Privacy Policy

Effective date: 29 June 2026

1. Who this policy covers

This Privacy Policy applies to the PinyinVision iOS app and its supporting cloud services. PinyinVision lets you use your camera to scan Chinese text and objects, view pinyin and translations, save vocabulary, interact with an AI Mandarin tutor, and optionally connect with friends.

2. Information we collect

Information you provide:

• Account identity: Name, email, and profile photo from Apple or Google sign-in. Used to create and secure your account and help friends find you.
• Saved content: Words, translations, decks, and photos you choose to save.
• Social connections: Friend requests and friends list.

Processed to provide features:

• Camera images/photos: Sent for OCR and object detection. Images are transient and are NOT retained unless you explicitly choose to save a photo.
• Microphone audio: In AI Tutor Talk mode, audio is streamed and not retained after your session.
• Text and vocabulary: Sent to translation, text-to-speech, and AI tutor services.

Collected automatically:

• Usage activity: Streaks, words translated, days opened.
• Account identifier and App Check tokens: For authentication and security.

What we do NOT collect:

• We do not use third-party advertising.
• We do not track you across other apps or websites.
• We do not include ad or tracking SDKs.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Provide scanning, translation, audio, vocabulary, and tutor features.
• Maintain your account, streak, and progress.
• Enable optional friend connections.
• Protect against abuse and enforce rate limits.
• Diagnose issues and improve reliability.

4. Sharing and disclosure

We do not sell your personal information.

Sub-processors: We use the following third-party services to operate the app:

• Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Storage, Functions, App Check)
• Google Cloud Vision, Translation, and Text-to-Speech
• Google Gemini API
• Apple (Sign in with Apple)

Friends: Friends can see your display name, profile photo, streak, and saved vocabulary.

Friend search: Signed-in users can find you by display name or email when searching for friends.

5. AI and voice features

We use Google Gemini to power quiz, chat, and live voice tutor features. We send only the information needed to provide those features. We do not retain audio after your session ends.

6. Data retention and deletion

We keep your data until you delete it. You can delete individual words in the app. To permanently delete your account, go to Settings → Delete Profile. This will irreversibly delete your profile, words, photos, friends, usage data, and credentials.

7. Security

We protect your data with TLS encryption, authentication, App Attest, and by not embedding provider API keys in the app.

8. Children

PinyinVision is not directed to children under 13.

9. Your rights

You have the right to access, correct, export, and delete your data. You can delete data in-app or email us at pinyinvision@gmail.com. We do not sell or share your data for cross-context advertising.

10. International transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States and other countries.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy by changing the effective date. Material changes will be notified in the app or on this site.