Privacy Policy

Introduction

Boba Chinese ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your 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").

By using our Service, you consent to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

Personal Information

We may collect personally identifiable information that you provide directly to us, including:

• Email address (for account creation and authentication)
• Child's first name (optional, for personalization)

Usage Information

We automatically collect certain information about your use of our Service:

• Learning progress (lessons completed, character mastery, session history)
• Language preference (simplified or traditional Chinese)

Subscription and Purchase Information

If you purchase a Boba+ subscription through the App Store, Apple processes all payment information. We do not see or store your credit card number, billing address, or other payment details. From Apple we receive only:

• A transaction identifier (used to validate your subscription with Apple)
• The product purchased (Boba+ Annual or Boba+ Monthly) and its status (active, in trial, expired)
• Subscription start and expiration dates

We use this information solely to grant and maintain your entitlement to paid Boba+ features.

Service Providers

We use trusted third-party service providers to operate our Service. These providers only process data necessary to deliver their services on our behalf and are bound by their own privacy and security commitments:

• Google Firebase / Google Cloud — authentication, database, file storage, and serverless functions for the app
• Apple — processes subscription purchases and sends us subscription status via the App Store
• Anthropic — for the Snap Dictionary tool, identifies the object in a photo so we can return its Chinese word (the photo is processed once and is not used to train AI models)
• fal.ai — for the Snap Dictionary tool, removes the background to make the object sticker; the photo is processed once and not stored
• OpenAI — for the app's read-aloud practice, converts your child's short reading clip to text so we can check whether the sentence was read (the clip is processed in real time, is not stored by us, and is not used to train AI models)

The Boba Chinese app contains no advertising, and we do not use advertising networks, tracking pixels, or advertising SDKs inside the app. Nothing your child does in the app is shared with an advertiser.

Our website, bbchinese.com, is written for parents and teachers. It uses Google's advertising tag, and the pages that our ads lead to also use measurement tools from Meta and OpenAI, so that we can tell whether an ad led someone to visit a page or tap through to the app store. These tools may set a cookie in your browser and receive the address of the page you visited, and if you place an order on the website, the order total. We do not send them your child's name, learning activity, or any other information from inside the app.

Snap Dictionary (拍拍字典) Camera Tool

Our free Snap Dictionary web tool lets you point a camera at an everyday object and get its Chinese word. When you take a photo with this tool:

• The photo is sent to our service providers once, only to identify the object (Anthropic) and cut it out from its background (fal.ai)
• We do not store the photo on our servers, and it is not used to train AI models or for any advertising
• The word cards you save ("My Deck") are kept only on your own device (in your browser) and are never uploaded
• You choose what to photograph — please snap objects, not people

Read-Aloud Practice (Voice)

The Boba app includes an optional read-aloud practice where your child reads a sentence out loud to our mascot. When your child uses this feature:

• The microphone records a short clip only while your child reads, after you or your child grant microphone permission
• The clip is transmitted securely to our server and processed in real time by a speech-recognition provider (OpenAI) solely to check whether the sentence was read
• We do not store voice recordings on our servers; the clip is not linked to your child's identity and is not used to train AI models
• The recording on the device is deleted after it plays back to your child
• There is no scoring or voice assessment — the feature only recognizes whether the sentence was read
• Microphone access is optional: declining it never blocks any learning content

Information We Do NOT Collect

To protect your child's privacy, we explicitly do NOT collect:

• Stored voice recordings — when your child uses the optional read-aloud practice, a short clip is processed in real time to check the sentence and is not kept, as described above
• Photos or camera data, except when you use the Snap Dictionary tool — in that case a photo is sent to our AI providers for processing and immediately discarded (not stored), as described above
• Location or GPS information
• Contact lists or social media information
• Device identifiers from the app for tracking or advertising
• Any data from inside the app for third-party advertising or marketing

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Provide and personalize the learning experience
• Track learning progress and adapt content difficulty
• Display your child's name in the app interface
• Improve our Service and develop new features
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
• Send important updates about the Service

Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Boba Chinese is designed for children and we take children's privacy seriously. We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):

• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent
• Parents have control over their child's account and data
• We do not store voice recordings — read-aloud clips are processed in real time solely to check the sentence and are immediately discarded
• We do not sell or share children's personal information with third parties
• Parents can review, delete, or request changes to their child's information

Data Storage and Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your information:

• Data is encrypted in transit and at rest
• Limited access to personal information by authorized personnel only
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Data is stored on secure cloud infrastructure

Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal information
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information
• Portability: Request transfer of your information
• Withdraw consent: Opt out of certain data collection

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: hello@bbchinese.com