Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Pidgin Dictionary ("we", "our", or "us"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and website (collectively, the "Service"). Please read this policy carefully. If you disagree with its terms, please discontinue use of the Service.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly:

• Account information: When you register, we collect your name, email address, and password. Your password is stored in hashed form by our authentication provider; we cannot read it.
• Contributions (optional): Words, meanings, example sentences and proverbs you submit, and, if you choose, a voice recording of a pronunciation (see section 5).
• Support and feedback: Messages, support tickets and feedback you send us.

Information collected automatically:

• Usage data: Features used, screens viewed, search queries and other in-app interactions, collected through Google Analytics for Firebase.
• Device information: Device type, operating system version, app version, and device identifiers, including the advertising identifier (the Android Advertising ID, and on iOS the advertising identifier where you allow it).
• Approximate location: Your general location (for example country or city), worked out from your IP address.
• Precise location (optional): If you give the app permission, it may read your device's GPS location. The coordinates may be stored with your profile. You can withdraw this permission at any time in your device settings.
• Purchase and subscription information: Your subscription status, product, and start, renewal and expiry dates, and the store's transaction identifiers. We do not receive your card or bank details.
• Log data: IP address, timestamps, and error reports used to diagnose technical issues.

Information we do NOT collect:

• We do not access your contacts, photos or camera.
• We do not collect audio unless you choose to submit a voice recording as a contribution.
• We do not collect your card or bank details. Payments are handled by Apple and Google.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account and keep you signed in
• Provide and improve the Pidgin Dictionary service
• Confirm your subscription status and unlock premium content
• Send transactional emails (account verification, password reset, subscription confirmations, support replies)
• Send you a sign-in code by email if you turn on two-factor authentication
• Review and, where appropriate, use the words, proverbs and pronunciations that contributors submit
• Understand location in general terms, and support location-related features
• Analyse usage patterns to improve content and features
• Measure how well our own app-install ads work, using Google Ads conversion measurement
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or security issues
• Comply with legal obligations

We will not use your information for purposes beyond those listed above without first obtaining your consent.

4. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We do not give advertisers your name or email address. We share information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: We use third-party services to operate the app. Each receives only what it needs to do its job:
  • Supabase — database, file storage and authentication hosting
  • Resend — transactional email delivery
  • Google (Firebase / Google Analytics and Google Ads) — usage analytics and ad measurement (receives usage data and device identifiers, including the advertising identifier). See policies.google.com/privacy.
  • ip-api.com — looks up an approximate location from your IP address (receives your IP address)
  • Apple and Google — the App Store and Google Play process your purchases (see section 6)
• Our voice artist: Voice recordings from contributors are shared with the voice artist who records the app's pronunciations (see section 5).
• Legal requirements: If required by law, court order, or government authority.
• Business transfer: If Pidgin Dictionary is acquired or merged, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. You will be notified in advance.

5. Voice Recordings from Contributors

Contributors can choose to submit a voice recording of a Pidgin word or proverb. A recording of your voice can be treated as sensitive, biometric-type information in some places, so please read this section before you submit one. Submitting a recording is always optional, and by submitting one you agree to it being used as described here.

• What it is used for: The recording is sent to the voice artist who provided the app's existing pronunciations. The artist listens to it to get the correct pronunciation and accent, and then records the word in their own voice for the app. This is not voice cloning: your voice is not copied or imitated.
• Who sees it: Only our review team and the voice artist. We do not publish contributor recordings in the app.
• How long we keep it: A recording is deleted by us after it has been reviewed.
• Linked to you: A recording is stored with your contribution, which is linked to your account.

You can ask us to delete a recording at any time by emailing support@pidgindictionary.com.

6. Payments & Billing

Subscriptions are bought and billed through the Apple App Store or Google Play, depending on your device. They handle your payment details. We never see or store your card or bank details.

The stores tell us about your subscription (status, product, start, renewal and expiry dates, and a transaction identifier) so that we can unlock premium content for you and keep your access up to date.

Subscriptions are cancelled in the App Store or Google Play, not in our app or by us. For how Apple and Google handle your data, see apple.com/legal/privacy and policies.google.com/privacy.

7. Data Retention and Deletion

We keep your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service.

Delete your account in the app: Open Profile, tap Cancel Subscription & Delete Account, then tap Delete Account on the next screen and confirm. This deletes your profile, sign-in account, subscription records, progress, feedback, support tickets and contributions from our database. You can also ask us by email; see how to delete your account. We process email requests within 30 days.

What deleting your account does not do:

• It does not cancel your Apple or Google subscription. Please cancel it in the store.
• It does not remove purchase records held by Apple or Google.
• Voice recordings are not removed automatically. Email us if you want yours deleted.
• Analytics data that Google has already collected stays under Google's own retention settings.

Anonymised or aggregated usage data may be retained as it cannot identify you personally.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
• Objection: Object to certain types of processing, including marketing
• Withdrawal of consent: Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, for example by turning off location permission in your device settings

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@pidgindictionary.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Children's Privacy

Pidgin Dictionary is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at support@pidgindictionary.com and we will delete that information promptly.

10. Security

We take data security seriously and use measures to protect your information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission using HTTPS/TLS
• Secure authentication via Supabase with hashed passwords
• Row-level security on our database so that users can only access their own data
• Restricting server functions to signed-in users

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password for your account.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes we will also tell you in the app or by email.

Your continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.