Privacy Policy

SinoSpark ("we", "us", or "our") is a Chinese language learning application available on iOS and Android. We are the data controller for personal data collected through the SinoSpark app and this website.

If you have questions about this policy, you can reach us at contact@sinospark.app.

We collect only what is necessary to provide you with the best Chinese learning experience. Here is a full breakdown:

We use the data we collect exclusively to:

• Authenticate your account and keep you logged in securely
• Power the spaced-repetition (SRS) algorithm and sync your study progress across devices via Firestore
• Grade your pronunciation in real-time using Azure Speech Services
• Generate AI-assisted content such as definitions, translations, grammar explanations, stories, and roleplay scenarios
• Manage and restore your premium subscription via RevenueCat
• Detect crashes and improve app stability through Firebase Crashlytics
• Understand anonymous feature usage patterns through Firebase Analytics to improve the app
• Send you optional study reminder notifications (only if you enable them)

SinoSpark uses external artificial-intelligence services only when you choose a feature that requires cloud processing. AI-generated responses may be inaccurate; do not rely on them for medical, legal, financial, safety-critical, or other high-impact decisions.

Providers and purposes

Your choices and controls

• Cloud AI processing begins when you actively use an AI-powered feature, submit a recording or image, or request a cloud voice.
• Do not submit personal, sensitive, confidential, or third-party information that you do not want processed by the applicable provider.
• You can deny or revoke microphone, camera, and photo-library permissions in your device settings.
• You can select the Local voice in SinoSpark settings to use on-device text-to-speech instead of Azure cloud voice synthesis.

Identifiers, storage, and provider handling

We do not intentionally place your name or email address in AI prompts. Like most internet services, providers may receive technical request information such as your IP address and device or network metadata. SinoSpark does not intentionally retain raw AI prompts, submitted images, or voice recordings on its own servers after the request is processed. Generated outputs may be cached on your device or saved with your account when you choose to save content.

AI providers process requests under their own terms, privacy policies, security controls, and retention settings. Where supported, SinoSpark requests provider configurations that restrict data collection or model training, but provider handling remains governed by those providers. Review Google's Privacy Policy, OpenRouter's Privacy Policy, DeepSeek's Privacy Policy, and the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

SinoSpark relies on the following third-party services to function. Each has its own privacy policy:

SinoSpark requests microphone access for the following features:

• Shadowing Studio: Record yourself repeating Chinese sentences for tone and pitch feedback
• Pronunciation Rater (Scholar's Verdict): Grade your spoken Chinese against native audio
• Travel Interpreter: Real-time voice translation during conversations
• Live Roleplay: AI conversation partner via voice
SinoSpark does not intentionally store your raw voice recordings on its servers. Recordings submitted for speech recognition or pronunciation grading are transmitted to Microsoft Azure AI Speech for processing. Provider-side handling is governed by Microsoft's terms, privacy statement, and the service configuration in use.

SinoSpark requests camera and photo library access for:

• Universal Scanner: Point your camera at Chinese text to instantly look it up in the dictionary
• AR Lens: Real-time overlay of translations on physical objects
• Photo Import: Import an image from your photo library for OCR text extraction
Standard OCR and object detection use Google ML Kit on your device. If you choose an AI-powered image-analysis feature, the selected image is transmitted to Google Gemini for that request. SinoSpark does not intentionally retain the raw image on its servers after processing.

On-device storage: Your flashcard library, spaced-repetition schedules, and app settings are stored locally on your device using Hive (an encrypted local database).

Cloud storage: Your study progress and account data are synced to Firebase Firestore so you can restore them if you switch devices. This data is associated with your Firebase User ID.

Retention: We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, all cloud data is permanently deleted within 30 days. Local data can be removed by uninstalling the app.

AI inputs: SinoSpark does not intentionally store raw prompts, submitted voice recordings, or submitted images on its own servers after processing. Third-party provider handling is described in the AI Data & Privacy section.

Generated content: AI outputs and cloud-generated audio may be cached locally for performance or saved with your account when you choose to save content.

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights over your personal data:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): Request deletion of your account and all associated data
• Right to data portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object: Object to certain uses of your data, including analytics
• Right to opt out of sale (CCPA): We do not sell personal data, so this right is already fully exercised

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@sinospark.app. We will respond within 30 days.

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• All data in transit is encrypted using TLS/HTTPS
• Firebase Firestore data is protected by Firebase Security Rules, ensuring users can only access their own data
• Server-side credentials used by our Firebase functions are stored as protected configuration secrets
• Subscription data is managed by RevenueCat, which is PCI-DSS compliant

While we take security seriously, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password for your account.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will notify you via an in-app notification.

Your continued use of SinoSpark after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

For any privacy-related questions, data requests, or concerns, please reach out. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 30 days.