Privacy-Policy-Speaking-Prep-Coach

Privacy Policy — Speaking Prep Coach

Last updated: 2026-07-31

Speaking Prep Coach (“we”, “the app”) is an independent study app operated by Shi Xiaohong. This policy explains what data the app collects, where it lives, and your choices.

Non-affiliation. Speaking Prep Coach is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, or Cambridge Assessment English. Feedback and estimated bands produced by the app are for practice guidance only and are not official IELTS results.

1. Data we collect and where it lives

Stored on your device only (in the app’s local storage, never uploaded to our servers):

• Recordings. Audio you record while practising, saved to on-device storage so you can replay it. Recording is triggered only when you tap the record button.
• Transcripts and AI feedback. The text version of your answer and the feedback returned by our AI service.
• Practice history. Mock exam reports, session progress, and your in-app preferences.

If you delete the app, all of the above is deleted with it.

Stored on our server (Supabase, hosted in the European Union — Frankfurt, Germany) — the minimum needed to run your account:

• Account. Email address and a Supabase-generated user ID.
• Purchase records. Apple In-App Purchase transaction identifiers and entitlement status (whether you have an active subscription or remaining credits). We never receive your credit card number.
• Usage records. Timestamps of your feedback and mock-report requests, which practice part they related to, and whether each succeeded — used to enforce free and subscription quotas. These records contain no recording or transcript content.
• Question bank. The IELTS-style practice questions themselves are hosted on Supabase. This is public content, not your data.

Sent temporarily to third-party AI providers (processed on demand and not retained by us):

• Audio. Your recording is sent through our server to OpenAI’s speech-to-text API for transcription, then discarded on our side.
• Transcript + question text. Sent to OpenAI’s models to generate feedback, then discarded on our side. Per OpenAI’s API terms, API inputs are not used to train their models by default. Audio and transcripts are processed on OpenAI’s servers, which are located in the United States.

Basic device info. App version, OS version, and anonymous error logs for debugging.

We do not use third-party advertising or analytics SDKs, and we do not track you across other apps or websites. The app’s iOS privacy manifest declares NSPrivacyTracking = false.

2. How we use data

• Provide AI feedback on your speaking answers.
• Keep your practice history available on your device so you can review past sessions.
• Verify and restore your paid entitlements.
• Fix bugs and improve the app.

We do not sell your data, and we do not share it with advertisers.

3. Third-party services

• Supabase — hosts our authentication, purchase records, usage records, and question bank, in the European Union (Frankfurt, Germany). Your practice recordings, transcripts, and feedback are not stored on Supabase.
• OpenAI — transcribes your audio and generates feedback. Audio and transcripts are processed transiently. OpenAI’s own data-handling policy applies; per OpenAI’s API terms, API inputs are not used to train their models by default. Processing takes place on OpenAI’s servers in the United States.
• Apple In-App Purchase — processes payments. We receive only transaction identifiers, not payment details.

4. Data retention & deletion

• On-device data (recordings, transcripts, feedback, history) is deleted the moment you uninstall the app or clear its storage in iOS Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Speaking Prep Coach → Offload / Delete.
• Server-side data (your email, user ID, purchase records, and usage records on Supabase) is kept until you request deletion. To delete your account and all server-side data, email xh.shi0507@gmail.com with the subject “Delete my account”. We will process the request within 30 days.

5. Data security

• All traffic between the app and our server is encrypted with HTTPS.
• Account, purchase, and usage records on Supabase are stored in encrypted databases hosted in the European Union (Frankfurt, Germany) and accessed only through authenticated requests.
• Recordings and transcripts never leave your device except transiently for AI processing as described in Section 1.

6. Children

The app is not directed at children under 13. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.

7. Changes

We may update this policy. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the current version. Material changes will be announced inside the app.

8. Contact

Questions or requests: xh.shi0507@gmail.com