Privacy Policy

Overview

This Privacy Policy explains how VocaPal ("the App") handles information when you use the app. VocaPal is developed by Rokeya Akter.

VocaPal helps users practice vocabulary by listening to spoken English words and showing meanings and translated examples.

Information We Collect

VocaPal can be used without creating an account. Optional Google Sign-in is available to enable cloud backup and sync of your vocabulary across devices.

We do not intentionally collect personal identifiers such as your name, phone number, or home address.

Depending on your usage, the app may process the following data:

• Spoken words recognized by device speech recognition
• Word lookup text and example text sent for translation/lookup
• Basic technical request data handled by third-party APIs (for example IP address and request metadata)
• Anonymous lookup data (words, meanings, and examples) cached locally on your device and remotely in a shared cloud database to improve lookup speed for all users
• If you sign in: your Firebase user ID, vocabulary list, app preferences, and daily activity data synced to a private, per-account cloud database so you can access your data across devices
• Feedback you submit in the app (for example bug reports and feature suggestions), including feedback text, selected feedback type, app version, and submission timestamp
• Anonymous product usage events used for app performance and quality improvement (for example analytics events related to practice, review prompts, and feedback submissions)
• Subscription status data when you use premium features (for example product identifier, entitlement status, trial status, expiration/renewal date, and purchase state)

Subscriptions and Payments

VocaPal offers optional auto-renewing subscriptions for premium features.

Purchases are processed by Apple App Store (and/or Google Play, depending on your platform). We do not collect or store your full payment card details.

VocaPal uses RevenueCat to manage subscription products, entitlements, and restore purchases across installs/devices.

RevenueCat and the platform store may process transaction metadata such as product ID, subscription state, renewal/expiration dates, trial status, and technical identifiers needed to validate purchases.

Microphone and Speech Recognition

VocaPal requests microphone and speech recognition permissions so it can detect spoken words and provide meanings/examples.

The app does not run background recording and only listens when you start listening in the app.

Notifications and Reminders

VocaPal can send optional daily reminder notifications to help you maintain a consistent vocabulary practice habit.

Reminders are scheduled on your device using local notifications. Reminder scheduling preferences (for example enabled state and time) are stored locally in app settings.

You can disable reminders anytime in app settings or your device notification settings.

VocaPal AI Feature & Word Pronunciation

VocaPal AI is an optional in-app feature that generates learning content — stories, mnemonics, example sentences, fill-in-the-blank exercises, and quizzes — for vocabulary words you select.

The app also offers an optional Word Pronunciation feature that speaks words aloud using high-quality AI-generated audio.

When you use either feature, the selected word (and, for VocaPal AI, its optional meaning/translation) is sent to a private server operated by the developer (api.pumpradar.online) to generate the response or audio. No user ID, account information, or other personal identifiers are transmitted — only the word and optional meaning context.

AI-generated responses are streamed to your device in real time and are not stored on the server. Pronunciation audio is cached locally on your device after first use to reduce repeated network requests.

If you are signed in, your daily AI usage (token count and request count) is tracked in Firebase Firestore to enforce the free tier limit. Free users receive 2,000 tokens per day; Premium users have unlimited daily usage.

Use of the VocaPal AI feature is entirely optional. You can ignore it at any time without affecting other app functionality.

Third-Party Services

VocaPal uses external services to fetch dictionary data and translations. These services may receive text queries and network metadata needed to process requests.

• Dictionary API: dictionaryapi.dev
• Google Cloud & Translation: cloud.google.com/terms/
• LibreTranslate: libretranslate.com
• MyMemory Translation: mymemory.translated.net
• Firebase (Google): used for optional sign-in (Firebase Auth), anonymous analytics, cloud dictionary cache, per-user cloud sync (signed-in users only), and submitted user feedback storage
• RevenueCat: revenuecat.com/privacy (subscription management and entitlement processing)
• Apple App Store / Google Play Billing: handles subscription purchase processing and renewal lifecycle
• VocaPal AI Server (api.pumpradar.online): receives the selected vocabulary word for AI content generation and, when Word Pronunciation is used, for TTS audio generation. No personal data is transmitted.

Please review each provider's terms and privacy policy for details about their data handling.

How We Use Information

• Detect spoken words and show vocabulary results
• Translate meanings/examples into your selected language
• Improve reliability and troubleshoot issues
• Review and prioritize bug reports and feature requests submitted by users
• Measure feature usage trends and app quality using anonymous analytics events

VocaPal does not sell your personal information.

Data Storage and Retention

Vocabulary cache data may be stored locally on your device to speed up repeated lookups. You can clear local app data by uninstalling the app.

Additionally, the text of definitions and translations is stored securely in a shared cloud database (Firebase) to provide faster, crowdsourced dictionary results. This shared data contains no personally identifiable information.

Cloud sync (signed-in users): If you sign in with Google, your vocabulary, preferences, and daily activity data are stored in a private Firebase Firestore database associated with your account. This data is accessible only to you and is used solely to sync your progress across devices.

If you submit feedback in the app, that feedback is sent to a secure cloud database (Firebase Firestore) so the developer can review and improve the app. This may include the feedback text, feedback type, app version, and timestamp. Submitted feedback is automatically deleted after 90 days.

Subscription transaction metadata and entitlement state are retained by payment/subscription processors (such as Apple/Google and RevenueCat) according to their own retention policies and legal obligations.

Local Backups: VocaPal offers an optional feature to export and restore your vocabulary list and settings. This process is entirely local. The backup file is generated and stored on your device, giving you full control over where it is saved. We do not transmit, collect, or store your backup files on our servers.

Children's Privacy

VocaPal is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect data processed by the app. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure.

Your Rights and Choices

• You can stop microphone access in your device settings.
• You can disable daily reminders in app settings or in your device notification settings.
• You can uninstall the app at any time.
• You can choose whether or not to submit feedback.
• You can manage, cancel, or change your subscription anytime in your App Store/Play Store account settings.
• You can use the in-app "Restore Purchases" option to recover premium access on a new install/device.
• You can contact us to request removal of submitted feedback where reasonably possible.
• Delete Account (right to erasure): Signed-in users can permanently delete their account and all associated cloud data (vocabulary, preferences, daily activity) directly from Settings → Delete Account. This action is irreversible. Local device data is also wiped at the same time. Note: submitted feedback records are stored anonymously and cannot be linked back to a deleted account.

Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page with a new effective date.

Contact

If you have privacy questions, contact: rokeyakeya@yahoo.com