks, and league standings
• This data is used to track your learning progress, issue certificates, and provide leaderboard rankings

Location data: We do not collect precise location data. The tourism features in our app display general information about destinations in Malawi and do not require or access your device's location services.

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain our music streaming and tourism discovery services
• Improve and personalise your experience across the platform
• Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• Send important notices about changes to our services
• Monitor and analyse usage trends to improve our app and website

Music Streaming: When you use our music streaming features, we may collect information about your listening activity (songs played, artists viewed, download history) to provide features such as trending music charts, recommendations, and hit/download counts. We do not sell this data to third parties.

Learning: When you use MalawiLearn, we use your enrollment and progress data to provide personalised course recommendations, track completion status, calculate XP and league standings, and issue certificates. Quiz and exercise answers are graded automatically and stored to prevent repeated attempts and to calculate scores.

Offline Storage: The app allows you to download music for offline playback. Downloaded audio files and associated metadata (song title, artist, thumbnail) are stored locally on your device. You can manage and delete downloaded content at any time through the app's download manager or by clearing the app's data in your device settings. No offline data is transmitted back to our servers.

Data Sharing: We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share information only in the following circumstances:

• With service providers who assist in operating our app and website (e.g., hosting, analytics)
• When required by law or to protect our rights, safety, and property
• With your explicit consent

Data Security: We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure password storage, and access controls. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Our app and website may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not operated by us. These may include social media platforms, payment processors, and external content providers.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you visit or interact with before providing any personal information.

Services we use:

• Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) — for delivering push notifications to your device. Firebase may collect device identifiers and messaging tokens. See Firebase Privacy Policy
• Google Play Services — required for app distribution and in-app functionality on Android devices

We may use third-party analytics tools to help us understand how our services are used. These tools may collect information sent by your device, including pages visited and other information that assists us in improving our services.

Our services are not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can take necessary action.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will take immediate steps to remove that information from our servers and delete the associated account.

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of Access — You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Right to Rectification — You can request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete information
• Right to Erasure — You can request deletion of your personal information and account
• Right to Opt Out — You can opt out of any marketing communications at any time
• Right to Data Portability — You can request your data in a structured, commonly used format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at admin@malawian.com or use the account management features within the app.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
• Post the revised policy on this page
• Notify users of significant changes through the app or via email where possible

Your continued use of our services after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please do not hesitate to reach out to us:

• Email: admin@malawian.com
• Website: malawian.com/contact

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days. For urgent matters regarding your data security, please include "URGENT" in your email subject line.

You have full control over your account and personal data on malawian.com. Through your profile settings, you can:

• View and update your personal information (name, email, profile picture)
• Change your password and security settings
• Manage your music uploads and artist profile
• Review your activity history

If you wish to delete your account entirely, you can do so by visiting malawian.com/delete-account or by contacting us at admin@malawian.com.

Data Retention: We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. Upon account deletion, we will remove your personal information from our active systems within 30 days. Anonymised usage data (e.g., aggregated streaming counts) may be retained indefinitely as it cannot be linked back to you. Backup copies may retain deleted data for up to 90 days before being permanently purged. If you have not used your account for 24 months, we may send a reminder before archiving or deleting inactive account data.