PocketFullPrivacy policy
The short version
- You can use PocketFull without an account. Then your progress stays on your device, and nothing is sent anywhere unless you use Translate or spoken answers.
- An account is optional. It keeps your email and your progress, so your progress syncs between your devices.
- Sharing your study data for research is a separate choice, off unless you say yes. You can turn it off at any time, and what you shared is deleted.
- No ads, no tracking, no selling your data. You can delete your account in the app, at once.
Who we are
PocketFull is made by Lewis Betteridge, an individual developer in Brisbane, Australia ("we", "us"). We decide how your information is used. Contact us at hello@pocketfull.net.
What stays on your device
Your learning progress, your trip, your chosen voice and settings, your study log (a record of your answers and lessons) and your last 20 translations are kept in your browser's storage on your device. We can't see them unless you sign in or share them, as described below. The app also keeps a random device ID, which isn't linked to who you are. Deleting the app's data on your device, or Reset progress in the app, removes them.
What we receive, and why
When you use Translate
The text you type, the language you're learning, a list of the course's terms (so the translation can use them) and your random device ID are sent to our service, which asks Anthropic's AI (Claude) to translate it. We don't store what you type. We keep only daily counts, to apply the free allowance: per device ID, per account, and per network address, the address only as a code that changes every day and can't be turned back into the address. The counts are deleted after two days.
Anthropic processes the text to produce the translation, under its commercial terms: it does not use it to train its models, and deletes it within 30 days, except where it needs to keep it longer to enforce its usage policy or by law. See Anthropic's privacy centre.
When you answer out loud
Spoken answers use your device's own speech recognition. On iPhone and iPad that's Apple's service, and on Android and in Chrome it's Google's: your voice goes to them, under their privacy policies, and the words they hear come back to the app. We never receive your voice. You can turn spoken answers off in Settings.
When you create an account
An account lets you sync your progress between devices and gives you more translations a day. We keep:
- your email address, a random account ID, when the account was made and its plan (free);
- if you sign in with Google, Google's ID for your account (we receive your email and that ID from Google, nothing else);
- the devices you're signed in on: the random device ID, a name such as "iPhone" or "Mac", and when each was first and last used;
- your sign-in sessions and one-time codes, kept only in a scrambled (hashed) form;
- your progress in each language, including your study log, so another device can pick up where you left off.
Sign-in codes are emailed through Resend, which receives your email address to send them. Your synced progress is used only to sync it: we don't read it for research unless you choose to share your study data.
If you choose to share your study data
After you sign in, the app asks once whether you'd like to share your study data. It's off unless you say yes. If you do, your study log in each language is sent to us and kept under your account's random ID, not your email. It includes your answers and whether they were right, the lessons you take and how long they take, your progress, what you type into Translate and into "On your own" replies, and the words heard when you answer out loud.
We use it to improve PocketFull's courses and to research how travellers learn languages. We may publish findings, but only as overall figures that can't identify anyone. We don't sell it or share it with anyone else. You can turn sharing off at any time on Your account, and everything you shared is deleted straight away.
If you report a mistake
"Report a mistake" sends us the term, the language, the reason you picked, anything you write and the app's version number. It isn't linked to you, your device or your account, so please don't put personal details in it. To stop misuse we count reports per network address, only as a code that changes every day. We keep reports until we've fixed the course, and then delete them.
Technical logs
Our service runs on Cloudflare, which keeps short-lived technical logs of requests (such as the time and the page asked for) to keep it running and secure; we keep them for up to 7 days. The app itself is served by GitHub Pages, which may log your network address when you load it.
Our reasons (legal bases)
- To provide what you asked for: translations, your account and syncing.
- Your consent: sharing your study data for research. You can withdraw it at any time.
- Our legitimate interests: keeping the service secure and preventing abuse, such as the daily limits on translations.
Who else handles your information
| Who | What for | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | Runs our service and stores account data | Everything our service receives, as above |
| Anthropic | Translations | The text you translate and the course's terms |
| Resend | Sign-in emails | Your email address and the code |
| Sign in with Google, if you use it | That you're signing in to PocketFull | |
| Apple or Google | Speech recognition on your device, if you answer out loud | Your voice, under their terms |
| GitHub | Serves the app's files | Your network address when the app loads |
These providers may handle information in Australia, the United States and other countries. We choose providers that protect it under their own commitments and, where needed, standard contractual terms.
How long we keep it
- Your account and synced progress: until you delete your account.
- Shared study data: until you turn sharing off or delete your account.
- Mistake reports: until the course is fixed.
- Daily translation counts: two days. Sign-in codes: 10 minutes. Technical logs: up to 7 days.
Your choices and rights
- Delete your account in the app: Progress, Your account, Delete my account. It happens at once, and deletes your account, your synced progress and any shared study data. Your progress on your device stays, for you to keep learning.
- Stop sharing study data on Your account; what you shared is deleted.
- Get a copy of your study log in the app (Progress, Study log, Copy study log), or ask us for what we hold.
- Correct or delete anything else, or object to how we use it: email us.
You can also complain to your privacy regulator: in Australia, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au); in the EU or UK, your local data protection authority. We'd appreciate the chance to sort it out with you first.
Children
PocketFull is for people aged 13 and over. If you're under the age at which you can agree to this yourself where you live (16 in some countries), please ask a parent or guardian before creating an account or sharing study data. If you think a child has given us information they shouldn't have, email us and we'll delete it.
Security
Everything sent between the app and our service is encrypted. We keep sign-in codes and sessions only in hashed form, and we keep as little as we can. No system is perfectly secure; if something went wrong that affected you, we'd tell you.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a change matters, such as using your information in a new way, we'll tell you in the app first, and ask again where your consent is needed.