Privacy Policy

Introduction

VoiGu, Inc. (“VoiGu,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) operates the VoiGu language learning service, including our mobile applications for iOS and Android, our website at voigu.com, and related services (collectively, the “Service”).

This Privacy Policy describes the personal information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. By using VoiGu, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

Information we collect

We collect only the information needed to operate the Service, improve learning outcomes, and meet legal obligations.

Account information

When you create a VoiGu account, we collect your email address and a password (stored as a one-way hash). If you sign in with Apple, Google, or Facebook, we receive your email and basic profile information from those providers — never your password. You may optionally add a display name, profile photo, native language, target language(s), age range, and learning goals.

Guest accounts

You can use VoiGu without creating an account. In Guest Mode, we generate an anonymous device identifier so we can save your progress, streak, and XP locally and on our servers. Guest data is tied to that device only. If you later create an account, you can convert your guest progress to your new account; otherwise, guest data is automatically deleted after 90 days of inactivity.

Learning data

We collect data that powers the learning experience, including:

Lessons started, completed, and skipped
XP earned, hearts remaining, and crowns awarded
Daily streak, Streak Freeze usage, and league placement
Quiz answers, mistakes, and time spent per question
Words and grammar concepts you've practiced
Course preferences (target language, level, daily goal)

Voice and audio data

Pronunciation practice and AI conversation mode require microphone access. See Voice & pronunciation data for details on how we handle audio.

Device and usage data

We automatically collect:

Device model, operating system, and app version
Crash logs, performance traces, and error diagnostics
IP address and approximate location derived from it (country and region only)
App and feature usage events (e.g., screens viewed, buttons tapped)
Referral source if you arrived from an ad or campaign link

Payment information

Subscriptions are processed through the Apple App Store or Google Play. We do not receive or store your full credit card number, billing address, or CVV. We receive a transaction identifier and the subscription tier you purchased.

Communications

If you contact our support team, we keep a record of the correspondence and any information you choose to share so we can resolve your request and improve our service.

How we use your information

We use your information to:

Provide, maintain, and personalize the Service
Adapt lessons to your level, weak spots, and pace (the core of how our AI tutor “Gu” works)
Sync your streak, XP, hearts, and progress across your devices
Process subscription payments and manage your billing status
Send transactional notifications (lesson reminders, streak alerts, purchase confirmations)
Send marketing communications, where you have opted in or where permitted by law (you can opt out at any time)
Detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, and security incidents
Improve the Service through aggregated, anonymized analytics and A/B testing
Comply with applicable laws and respond to legal requests

Legal bases for processing (EEA, UK, Switzerland)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, our legal bases under the GDPR / UK GDPR are:

Performance of a contract — to provide the Service you signed up for, including syncing your progress and processing subscriptions.
Legitimate interests — to secure the Service, improve features, and prevent fraud, balanced against your rights.
Consent — for marketing emails, microphone access, and optional analytics. You can withdraw consent at any time in Settings.
Legal obligation — where we must process data to comply with applicable laws (e.g., tax, fraud-prevention).

Voice & pronunciation data

Pronunciation scoring and AI conversation mode require access to your device microphone. We treat audio as sensitive data:

On-device first. Wherever possible, speech-to-text and pronunciation scoring run on your device. The audio itself never leaves your phone.
Server processing. When more advanced scoring is needed (e.g., AI conversation), we may stream audio to our servers for the duration of the lesson. The audio is processed in memory and is not retained by default.
Quality improvement. If you opt in, short audio samples may be retained (in anonymized form) to improve our models. You can opt out at any time in Settings → Privacy.
No sale. We never sell your voice recordings to anyone.

Subscriptions & payments

VoiGu Plus and VoiGu Family subscriptions are sold through the Apple App Store and Google Play. The processing of your payment, including renewals and refunds, is governed by the platform's terms.

We receive a token confirming your subscription tier and renewal date — not your card details.
To cancel a subscription, manage it in your Apple ID Subscriptions or Google Play Subscriptions.
For refunds, contact Apple Report a Problem or Google Play support.

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only as described below.

Service providers (processors)

Google Firebase & Google Cloud — authentication, database storage, analytics, crash reporting, push notifications, and hosting. Google processes data on our behalf under data processing agreements.
Apple App Store / Google Play — subscription billing and receipt validation.
Stripe — for any direct-to-web purchases (where available), processed via PCI-compliant infrastructure.
Customer support tools — to manage email tickets and live chat.
Email delivery providers — to send transactional and (where opted in) marketing emails.

Legal & safety

We may disclose information when required by law, in response to valid legal process, to protect the rights, property, or safety of VoiGu, our users, or the public, or to investigate fraud or security issues.

Business transfers

If VoiGu is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to this Privacy Policy or a comparable replacement.

International data transfers

VoiGu is headquartered in the United States. Our service providers may process your data in the U.S., the European Union, or other countries. When we transfer personal data out of the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, we rely on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

Data retention

We retain your information only as long as needed to provide the Service or meet legal obligations:

Active accounts — for the life of the account.
Inactive accounts— deleted after 24 months of inactivity (you'll receive a warning email first).
Guest data — deleted after 90 days of inactivity.
Crash logs & diagnostics — 90 days.
Billing records — retained as required by tax law (typically 7 years).
Support correspondence — 24 months after the ticket closes.

Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, port, or restrict the processing of your personal information, and to object to processing or withdraw consent.

Access & export. Request a copy of your data via Settings → Privacy → Download my data.
Correction. Edit your profile in-app or contact us.
Deletion. Settings → Account → Delete account. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.
Marketing opt-out. Use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or toggle off in Settings → Notifications.
Do Not Track / GPC. We honor Global Privacy Control signals where applicable.
Complaints. EEA/UK residents may complain to their local Data Protection Authority.

To exercise any right, email privacy@voigu.com. We respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

California residents have additional rights, including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete it, the right to correct it, and the right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. VoiGu does not sell personal information. To exercise California rights, email privacy@voigu.comwith the subject line “California Privacy Request.”

Children's privacy

VoiGu is intended for users 13 and older (16+ in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under those ages. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please email privacy@voigu.com and we will delete it promptly.

VoiGu Kids, a separate product designed for children with parental consent, is governed by its own COPPA-compliant privacy notice.

Notifications

We send push notifications, in-app messages, and emails to keep you on track:

Lesson reminders at your chosen daily time.
Streak alerts when your streak is about to expire.
League and progress updates at the end of each weekly cycle.
Account & billing notices (transactional, not optional).
Tips, news, and offers only with your consent.

You can disable any non-transactional notification in Settings → Notifications, or via your device's system settings. We never send notifications between 10 PM and 7 AM in your local time zone.

Analytics & tracking preferences

We use Firebase Analytics and similar tools to understand how the Service is used and to improve it. Analytics events are tied to a device identifier, not your name or email.

You can opt out of analytics at any time in Settings → Privacy → Analytics. Opting out does not affect transactional or learning-data syncing.

See our Cookies Policy for details on web tracking.

Security

We take security seriously. All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256). Authentication is handled through Firebase Authentication. For the full picture, see our Security Policy.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you in-app or by email at least 14 days before the new policy takes effect. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

Contact us

Questions about this Privacy Policy or your data? Reach our Data Protection team:

Email: privacy@voigu.com
General support: hello@voigu.com
Postal: VoiGu, Inc., Attn: Privacy, 548 Market Street #94109, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA