Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Hanzilingo ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have regarding your information when you use our Service.

This policy applies to all of our products (together, "the Service"): the website at hanzilingo.com, our mobile applications for Android and iOS, and our browser extension. The same account and the same learning data are shared across all of them.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

• Account information: Email address, username, and password (hashed) when you register. If you sign in with Google, we receive your name and email from Google. If you sign in with Apple, we receive your email and — only the very first time you authorize the app — your name. Apple gives us a stable identifier for your account, which we store so we can recognize you on later sign-ins. If you choose "Hide My Email", we only ever see the forwarding address Apple generates for you (ending in @privaterelay.appleid.com) and never your real address.
• Learning data: Your lesson progress, vocabulary reviews, flashcard history, XP, streaks, and badges — used to personalize your learning experience.
• Payment information: Billing is handled entirely by Stripe. We do not store your card details. We receive confirmation of successful payments and your subscription status.
• Usage data: Pages visited, features used, and approximate session duration — collected to improve the Service.
• User content: Posts, comments, and other content you submit to community features.
• Mobile app data: When you use our mobile app we process basic device information (operating system version, app version, device language) so the app works correctly and we can diagnose crashes. Your settings, offline vocabulary and study history are stored locally on your device; they are only sent to our servers if you sign in and enable sync. If you allow notifications, we store your reminder schedule and a push token so study reminders can be delivered.
• Microphone and speech: Our pronunciation and shadowing practice features need your microphone. We ask for that permission only when you start a speaking exercise, and the microphone is active only while that exercise is running. Your speech is converted to text by the speech recognition built into your device's operating system — Apple on iOS, Google on Android — which means the audio is processed by that provider under its own privacy policy. We do not record, upload or store audio files. What reaches our servers is only the recognized text and your score for that sentence. You can revoke microphone access at any time in your device settings; the rest of the app keeps working without it.

We do not collect your precise location, contacts, photos or audio recordings, our mobile apps do not collect advertising identifiers, and we do not sell your personal information.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and improve the Service
• Personalize your learning experience (SRS scheduling, recommendations)
• Process payments and manage your subscription
• Send transactional emails (account confirmation, password reset)
• Respond to support requests and feedback
• Monitor for abuse and enforce our Terms of Service

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

4. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored in a PostgreSQL database hosted by Supabase on secure cloud infrastructure. We use industry-standard encryption (TLS/HTTPS) for all data in transit and at rest. Access to the database is restricted to authorized personnel only.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to maintain your session, remember your preferences (such as language and theme), and understand how the Service is used.

Advertising. To help cover our running costs, our website may show ads served by Google AdSense to visitors who are not signed in and to Free accounts. Premium members never see ads. Google and its partners may use cookies to serve ads based on your visits to this and other websites. You can opt out of personalized advertising at adssettings.google.com, and learn more at policies.google.com/technologies/ads. Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are asked for consent before personalized ads are shown. Our mobile apps do not show ads.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features of the Service may not function correctly without them.

Our mobile app does not use cookies. It uses local device storage for the same purposes (keeping you signed in and remembering your preferences), which you can clear at any time by deleting the app data or uninstalling the app.

6. Third-Party Services

We work with the following third-party services:

• Supabase — database and authentication
• Stripe — payment processing
• Google OAuth — optional sign-in method
• Sign in with Apple — optional sign-in method; supports Apple's "Hide My Email" relay
• Apple / Google speech recognition — converts your speech to text during pronunciation practice, on the platform you are using
• YouTube — embedded video player used by our shadowing lessons; the embed is served by Google and may set cookies
• Google AdSense — ads on the website for guests and Free accounts (never for Premium); may set advertising cookies
• DeepL — translates a word or example sentence you ask us to translate
• Free Dictionary API — looks up the phonetic transcription of an English word

Each of these services has its own privacy policy and data handling practices. We recommend reviewing their policies as well.

7. Data Retention

We retain your account and learning data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal or compliance reasons.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Object to or restrict certain processing of your data
• Receive a copy of your data in a portable format

Deleting your account: you can do this yourself, without contacting us. In our mobile apps, open the Account screen and choose "Delete account". We ask you to type your email address and to sign in again, because deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Deleting your account immediately cancels any active subscription, removes your learning data, and — if you had signed in with Apple — revokes the app's access to your Apple ID. See section 7 for what happens to the data afterwards.

To exercise any of the other rights, contact us at huangyongcheng3@gmail.com.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected such information, we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting a notice on the Service or by email. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at huangyongcheng3@gmail.com.