Privacy Policy

ARABICA — Privacy Policy

ARABICA ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your rights — whether you are based in the United States, the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.

This Policy applies to the ARABICA mobile application and all related services. By using the App you confirm you have read this Policy.

1. Who We Are

Data Controller: ARABICA
Contact Email: arabicaapp10@gmail.com

For UK/EU users, ARABICA acts as Data Controller in respect of personal data processed under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. If required by law, we will appoint a UK-based representative and will notify you accordingly.

For questions about this Policy or to exercise your rights, contact us at arabicaapp10@gmail.com.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Account & Profile Data

• Name, email address, password (hashed)
• Gender, age group, native language, Arabic level (each optional: "prefer not to say" is always available)
• Why you learn Arabic, if you choose to tell us
• Your country, derived from your phone's time zone or region setting (we do not use your IP address for this)
• Profile photo (if provided via Google or Apple)

2.2 Learning & Usage Data

• Lesson progress, XP points, streaks, completed lessons
• Your answers to exercises: which item, whether it was right, the attempt number and how long it took
• Skill and topic estimates we derive from those answers (shown to you under "My skills")
• Time spent in the App and feature interactions

2.3 Device & Technical Data

• Device type, operating system, app version, phone language and region setting
• Where the App was installed from (e.g. store search or a campaign link), as reported by Google Play
• Firebase installation ID and push-notification token (FCM)
• IP address (used for security and analytics — see Section 4)

2.4 Voice Recordings (Optional)

If you use pronunciation practice features, voice recordings are processed on your device or sent to our servers and our speech-recognition provider (see Section 7.4) solely to give pronunciation feedback. Recordings are not stored after they have been processed; we keep only the recognised text and whether the answer was right.

2.4a Texts You Write (Optional)

When you use the AI tutor or the Writing Lab, the text you write is sent to our AI provider (see Section 7.4) to generate the reply or the corrections.

2.5 Payment Information

ARABICA does not collect or store payment card details. All purchases are processed by Apple App Store or Google Play Store under their respective payment terms. We receive only confirmation of subscription status from these platforms.

2.6 Communications Data

If you contact us by email we retain a record of that correspondence.

3. How We Collect Data

• Directly from you when you register, complete your profile, use App features, or contact us;
• Automatically via Firebase (Google LLC) analytics and crash reporting as you use the App;
• From third parties: Google Sign-In and Apple Sign-In when you choose to authenticate using those services.

4. How We Use Your Data

4.1 To provide and operate the App:

• Create and manage your account
• Deliver personalised lessons and track your progress
• Process subscription status from Apple/Google
• Send push notifications about lessons and streaks (FCM)

4.2 To improve our services:

• Analyse aggregated usage to improve lesson content
• Diagnose crashes and bugs via Firebase Crashlytics

4.3 To communicate with you:

• Respond to support requests
• Send service announcements (e.g. policy updates)
• Send marketing communications — only with your consent (which you may withdraw at any time)

4.4 For security and legal compliance:

• Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
• Comply with applicable law and respond to legal requests

4.5 We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

5. Legal Bases for Processing (UK & EU Users)

Under UK GDPR, we process your data on the following lawful bases:

• Contract (Article 6(1)(b)): Processing necessary to perform the service you signed up for (account management, lesson delivery, subscription management).

• Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)): Analytics and service improvement, security and fraud prevention, and product research — where these interests are not overridden by your rights.

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): Marketing emails, optional voice recording features, and use of non-essential analytics. You may withdraw consent at any time.

• Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): Complying with applicable laws, tax obligations, or lawful requests from regulators.

6. Children's Privacy (COPPA & UK Children's Code)

The App is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent as required by the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

For users aged 13–17, we limit data collection and do not use their data for targeted advertising. We comply with the UK Information Commissioner's Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code).

If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child under 13, please contact arabicaapp10@gmail.com and we will delete it promptly.

7. Third-Party Services & Data Sharing

We share data only as described below and never sell your personal data.

7.1 Firebase (Google LLC) — crash reporting, analytics, and push notifications (FCM). Data is processed under Google's Data Processing Terms and adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable.

7.2 Google Sign-In / Apple Sign-In — authentication only. We receive limited profile data (name, email, photo URL) from these providers when you choose to sign in with them.

7.3 Apple App Store / Google Play — subscription and purchase verification. These platforms act as independent data controllers for payment data.

7.4 AI providers — OpenAI (text-to-speech, speech recognition and pronunciation assessment) and Anthropic (AI tutor conversations, writing feedback and adding vowel marks to Arabic text). They receive only the text or audio needed for the feature, through their business APIs; we do not authorise them to use your content to train their models.

7.5 Legal Requests — we may disclose data where required by law, court order, or government authority. We will notify you where legally permitted to do so.

7.6 Business Transfers — if ARABICA is acquired or merges, your data may transfer to the successor entity subject to this Privacy Policy.

All third-party processors are contractually bound to process data only on our instructions and to maintain appropriate security.

8. International Data Transfers

ARABICA may transfer your personal data outside your country of residence, including to the United States (for Firebase and Google services).

For UK users: transfers to the US are made subject to the UK's International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs) or the UK Addendum to EU Standard Contractual Clauses, ensuring an equivalent level of data protection.

For US users: your data may be processed in other countries. We take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

9. Data Retention

• Account data: retained while your account is active and for up to 2 years after deletion to comply with legal obligations.
• Learning progress and analytics: retained for up to 3 years to enable progress tracking across sessions.
• Individual exercise answers: retained for 18 months, after which only the derived skill summary is kept.
• Voice recordings: deleted after the session unless saved by you; permanently deleted within 30 days if you delete your account.
• Support communications: retained for up to 3 years.
• Log data (crash reports, IP addresses): retained for up to 12 months.

You may request earlier deletion — see Section 10.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you have the following rights:

10.1 All Users

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you — or download it yourself in Settings → Download my data.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten"), subject to legal retention obligations.
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

10.2 UK Users (UK GDPR)

In addition to the above:

• Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
• Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.
• Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

10.3 California Residents (CCPA / CPRA)

• Know: The categories of personal information collected and the purposes for which it is used.
• Delete: Request deletion of your personal information.
• Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. No opt-out is therefore required, but you may contact us to confirm.
• Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: We do not use sensitive personal information beyond what is necessary to provide the service.
• Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

10.4 Other US State Residents

Residents of Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), Connecticut (CTDPA), Texas, and other states with applicable privacy laws have rights similar to those described above. Contact us to exercise any applicable right.

To exercise any right, email arabicaapp10@gmail.com with "Privacy Rights Request" in the subject line. We will respond within 30 days (or 45 days for complex requests). We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

11. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

The ARABICA mobile app uses the following tracking technologies:

• Firebase Analytics: App usage analytics and performance monitoring. Data is anonymised and aggregated where possible.
• Firebase Crashlytics: Crash and error reporting to improve stability.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM): Push notifications. Your device's notification token is used solely to deliver lesson reminders and App updates.

We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking for targeted advertising. We do not use Facebook, TikTok, or LinkedIn tracking pixels in the App.

UK Users: We collect only the minimal analytics data necessary for App operation. Where consent is required under PECR for non-essential analytics, we will seek it in-app.

12. Marketing Communications

We will only send you marketing emails or push notifications where you have given your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time by:

• Adjusting notification settings in the App (Settings → Notifications);
• Emailing arabicaapp10@gmail.com with "Unsubscribe" in the subject.

We comply with the US CAN-SPAM Act and the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) for all marketing communications.

13. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

• Encrypted data transmission (TLS/HTTPS)
• Hashed and salted password storage
• Firebase security rules restricting unauthorised data access
• Regular security reviews

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities (including the ICO for UK users) within 72 hours of becoming aware, as required by UK GDPR.

14. Do Not Track

Some browsers and devices transmit "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals. Because there is no universally accepted standard for DNT, we do not currently respond to DNT signals. You can limit analytics data collection via your device privacy settings (e.g. Limit Ad Tracking on iOS or Opt out of Ads Personalisation on Android).

15. Links to Third-Party Services

The App may contain links to external websites or services (such as Apple's and Google's own privacy pages). These are governed by their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of material changes by posting a notice in the App or by emailing you at least 14 days before the change takes effect (30 days for significant changes affecting UK users' rights).

The "Last updated" date at the top of this Policy reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the App after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

17. Contact & Complaints

For privacy questions, data requests, or complaints:

Email: arabicaapp10@gmail.com
Subject: "Privacy Request"

UK Supervisory Authority:
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF
Website: ico.org.uk | Phone: 0303 123 1113

US Residents: You may also contact your state Attorney General's office if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

This website

This website (arabicaapp.com) sets no cookies and uses no analytics or advertising trackers. Fonts and images are served from our own server.

If you send an account deletion request here, we store the email address you enter, your optional message, the date and a one-way hash of your IP address (to stop abuse). We use it only to handle your request, and keep it as a record that the request was handled.