Privacy Policy
This page explains what Laifu Japanese does with your data, in plain language. The short version, honestly: not much.
Short version
- Your voice never leaves your iPhone. The Practice mic uses Apple's on-device speech recognition.
- We do not sell your data. We do not share with ad networks. There are no third-party trackers.
- We use Apple Sign In, Supabase, RevenueCat, and PostHog. That's the entire list.
Who we are
Laifu Japanese is operated by Nihongo Hongo, a sole-proprietor business based in Japan.
If you have any questions about this policy, email support@nihongohongo.com.
What we collect
The data we collect is tied to a single anonymous account identifier created when you sign in. We never receive your real name unless you choose to share it.
| Data | Why we have it | Linked to you |
|---|---|---|
| Apple user identifier | So you can sign in and resume your progress on a new device. | Yes (a hash from Apple, not your name) |
| Email (only if you share it via Apple) | So we can contact you about your account if needed. Apple may give us a hidden relay address instead. | Yes |
| Phrase progress | To track which phrases you have read, listened to, or practiced, so the app remembers where you left off. | Yes |
| Subscription state | To know whether to unlock premium content. Managed through RevenueCat. | Yes |
| Anonymous usage events | Things like "category opened", "phrase played", "search performed". Used to improve the app. Sent through PostHog. | Yes (to your account ID, not to your name) |
| Crash and performance data | To know when something is broken so we can fix it. | Yes |
What we do not collect
- Precise or coarse location
- Your contacts
- Your photos or videos
- Audio recordings (the Practice mic runs on your iPhone, the audio never leaves the device)
- Health and fitness data
- Financial info beyond the subscription state Apple and RevenueCat surface
- Browsing history, search history, or keyboard input outside the app
- Any sensitive information
Who else processes your data
Laifu uses a small number of trusted services. Each one only sees the part of your data it needs to do its job.
| Service | What it does | What it sees |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Sign In | Authentication. | Your Apple user identifier. Optional relayed email. |
| Supabase (database and storage) | Stores your account, your progress, and serves audio files. | Account ID, progress rows, subscription state. |
| RevenueCat | Manages subscription state across Apple's StoreKit. | Account ID and subscription transaction info. |
| PostHog (US Cloud) | Anonymous product analytics so we can see which features get used. | Account ID and usage events. No content from inside the phrases. |
| OpenAI | Generated the audio files we ship with the app. Runs once at build time, not from anything you do. | Nothing from you. We send it our own phrase text, not yours. |
Speech recognition
The Practice tab uses Apple's on-device Speech framework. Your voice and the recognized text both stay on your iPhone. Nothing is uploaded to us, to Apple's servers, or anywhere else.
If a future version ever changes this, we will update this page and ask you for permission again before any audio leaves your device.
Tracking
Laifu does not link your data to third-party data for advertising. We do not share with data brokers. No data type listed above is "Used for Tracking" in Apple's privacy nutrition definition.
That means the app does not show the App Tracking Transparency prompt. As long as we do not add ad SDKs, that stays true.
Children
Laifu is rated 12+ on the App Store. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has signed up, email us and we will delete the account.
Deleting your account
Open the app, go to Settings, then Account, then Delete Account. We immediately remove your profile, your progress, and your subscription record from Supabase. Apple separately retains transaction records as required by tax law.
If the in-app flow is unavailable for any reason, email support@nihongohongo.com from the address on your Apple account and we will handle it manually within a few days.
Where your data lives
The Supabase project for Laifu runs in the AWS Asia Pacific (Tokyo) region. PostHog runs in US Cloud. RevenueCat runs in the US. Apple processes Sign In and StoreKit globally.
Your rights
You can request a copy of your data, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it at any time. Email support@nihongohongo.com from the address on your Apple account. We respond within a few days.
Changes to this policy
If we change anything material, we will bump the date at the top and call out what changed at the bottom of this page. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated version.
Contact
Email: support@nihongohongo.com