Privacy Policy

Audio Data

Our app requests access to your device's microphone (RECORD_AUDIO permission) for the following purposes:

• Voice Interaction: To enable voice-based conversation features
• Speech Recognition: To convert your speech to text for better interaction
• Audio Processing: To provide personalized audio-based experiences
• Voice Features: To support voice-based functionality and features

Other Data

• Device information (model, operating system version)
• User preferences and settings
• User activity and performance data

Guest Accounts and Device Identifiers

You can start learning without signing in. When you first use the App, it creates a guest account for you on our servers. A guest account has a random user ID and no name or email address. It holds your learning progress (path lessons, practiced words, streak, unlocked topics and learning stats), your time zone and your learning preferences. Some features, such as AI voice conversations and purchases, require you to sign in with Apple or Google.

For guest accounts and learning stats, the App uses the following identifiers:

• Guest key: a random secret that our server creates for your guest account. The App keeps it in your device's secure storage (the iOS Keychain or the Android Keystore), and our server stores only a one-way hash of it. On iOS the Keychain keeps it after you delete the App, so reinstalling the App on the same device brings your guest account back
• Android ID (Android only): when the App starts a guest session, it also sends your device's Android ID, an ID that Android gives the App on your device and that changes after a factory reset. It lets the App find your guest account again after a reinstall on the same device. Our server stores only a one-way hash of it made with a secret key, never the Android ID itself
• Learning stats device key: so that your learning stats can be added up across your devices, the App uses a device key (on iOS a random ID that the App keeps in the Keychain, on Android the Android ID). The App hashes it together with your user ID on your device, so our server receives only the hash
• IP address: to stop automated abuse, our server limits how many guest accounts can be created from one IP address in an hour and how many requests each IP address can send. These counters expire within an hour. Our server's technical logs also record IP addresses, which we use to troubleshoot and protect the service

We use these identifiers only to sign you back into your guest account, to keep your learning stats per device and to protect the service. We do not use them for advertising and we do not send them to Mixpanel, Google AdMob or any other third party. The advertising identifiers that Google AdMob uses are described in Advertising (Google AdMob) below.

When you sign in with Apple or Google from a guest account, the guest account becomes your account and keeps your progress, and we delete the hashes of its guest key and Android ID. If that Apple or Google ID already has a Chamate account, the App signs you into that account and adds the guest progress from this device to it; the guest account is closed and deleted 90 days after it was last used.

Usage Analytics

We use Mixpanel, a third-party product analytics service, to understand how the App is used and to improve our features. Analytics does not block authentication, purchases, voice sessions, or navigation. If analytics is not configured for your build environment, tracking is safely skipped.

Analytics is associated with your user ID: your guest account's ID from the moment the App creates it, then your account's ID once you sign in. We also sync a limited profile (see below). When you sign out or delete your account, we reset the analytics identity on your device.

• Device and session context: platform (iOS or Android), country/region code, app environment (development or production), and a session identifier created each time you open the App
• Voice session context: when you start a conversation, a conversation identifier and mode (free talk or journey) may be attached to related events; we do not send audio recordings or transcript content to Mixpanel
• Onboarding and settings: steps completed, language and proficiency level selections, whether you submitted or skipped an optional phone number, and whether you enabled study reminders (not the phone number itself)
• Authentication: login success or failure with provider type (Google or Apple); we do not send passwords, OAuth tokens, or raw credentials
• Engagement: conversation and journey starts and completions, session duration, message/turn counts, character or topic selections, and technical error types when a session fails
• Subscription and quota: when usage limits are reached, paywall views and scroll engagement, purchase flow steps (plan selected, success or failure), and purchase amount/currency on successful in-app purchases, we do not send payment card or bank details
• Error diagnostics: error category and a sanitized error message; email addresses, phone numbers, JWTs, and bearer tokens are removed before transmission

Once you have a guest account or are signed in, we may update your Mixpanel user profile with: whether it is a guest account, premium status, subscription plan (if any), English proficiency level, native language, country/region, and total completed conversations. This helps us understand product usage; we do not sell this data or use Mixpanel for third-party advertising.

For how Mixpanel processes data, see Mixpanel's privacy policy at mixpanel.com/legal/privacy-policy/.

Website Analytics (chamate.app)

On our website chamate.app we use Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google, to understand how visitors find and use the website (for example, which pages are viewed and whether visitors click through to the App Store or Google Play).

• Page and visit data: pages viewed, referring website or search engine, approximate location (country/city level, derived from IP address), device type, browser, and language
• Interaction data: clicks on links (including links to app stores), scrolling, and time spent on pages

We do not use Google Analytics for advertising, and advertising features (ad storage, ad personalization) are turned off. For visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, analytics cookies are disabled by default and only cookieless measurements are sent.

This website analytics is separate from the in-app analytics described above and is not linked to your Chamate account. For how Google processes this data, see policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Advertising (Google AdMob)

The free version of the App shows ads provided by Google AdMob, an advertising service of Google LLC. Free users may see a banner ad on the Profile tab and may choose to watch a short video ad to unlock certain content, such as some Home path sessions and vocabulary topics. Users on a paid plan (Chamate Go or Premium, including free trials) do not see ads.

When ads are shown, the Google Mobile Ads SDK in the App may collect and share with Google:

• Advertising identifiers: the Android Advertising ID and app set ID, and on iOS the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) only if you allow tracking
• IP address, which may be used to estimate the general location of your device
• Ad interactions: ads shown to you, taps, video views, and app launches
• Diagnostic and performance data: crash logs, app launch time, and SDK performance information

We do not send your name, email address, phone number, voice recordings, or conversation content to Google AdMob.

Contact and Promotional Information

During the optional introduction steps when you first use the App, you may choose to provide:

Name: Your display name or preferred name

Phone Number: Your mobile phone number

Providing this information is entirely optional. You may skip these steps and continue using the App without limitation. If you choose to provide your name and phone number, we use this information solely to contact you about promotional programs, special offers, and benefits so you do not miss opportunities available to you.

With your phone number, the App also sends your device type (iOS or Android) and a device identifier (the Android ID on Android, or Apple's identifier for vendor on iOS). We store them with your phone number so that our team can tell entries from different devices apart.

We store this information on our own systems. We do not sell, rent, or share your name or phone number with any third parties for promotional or any other purposes.

Subscription and Payment Data

• Payment Processing: Website purchases (customers in Vietnam) are processed through VNPay. In-app purchases are processed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. We do not directly collect, store, or process your payment card information
• Subscription Status: We receive information about your subscription status (active, expired, cancelled) from the relevant payment platform or app store
• Purchase History: We may receive anonymized transaction verification tokens to validate your subscription status
• Billing Information: Your payment method details and billing information are managed exclusively by VNPay, Apple, or Google and are not accessible to us

Audio Data Processing

• Local Processing: Audio may be processed locally on your device for immediate feedback
• Cloud Processing: Some audio may be sent to secure cloud services for advanced speech recognition and AI processing
• Temporary Storage: Audio data is processed in real-time and temporarily cached only as needed for functionality

Your voice recordings and conversation text are sent to Chamate's servers and may be processed by our AI service providers, Google and OpenAI, only to provide the speech recognition and AI conversation features of the App.

We use these providers' business services. Under their terms, they process this data on our behalf and do not use it to train their AI models.

Subscription Data Usage

We use subscription and payment-related information to:

• Service Access: Verify your subscription status and grant appropriate access to premium features
• Account Management: Manage your account and subscription lifecycle
• Customer Support: Provide support for subscription-related inquiries
• Usage Analytics: Understand subscription patterns to improve our service offerings (anonymized data only)
• Fraud Prevention: Detect and prevent fraudulent subscription activities

Promotional Communications

If you voluntarily provide your name and phone number during onboarding, we use that information only to:

• Program Consultation: Inform you about promotional programs and eligible benefits
• Offer Notifications: Send you relevant updates about special offers when available
• User Benefit: Help ensure you do not miss promotional opportunities tied to your use of the App

We contact you only through channels we operate directly (for example, in-app messages, email, or phone/SMS initiated by our team). We do not use third-party marketing platforms to process or distribute your name or phone number.

You may decline to provide this information at any time during onboarding, and you may request that we stop promotional contact or delete your name and phone number at any time (see Your Rights and Choices and Account Deletion below).

Analytics and Product Improvement

We use Mixpanel analytics data to:

• Measure app opens, onboarding completion, and activation into voice learning features
• Understand conversation and journey engagement, reliability, and common error patterns
• Analyze subscription funnels (quota limits, paywall views, and in-app purchases) to improve pricing and access
• Maintain and improve App performance and user experience
• Generate aggregated usage insights for internal product decisions; Mixpanel data is not sold or used for advertising

Mixpanel stores our analytics data in its European Union data center. We configure analytics to avoid collecting unnecessary personal information and to sanitize error content before it is sent.

Advertising

Google uses the data collected by the Google Mobile Ads SDK to:

• Show ads in the free version of the App, which helps us keep core features free
• Personalize ads, only where you have allowed it (see Your Rights and Choices)
• Measure ad performance and count ad views
• Prevent ad fraud and abuse, such as invalid clicks or fake ad views

Where personalized ads are not allowed, Google may still show non-personalized ads based on general context, such as the App itself and your approximate location. For how Google uses this data, see policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Website Payments (VNPay)

For website purchases, payment information is collected and processed by VNPay under its own privacy policy. We only receive transaction confirmation and the subscription status needed to activate your Premium plan.

In-App Payments

For in-app purchases, payment information is collected and managed by the Apple App Store or Google Play Store under their respective policies. We only receive subscription status information from those platforms.