This Privacy Policy explains how LingoPaws collects, uses, shares, retains, and deletes information when you use the LingoPaws mobile application, the website at lingopaws.com, and related services (the "Service").
Information is collected directly from choices and content you provide, automatically from your use of the Service and device context needed to operate it, and from Apple when you use Sign in with Apple or App Store subscription features.
LingoPaws does not use third-party advertising SDKs or cross-app tracking in the current release. We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
1. Age
LingoPaws is intended for users aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from a child below the applicable minimum age. If you believe a child has provided information contrary to this policy, contact us so we can investigate and delete it where required.
2. Information We Process
Account and identity
We process the provider subject identifier and authentication evidence needed to sign you in, maintain your LingoPaws account, protect it, and detect revoked or invalid credentials. Apple may provide a relay email or name only when you choose to share it. LingoPaws does not receive your Apple account password or payment-card details.
Profile and courses
We process your native language, target language or languages, proficiency, learning purposes, difficult scenarios, current course, onboarding completion, public display name or avatar choices, and course access state.
Learning and memory data
We process daily plans, assigned vocabulary IDs, study sessions, the first Know/Fuzzy/Forgot assessment, same-day reinforcement events, learned-word history, completion state, review events, and scheduling state used by the FSRS-based memory system. We also process content and signed-Bundle versions needed to present the correct language direction.
Game and engagement data
We process game sessions, signed actions, runs, levels, boosters, moves, goals, stars, scores, allowance use, retries, and settlement evidence. We process streak completion, engagement points, rankings, public player profile fields, friendship and invitation state where those features are used.
Subscription evidence
We process product identifiers, entitlement status, transaction identifiers or signed transaction evidence, App Account Token, trial or renewal state, expiration information, restore results, and verification status. Apple handles billing credentials and payment authorization.
Technical and operational data
We process app version, device and operating-system information, time zone and local date needed for daily plans and streaks, request identifiers, timestamps, network and API errors, security events, crash or diagnostic information, and limited logs needed to operate, secure, debug, and improve the Service. We do not offer an offline study mode.
Website information
When you visit lingopaws.com, our hosting infrastructure may process standard request information such as IP address, browser type, requested page, timestamp, and security or error logs needed to deliver and protect the site. The current website does not use advertising trackers, sell visitor information, or require a website account.
3. How We Use Information
We use information to:
- authenticate users and maintain accounts;
- generate and adapt daily learning and review plans;
- schedule review through the memory system without overwriting the first assessment with reinforcement activity;
- deliver the correct localized content and audio;
- maintain progress, streaks, game state, rankings, and social features;
- verify subscriptions, trials, renewals, and restores;
- prevent fraud, cheating, abuse, and unauthorized access;
- diagnose failures, provide retryable error handling, and improve reliability; and
- comply with legal obligations and enforce the Terms of Use.
Where applicable law requires a legal basis, processing may rely on performance of the service contract, legitimate interests in operating and securing the Service, compliance with law, and consent where specifically requested.
4. Sharing and Service Providers
We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We may disclose limited information to processors and platforms only as needed to provide the Service, including:
- Apple for Sign in with Apple, App Store subscriptions, purchase restoration, and platform services;
- Alibaba Cloud infrastructure used to host application servers, databases, caching, learning assets, the website, encrypted transport, and operational security controls; and
- other professional advisers, authorities, or service providers only where reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect the Service, or complete a legitimate business transfer subject to appropriate safeguards.
The language-content and audio production pipeline does not receive ordinary users’ account, study, subscription, or social data. If we later add a provider or SDK that materially changes how personal information is processed, we will update this policy and the App Store privacy disclosures before enabling that processing in a production release.
Providers may process information under their own terms and privacy policies where they act independently, such as Apple’s App Store and authentication services. We may disclose information when required by law, to protect rights or safety, or in connection with a legitimate business transfer subject to appropriate safeguards.
We require service providers that process personal information on our behalf to protect it consistently with this policy and applicable law, including protections that are the same as or equivalent to those described here.
5. Rankings and Social Visibility
Rankings and friend features may display the public profile fields you choose, language scope, rank, and engagement score. Private identity credentials, private learning ratings, and detailed study history are not intended to be displayed publicly. You should avoid placing sensitive information in a public display name.
6. Retention
We retain account and learning information while your account is active so progress, review scheduling, subscriptions, and integrity checks continue to work. The criteria used to determine retention are whether the account remains active, whether the record is needed to deliver or secure the Service, whether an unresolved transaction or dispute exists, and whether law requires a longer period. Operational logs are retained only as long as reasonably needed for security, diagnostics, fraud prevention, and legal obligations, with periods varying by record type.
Subscription and transaction-integrity records may be retained as required to verify entitlements, resolve disputes, prevent fraud, and meet accounting or legal obligations. Aggregated or de-identified information that can no longer reasonably identify you may be retained for analytics and service improvement.
7. Account Deletion
You can request deletion through the in-app Account controls. After the required confirmation, LingoPaws initiates immediate deletion of the server account and account-owned profile, course, learning, game, streak, ranking, and social data. Data that must be retained for legal, security, fraud-prevention, or transaction-integrity obligations is isolated and retained only for the required purpose and period.
Account deletion does not cancel an App Store subscription. You must manage or cancel the subscription through Apple. Signing in again after deletion creates a new LingoPaws account. See the account deletion instructions.
8. Security and International Processing
We use technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect information, including authenticated requests, signed content and game evidence, transport encryption, scoped storage, and access controls. No method of storage or transmission can guarantee absolute security.
Information may be processed in countries other than where you live. Where required, we use lawful transfer mechanisms and safeguards appropriate to the destination and service provider.
9. Your Choices and Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to know or access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or receive a copy of certain personal information, and to complain to a data-protection authority. You may also withdraw consent where processing relies on consent, without affecting earlier lawful processing. Where applicable, you have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising a privacy right. Because the current Service does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, there is no sale or advertising-sharing opt-out needed for the current release.
To exercise a right or ask a privacy question, contact aaronchen667@gmail.com. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. Mandatory rights available where you live are not limited by this policy.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when the Service, law, or our processing practices change. The current version will be available in the app and on lingopaws.com, and additional notice will be provided where required.
11. Contact
Privacy questions and requests may be sent to aaronchen667@gmail.com.