Privacy policy · Flashfriend

Flashfriend is a flashcard app for learning Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish and French. This page says what data we keep about you, why we keep it, and what you can ask us to do with it. The short version: we keep what we need to run your deck, we don't sell it, we don't show ads, and we don't track you around the web.

Who we are

Flashfriend is run by Delabere Industries, 14 Rangers Square, London. We're the "controller" of your personal data. To ask us anything about it, email [email protected].

What data we keep

Your account

Your email address. You sign in with a code we email you, so we need it. There's no password.
If you sign in with Google: your name, email address and profile picture, which Google shares with us when you say yes. We use them to sign you in and nothing else.
Sign-in records: when you signed in, and from what device and IP address, to keep your account safe.

Your learning

Your deck: the words you're learning, your cards, pictures, memory hooks, places, sentences and grammar notes, including the ones you make or change yourself.
Your reviews: each time you answer a card and how it went, so we know when to show it again.
Your settings: your language, daily goals, voice and the like.
Things you bring in: an Anki deck you import (with its review history), and words you send from tools like Yomitan or asbplayer.
Keys you make: mining and chat links you create in the app, and when each was last used.

Your plan

Whether you're on the trial, Free, Regular or Pro, when it renews, and which store you paid through. We never see your card details: Apple, Google Play or our payments provider handles the payment.

How you use the app

Unless you turn it off, the app tells our own server which screens you open and for how long, and what you do there: that you made a card, finished a review, started a plan. Each record has an id for your device, your account id once you've signed in, the app version and your device's system, and where you first came from (the website or link that brought you, as below). It never has your cards, anything you type, or your email address. We use it to see which parts of Flashfriend work and where people get stuck. It stays on our server and backup storage, and no analytics company gets it. To turn it off, go to Settings › Share how you use the app (on each of your devices).

We also use your review results, in aggregate, to improve the pictures: our server notes how each card's picture was made (which kind of scene, and which version of our picture instructions), and we compare how often cards are forgotten across many cards and learners. We never look at one person's cards this way. To compare two versions of our picture instructions fairly, some of your words may be painted with one version and some with the other; both are ours, and you can always repaint a picture. Pictures made on a device with Share how you use the app turned off are left out, and always use our standard instructions.

How you use this website

When you open a page here, it tells our own server which page it was, the name of the website that linked you here, the campaign tags on that link (and Google's click ID if you came from one of our ads), and whether your screen is phone, tablet or computer sized. As you read, it tells us how far down the page you got, how long it was open, and which links and buttons you clicked. A random number made for that one page ties these together; it isn't kept in your browser, so a new page gets a new one. There are no cookies, and nothing that says who you are: the click ID is the only thing that links your visit to the app, and only if you came from an ad. We use it to see which pages help people decide to try Flashfriend, and keep it as long as the app's usage records (below).

If you came from one of our ads

When you click one of our Google ads, the link carries a click ID from Google. If you then sign up, we keep that ID with your account and tell Google Ads when you signed up and when your free trial started, so we can see which ads work. That's all Google gets from us: the click ID and those two dates, not your name, email address or anything about your learning. There's no Google code on this website or in the app. The app keeps the click ID on your device only until it has told our server.

What data we don't keep

No analytics companies or advertising trackers, in the app or on this website: the usage records above are our own. This website keeps the language you picked in your browser so it shows the right examples next time, and that never leaves your device. It sets no cookies, and what it tells our server about your visit is only what's above. The app keeps a copy of your deck and your sign-in on your device, so it works offline.

Why we keep it

To run Flashfriend for you: your account, your deck, syncing between your devices, and your plan. This is what you sign up for, so the law calls it "performing our contract" with you.
To keep it safe and fair: sign-in records, limits on how much AI each account can use, and logs that help us fix things. This is our "legitimate interest" in a service that works and isn't abused.
To make Flashfriend better: the usage records above. This is our "legitimate interest" in knowing which parts of the app help people learn. You can turn them off at any time.
To see which of our ads work: the click ID from an ad you came from, and when you signed up and started your trial. This is our "legitimate interest" in not wasting money on ads that don't work.
Because the law says so: for example, records of payments.

We don't use your data to show you ads, and we don't sell it.

AI

Flashfriend uses AI to paint pictures, suggest memory hooks, write sentences, explain grammar and read words aloud. When you use these, our server sends what's needed to an outside AI service: the word, its meaning, and your picture idea, memory hook or place if you wrote one. It doesn't get your email address or your name. Don't put things in a picture idea or memory hook that you wouldn't want an AI service to see.

The AI service we use says it doesn't train its models on what apps send it, and it keeps requests only for a limited time to stop misuse.

Who helps us run Flashfriend

We share your data only with services that help us run Flashfriend, and only what each one needs:

A sign-in provider that holds your account and checks your email codes and Google sign-in.
An email delivery service that sends your sign-in codes from [email protected].
An AI service, as above.
A billing service and the app stores (Apple, Google Play, and a card payments provider on the web) when you buy a plan.
A network provider that sits in front of our website and app, to keep them fast and safe.
An error reporting service that tells us when something breaks: what went wrong, on which screen, your browser and an account id. It doesn't get your email address, your name or your cards.
A messaging service where we get a note when someone signs up, when this website gets a visit, or when something breaks. The note says what happened, never your name, your email address or your cards.
A storage provider that keeps a private backup copy of our server's data, in case our server fails.
Google Ads, only if you came from one of our ads: the click ID and when you signed up and started your trial, as above.

Your deck, reviews, settings and pictures live on our own server. Some of the services above are outside the UK, mostly in the US. When your data goes to them, it's covered by the safeguards UK law asks for: the UK's data bridge with the US, or contracts approved by the UK (the International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum).

If you connect Claude or ChatGPT to practise chatting, or Anki, Yomitan or asbplayer, those apps get what you send them through your link, and their own privacy policies apply. You can turn a link off in the app at any time.

We'd also share data if the law made us, or if Flashfriend were ever sold, in which case we'd tell you first.

How long we keep it

Your account and deck: for as long as you have an account.
When you delete your account, we delete your data from our server within 30 days. Our daily backups roll over within 30 days.
Payment records: as long as tax law asks, usually 6 years.
Usage records (how you use the app and this website): up to 2 years.
Server logs: only as long as we need them to fix problems and keep Flashfriend safe.

Your rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to:

give you a copy of your data (you can also export your deck to Anki from the app at any time)
correct something that's wrong
delete your account and everything in it (here's how)
stop or limit how we use your data, or object to it

Email [email protected] from the address you sign in with, and we'll answer within a month. If you're in the UK, you can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk); in the EU, to your local data protection authority.

Children

Flashfriend is for people aged 13 and over. If you think a child under 13 has made an account, email us and we'll delete it.

Keeping it safe

Everything between your device and our server is encrypted. Only the people who run Flashfriend can reach the server. No system is perfect, though: if something ever went wrong with your data, we'd tell you, and the regulator, as the law requires.

Changes

If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If it's a big change, we'll tell you in the app or by email first.