Headspace
- The documents do not say whether your data trains AI.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- Data is shared with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
They collect health and ad data, share for ads with opt-out, auto-renew with no refunds.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, health details, demographics, device data, usage, payments, and sometimes photos or audio.
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Privacy policy
“We will collect the information you provide about your health and wellness as you use our Products or engage with the Services.”
Training
They run the app, ads, research, machine learning, and AI features you choose to turn on.
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Privacy policy
“To power machine learning algorithms that support our Platform;”
Sharing
Service providers, ad platforms, affiliates, and sometimes your employer or benefit sponsor.
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Privacy policy
“We work with third party platforms who provide us with analytics and advertising services.”
Kept
They keep it as long as they say they need it; medical records can last ten years.
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Privacy policy
“We will keep your personal information for as long as needed to perform our obligations to you, or for as long as legally permitted.”
Controls
Email them for access, correction, export, or deletion; ad opt-out is in My Data or Privacy Choices.
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Privacy policy
“You may make these requests by contacting help@headspace.com or in some cases using features within the Platform”
Fine print
Subscriptions auto-renew with no refunds.
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Terms of service
“You will not have the right to receive a refund for any Subscription unless otherwise required by applicable law.”
Expand “Read the exact line” to see the source alongside the explanation.
What you can turn off
The controls and opt-outs their own documents describe, and where they say to find them.
Opt out of sale/sharing and targeted ads
Your Privacy Choices link, or Apps My Data page / mobile app settings
Request access, export, or deletion
Email help@headspace.com or use in-Platform features where offered
Cancel before renewal
headspace.com cancellation page, help@headspace.com, or Apple/Google subscription settings if you bought there
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
Paid plans keep charging and they generally will not give money back.
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Terms of service
“You will not have the right to receive a refund for any Subscription unless otherwise required by applicable law.”
For example, if you cancel two days after yearly billing, you still pay for the rest of the year.
If someone sues them over how you used the app, you may have to cover their legal costs.
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Terms of service
“you will defend and Headspace, your employer, your health plan, or provider (as applicable) and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, consultants, affiliates, subsidiaries and agents”
For example, if a post you made caused a lawsuit, you could be on the hook for their lawyers.
They treat some ad tracking as a sale or share of your data, though you can opt out.
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Privacy policy
“we may disclose limited personal information to third parties for our cross-context behavioral and targeted advertising purposes and this activity may fall under broader concepts of “selling” and/or “sharing””
For example, an ad network may get identifiers so Headspace ads follow you on other sites.
Public posts you submit can be used forever, including for marketing, without paying you.
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Terms of service
“by submitting User Material you hereby grant Headspace an , , non-exclusive, , worldwide license to use, telecast, copy, perform, display, edit, distribute and otherwise exploit the User Material”
For example, a comment you leave in a community forum could be reused in an ad.
They can shut your account right away if they think you broke the rules.
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Terms of service
“Such termination or suspension may be immediate and without notice.”
For example, they could lock you out of paid content without warning after a suspected breach.
They use your data so ads about Headspace can follow you around the internet.
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Privacy policy
“To personalize the advertisements you receive about our Platform through third-party platforms, on other websites and apps”
For example, after using the app you might see Headspace ads on another website.
Therapy and coaching records can stay on file for a decade after you last used care.
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Terms of service
“Headspace’s affiliated medical providers and partners, such as Headspace Medical Group (CA) P.C., will retain coaching records and medical records (as applicable) with respect to your use of the Services for a period of ten years”
For example, notes from a therapy session could still exist ten years later.
You get a choice before talking to their AI companion, rather than being forced in.
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Privacy policy
“Before you use or activate an AI Feature, we will let you know that you will be interacting with AI and give you the choice of whether to do so.”
For example, you would have to turn on Ebb before chatting with it.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- third parties
- Any company or person other than you and the app, such as advertisers, partners or analytics firms. For example, an analytics company that receives a record of every screen you tap is a third party.
- personal data
- Any information that is about you or can be linked to you, from your name to your phone's ID. For example, your email, your IP address and the list of apps on your phone are all personal data.
- indemnify
- You promise to pay the company's legal costs and losses if your use of the service gets it sued. For example, if you post a song you do not own and the label sues the app, you owe the app's lawyer bills.
- affiliates
- Other companies owned by or connected to the same parent company. For example, if you use one app, its sister apps under the same owner may also get your data.
- targeted advertising
- Ads chosen for you based on what you have done across other apps and websites, not just this one. For example, you look at shoes in one app and see shoe ads in a totally different app the next day.
- irrevocable
- Cannot be taken back or cancelled once given, even if you change your mind or delete your account. For example, an irrevocable licence to your photos means you cannot withdraw it later.
- perpetual
- Lasting forever, with no end date. For example, a perpetual licence means the company can keep using your video years after you leave.
- royalty-free
- The company can use your content without ever paying you for it. For example, your photo can appear in the app's ads and you get nothing.
- worldwide license
- You let the company use your content anywhere on earth, usually for free and for as long as it likes. For example, a video you post can be shown in ads in any country without asking you again.
- retention
- How long a company keeps your data before deleting it. For example, a policy might keep your messages for 30 days after you delete them, or for as long as it likes.
How we got here · grade F · score 28/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 2 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect account data, health and wellness details, optional demographics like race and sexual orientation, device and usage data, payments, and sometimes audio or photos.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
They list audio recordings, voicemails, photographs, and sleep, health, or exercise data as collected personal information, without saying it is deleted after a session.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
Not stated in the documents.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They work with third-party ad and analytics platforms and personalize ads on other sites and apps.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they do not sell data for payment, but CCPA “sale/sharing” for ads applies and you can opt out.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
For public User Material and submissions, they take a perpetual worldwide license they can sublicense, including for ads.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
Deletion is mainly by request, they keep data as long as needed, and medical records can be kept for ten years.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They collect inferences and a profile of preferences and psychological trends, without describing memory controls you can edit or turn off.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe general technical, administrative, and physical safeguards, but not an independent audit or bug-bounty program.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The platform is not for under 13; main use is 18+, with limited teen access via sponsors or Headspace for Teens, not a strong age-check system.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The policy is dated and they say they will notify you of significant changes, but retention periods stay general.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may suspend or terminate immediately without notice for fraud or breach.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is, liability is capped, and you must indemnify them for many third-party claims.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Subscriptions auto-renew and they say you are not entitled to a refund unless the law requires it. Price changes take effect after notice.
The privacy policy is 7,514 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 26.9); the terms are 12,074 words at a college graduate level.
