Privacy Policy

Last updated: 21 June 2026

This policy explains what information Sessionist handles and the rights you have. It covers the Sessionist app (Windows, Android and iOS) and this website at sessionist.ie.

1. Who we are

Sessionist is operated by Niall Kelleher, a sole trader in Ireland, trading as “Sessionist”, who is the data controller under the GDPR.

• Address: 13 Vesey Place, Dublin, A96 R3H2, Ireland
• Contact: privacy@sessionist.ie

2. Anonymous use vs an account

You can use Sessionist anonymously, without an account — in which case everything is stored locally on your device and nothing is uploaded. The information below is processed only when you create an account, which requires you to be 16 or older. (When online, the app downloads tunes and updates, but in anonymous mode it still sends none of your personal data.)

3. Information we collect (with an account)

• Email address — sign-in, account recovery and essential service messages.
• Password — handled by Firebase and stored only in hashed form; we never see it.
• Display name, a system-generated player name, and a player ID.
• Year of birth — to confirm eligibility and apply age-appropriate protections.
• Learning data — tunes played and practised, scores and practice history, repertoire, instruments, recently-played tunes, playlists (and likes/dislikes), level and points, and your settings.
• Community data (adults who opt in) — leaderboard entries (display name, score, speed, instrument), friends list, and in-app notifications.
• Technical — a device latency calibration value (kept on your device) and, if you choose “remember me”, a sign-in token on your device.

We use no third-party analytics, advertising or tracking.

4. Microphone and recordings

Sessionist scores your playing by listening to your instrument and detecting pitches in real time, so we ask for microphone permission at runtime — the core features will not work without it. You can change that permission at any time in your device settings.

For everyday practice, pitch detection runs on your device, and recordings are saved on your device and never modified. The one v1 exception is competition mode, which is opt-in and adults-only: audio is sent to our competition server for server-side scoring rather than processed locally, and the recording auto-uploads as your entry when the performance ends. You can decline the upload before submission if you change your mind. Community-guide contributions are also opt-in and adult-only, and are reviewed by a human moderator before publication.

Under-16s cannot upload audio in the launch version of the app (July 2026) — no competition entry, no community guides, and no recordings leaving the device. In later versions we plan to open opt-in competition entry to under-16s, behind a dedicated under-16 moderation team whose moderators must complete real-world identity verification and child-protection validation before reviewing any under-16 entry. At no stage will any moderator of under-16 audio entries be able to identify or communicate directly with any child. Their work is only to judge quality and vote for winners. All communications back to entrants are standardised and automated. We also plan on enabling an under-16s teacher mode, whereby the under-16 registered user can nominate another Sessionist user as their real-world music-class teacher. Teachers will be able to assign tunes, or sections of tunes, for student practice and see how or if the student has done. Teachers will complete real-world identity verification and must demonstrate pre-existing child-protection verification. Again, there is no free-form communication back from teacher to child — all of that must take place at real-world locations.

5. Children under 16

Under-16s use Sessionist anonymously only — no account, and no personal data collected or transmitted. Creating an account requires you to be 16 or older (Ireland’s age of digital consent), checked by year of birth at registration. We do not knowingly collect personal data from under-16s and will delete any such account we become aware of. Parents or guardians can contact us at privacy@sessionist.ie.

6. How and why we use your data

• Running your account and syncing your progress — to perform our contract with you.
• Leaderboards and opt-in adult features such as competitions — with your consent.
• Reviewing reported or submitted content for safety — our legitimate interest in a safe community.
• Handling voluntary donations and keeping required records — contract and legal obligation.
• Keeping the service secure and improving it — our legitimate interest.
• Sending essential messages such as email verification and password reset — to perform our contract.

We do not sell your data, advertise to you, or profile you for marketing. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

7. Donations

Core learning features are free. Voluntary donations are handled by Patreon (patreon.com/c/Sessionist); we never receive or store your card details. As the creator, we see limited supporter information from Patreon (such as your name and the tier you support), used only to recognise patrons. Patreon’s own privacy policy governs its processing. Donations are non-refundable except where the law requires.

8. Who we share data with

We share data only with the providers that run the service, acting as our processors: Firebase (Google) (sign-in and transactional email), Unity Gaming Services (cloud backup, leaderboards, friends, content delivery), Patreon (donations), and Firebase Hosting (Google) (this website and app downloads). See the Firebase, Unity and Patreon privacy policies. We do not sell or rent your data.

9. International transfers

Some providers process data outside the European Economic Area (for example in the United States), protected by appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.

10. How long we keep it

• Account and learning data — until you delete your account.
• On-device data — until you delete it or uninstall the app.
• Donation / financial records — as long as the law requires (typically up to six years).
• Backups — purged within 30 days of account deletion.

11. Your rights

You can access, correct, delete, restrict, port or object to the processing of your personal data, and withdraw consent where we rely on it. Use the in-app account controls or email privacy@sessionist.ie; we respond within one month. You can also complain to the Irish Data Protection Commission — dataprotection.ie, 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28.

12. Deleting your account and data

You can delete your account at any time in the app. This removes it from Firebase and Unity Gaming Services, and any content you published is removed or anonymised; you can also ask us at privacy@sessionist.ie