The short version: NewTunes ZA is a music app for discovering South African artists. We only collect what the app needs to work. We don't show ads, we don't sell your data, and we don't use tracking or analytics tools. What artists publish is public; your likes, follows and plays are not.
Who we are
NewTunes ZA is run by Hybrid Learning Solutions (Pty) Ltd, the "responsible party" for your personal information under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). For anything about your privacy, email shepherdmark1968@gmail.com.
What we collect and why
When you listen (no sign-up needed)
- A guest ID. The app creates an anonymous guest account automatically, so your likes, follows and plays can be saved without a sign-up. It contains no name or email.
- Likes and follows, so you can find your music again and so artists' like and follower counts are accurate. Only the totals are public. Nobody can see who liked or followed what.
- Plays: which song, when, and your account ID. We use these to count plays and to stop people inflating them by replaying a song over and over.
- Recently played is stored only on your phone and never sent to us.
When you create an account
- Email address and password, to log you in. Passwords are stored as one-way hashes; we can't see them.
- If you were listening as a guest, your guest likes and follows move to your new account.
When you publish as an artist
- Your artist profile (artist name, bio, town, province, genres and photo) and the songs and cover art you upload are public: anyone using the app can see and play them. That's the point of the app, so only share what you're happy to make public.
- Your play, like and follower counts are shown to you and, as totals, to listeners.
When you report a song
- The reason, any details you type, and your account ID. Reports are only visible to us, not to the artist or other listeners. We use them to review and, where needed, remove content.
Bot protection
- When the app signs you in, a check by Cloudflare Turnstile confirms you're a person and not a bot. Cloudflare looks at technical signals from your device and browser engine to do this. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.
Permissions on your phone
- Notifications (Android 13 and newer): only to show playback controls while music plays.
- Photos and files: only the photo, song or cover art you choose to upload. The app can't browse the rest of your files.
What we don't do
- No advertising and no ad tracking.
- No selling or renting of personal information.
- No third-party analytics or tracking tools.
- No access to your contacts, location, camera or microphone.
Who processes your data for us
| Service | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Stores accounts, profiles, likes, follows, plays, reports, music files and images. | Data centres outside South Africa |
| Cloudflare | Bot protection (Turnstile) at sign-in. | Global network |
Because these services store information outside South Africa, your information is transferred across borders. We only use providers that are bound by data-protection terms giving protection comparable to POPIA.
How long we keep it
- Account, profile, uploads, likes and follows: until you delete them or ask us to delete your account.
- Play records: while the account they belong to exists. Deleting an account removes its likes, follows and reports. The play totals on songs stay, but are no longer linked to you.
- Songs removed after a report stay hidden and are deleted with the artist's account.
Keeping it safe
All traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted (HTTPS). Database rules make sure each person can only change their own data, and likes, follows and reports can't be read by other users. No system is perfectly secure, but if a breach affects you, we'll tell you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.
Your rights
Under POPIA you can ask us to:
- tell you what personal information we hold about you, and give you a copy;
- correct information that's wrong;
- delete your information or your whole account;
- stop using your information for a particular purpose.
Artists can edit their profile and delete their songs in the app at any time (For Artists tab). For anything else, including deleting your account, email shepherdmark1968@gmail.com from the address on your account. We'll reply within 30 days.
If you're unhappy with how we handle your information, you can complain to South Africa's Information Regulator.
Children
NewTunes ZA is not aimed at children under 13. If you're under 18, please get a parent or guardian's permission before creating an account or uploading music.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle your information, we'll update this page and the date at the top. For important changes, we'll also let you know in the app.