Privacy Policy

Live Translation, audio permissions and local captions

Live Translation is optional. After you grant the relevant system permission, Chivoc processes microphone audio or app audio supplied by the operating system for on-device speech recognition and translation. Screen-audio mode does not perform screen text recognition, retain screen images, or save a video. Chivoc does not upload captured audio, recognized speech, pinyin, or translated captions to Chivoc servers, Supabase, Google Cloud Speech or Translation services, or online large language models.

Audio is processed in memory. On iPhone, small, bounded, temporary audio buffers also pass through a local shared cache between the broadcast extension and Chivoc; they are deleted as consumed and cleaned up when the broadcast ends or the next session starts. They are not retained as a replayable recording. Pause skips incoming audio and does not back-translate it on resume. Stop or closing the translation window ends the session. The system capture indicator may remain visible while a screen broadcast is authorized, even when translation is paused.

By default, captions exist only for the current session and its review screen. If you choose to save them, Chivoc stores recognized source text, translated text, pinyin, source and target languages, audio-source mode, timestamps, and a local account identifier in a database on that device. This history is not uploaded or synchronized. You can delete saved sessions from Live Translation history. In-app account deletion also removes that account's local translation records and language preferences; records for other accounts are not removed. Current builds exclude the caption database from operating-system backup where supported. Older device backups or copies independently made by you are controlled by your backup provider, not removed remotely by Chivoc.

Offline resource downloads need a network connection. iPhone speech and translation resources are downloaded from and managed by Apple, and can be shared with other apps. Chivoc can release its own speech-language reservation; this does not guarantee immediate deletion of shared system files or reclaimed storage. Apple translation languages are managed through the system Translate settings. On Android, Chivoc downloads supported Vosk speech models from the model publisher and translation models through Google ML Kit. Model hosts may process IP addresses and routine connection or download logs. Android app-managed language packs can be removed in Downloads & Storage; deleting packs does not delete saved captions. A model may be reused by more than one language pair.

Google states that ML Kit processes translation inputs and outputs on-device and does not send that content to Google servers. ML Kit may nevertheless contact Google for model delivery or configuration and send device/app information, installation identifiers, configured languages, performance, usage and diagnostic metrics. These practices follow Google's ML Kit terms and privacy documentation. Local processing is not a promise that the app or SDK never connects to the internet. Apple system services operate under Apple's applicable terms and privacy controls.

Chinese sentence and character playback uses Chivoc's existing downloadable pinyin recordings, not cloud speech synthesis or TTS. If the pinyin package is missing, a download is offered when you request playback; declining does not prevent text translation. This package is shared with other learning tools, so removing it affects those tools too. Microphone recognition is suspended during pronunciation playback to avoid translating its own output. Daily free-usage counters and translation preferences are kept locally; membership verification uses the existing account and purchase services without sending conversation content.

Google ML Kit terms and privacy · ML Kit data disclosures · Vosk model licenses

Who we are

Chivoc is a Chinese language learning service operated by the Chivoc development team. This policy explains how Chivoc handles personal information in the mobile app, website, and related support services.

Questions or privacy requests can be sent to [email protected].

Information we collect

Account and profile information

We collect your email address, account identifier, selected language, and, when provided through Google or Apple sign-in, a display name, provider identifier, and verified provider email. We do not retain the profile image supplied by a sign-in provider. Passwords are never stored in plain text; only protected password hashes are stored.

Approximate registration country

When you register, our network provider may provide a two-letter country code inferred from the request IP address. We store that country code to understand broad regional demand and localize the service. We do not retain the raw IP address for this purpose. The result may be inaccurate, including when a VPN or relay is used.

Learning and app activity

We store HSK level, daily goal, words studied, answers, learning progress, exercise mode, streaks, language preferences, and related timestamps so progress can synchronize across sessions. For free accounts, we also store the word identifiers assigned to the 100-word vocabulary allowance so those words remain available for review across supported learning modes. Handwriting records may include completion, stroke accuracy totals, hints, and mistakes. Raw finger or stylus paths are evaluated on the device and are not uploaded.

For in-app notices, we store the message title and content, intended account or account group, delivery time, and which message identifiers an account has read. To limit rating requests, we store distinct active dates and request-attempt timestamps. Apple and Google do not tell us whether you submitted a rating.

Authentication and security information

We temporarily process verification codes, password-reset requests, session tokens, sign-in method, and limited technical logs needed to prevent abuse and diagnose failures. Verification codes and pending requests expire automatically.

Purchases and support

When paid features are enabled, we may receive product, entitlement, transaction, refund, and app-store region information from Apple, Google, or a purchase-management provider. We do not receive your full payment-card number. If you contact us, we process the message and any information you choose to include.

Offline downloads and on-device storage

HSK packages containing vocabulary, translations, audio, and character stroke data, the grammar learning package containing grammar lessons, multilingual translations, and AI-generated example audio, and the optional pinyin audio package may be downloaded to your device for offline use. Cloudflare R2 delivers these files and may process routine connection, security, and diagnostic information needed for delivery. You can remove supported packages from Downloads & Storage without deleting learning progress.

Handwriting-practice PDF samples and Premium workbooks may be previewed in Chivoc or saved through your device's file and sharing controls. A PDF saved outside Chivoc is managed by your device and may remain after you sign out, delete your account, clear Chivoc data, or uninstall the app.

Learning and exercise results are temporarily kept in a local queue and normally sent together in one request when the app session ends or the app next has a sync opportunity. When offline, queued results remain on that device until synchronization succeeds or app data is cleared.

Workbook access and file delivery

When you request a full handwriting workbook, Chivoc sends your current session credential to its application server to confirm that your Premium entitlement is active. If access is approved, the server issues a short-lived, file-specific download address and Cloudflare R2 transfers the PDF directly to your device.

Cloudflare and Google Cloud may process routine connection, security, and diagnostic information needed to provide and protect these requests. Chivoc does not create a per-account history of which workbook files you preview or download.

Camera scanning and on-device text recognition

When you use Scan Hanzi, Chivoc accesses the camera only after you grant permission. Camera preview frames, captured scan images, and recognized text are processed on your device using the device's text-recognition technology. Chivoc does not upload or retain those images or recognized text.

If you choose to open a matched full HSK word card, Chivoc sends your session credential and the selected HSK word identifier to its application server to apply the existing free vocabulary allowance or confirm Premium access. The scanned image and surrounding recognized text are not sent. The related HSK package may then be downloaded as described in this policy.

Learning tools and local practice history

The pinyin keyboard, pinyin wheel, and pinyin chase game use audio stored on your device. Pinyin key presses, wheel combinations, chase-game scores, and errors are processed locally and are not uploaded as learning history.

Sentence Builder uses downloaded HSK example text, translations, sentence audio links, and pinyin tile data. Its current position, selected mode and difficulty, completion totals, elapsed time, streak, and sentence identifiers marked for mistake review are stored locally on your device and are not uploaded or synchronized.

Grammar Learning stores learned grammar identifiers, course progress, practice totals, the most recent level and course, and identifiers counted toward the free 20-point allowance locally for your account on that device. This grammar history is not uploaded or synchronized.

To avoid repeatedly interrupting you, Chivoc also stores locally whether a free-limit notice has already been shown for your account, the relevant feature category, and the current app version. The choice you make in that notice is not uploaded.

Chivoc's word-connection, triple-match, and word-wall games use vocabulary from the HSK package selected on your device. To reduce immediate repetition between game sessions, the app stores a small game deck containing a local account identifier, word identifiers, the current HSK level, game type, package version, and update time in local on-device storage.

Game choices, scores, completion status, failures, and timer results are not sent to Chivoc's servers and do not update your synchronized learning progress. Local Sentence Builder and game-deck information is removed when you delete your Chivoc account through the app, clear the app data, or uninstall the app. The same controls remove local grammar progress, free-access history, and free-limit notice information.

How we use information

• Create, secure, and authenticate your account.
• Save learning settings and synchronize progress.
• Deliver relevant in-app service and account notices.
• Limit the frequency of operating-system rating requests.
• Send verification, password-reset, and service emails.
• Provide purchases, entitlements, refunds, and customer support.
• Measure reliability, prevent fraud, and fix technical problems.
• Understand aggregate regional usage and improve language support.
• Meet legal, tax, accounting, and app-store obligations.

Legal bases

Where applicable law requires a legal basis, we process information to perform our contract with you, comply with legal obligations, protect the service and our users through legitimate interests, and obtain consent where required. You may withdraw consent for optional processing without affecting earlier lawful processing.

Service providers and transfers

We use service providers to operate Chivoc. These may include Supabase for PostgreSQL hosting, Resend for transactional email, Cloudflare for DNS, delivery, security, and country-code routing, Google Cloud for application hosting, Google and Apple for sign-in, and Apple, Google, or RevenueCat for in-app purchase processing when those features are enabled.

Providers process information under their own terms and our service arrangements. We require providers that process personal information for Chivoc to use it only for authorized purposes and provide protections consistent with this policy and applicable law. Because they may operate in different countries, information can be transferred internationally with safeguards required by applicable law.

Advertising and website technologies

Chivoc does not currently display third-party advertising or use advertising trackers. If advertising is introduced, we will update this policy, the app-store privacy disclosures, and any consent choices before advertising-related collection begins.

The current Chivoc website does not use non-essential cookies or analytics cookies. Google or Apple authentication pages may use technologies governed by those providers when you choose their sign-in services.

Retention and deletion

Account, learning information, message read status, and rating-request eligibility history are kept while your account remains active. Short-lived verification and password-reset records normally expire within minutes. Security logs are retained only as long as reasonably necessary for protection and troubleshooting. Purchase records may be retained where required for tax, accounting, fraud prevention, or dispute handling.

App-managed downloads, the offline learning snapshot used to enforce the personalized free allowance, local Sentence Builder progress, local grammar progress and free-access history, local free-limit notice information, local game deck information, and an unsynchronized learning-result queue may remain only on your device. They are removed when you use the applicable in-app control, delete your account through the app, clear app data, or uninstall Chivoc; queued learning results are also removed after successful synchronization.

Removing a learning package keeps its associated progress so the content can be downloaded again later.

PDF workbooks that you save to Files, Downloads, cloud storage, or another app are outside Chivoc's storage and must be deleted using that destination's controls.

You can request or initiate account deletion from the app. Deleting an account removes account credentials, linked sign-in identities, learning settings, synchronized progress, direct account messages, message read status, rating-request eligibility history, the on-device offline snapshot, local Sentence Builder progress, local grammar progress and free-access history, local free-limit notice information, and local game-deck information, subject to records we must retain by law. Deleting Chivoc does not automatically cancel an App Store or Google Play subscription; subscriptions must also be managed through the applicable store.

Your choices and rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or receive a copy of personal information, and to complain to a data-protection authority. To exercise a right, use the in-app controls or email [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request.

Security

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards, including protected credentials, access controls, encrypted network transport, environment-based secrets, and limited provider access. No service can guarantee absolute security, so please use a unique password and keep your device secure.

Children

Chivoc is not directed to children under 13, or a higher minimum age where local law requires it, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from such children without valid parental authorization. If you believe a child has provided information improperly, contact us so we can investigate and delete it.

Changes and contact

We may update this policy as Chivoc develops. Material changes will be presented in the app or through another appropriate notice, and the date above will be updated. Contact [email protected] with privacy questions or requests.