Privacy Policy
Summary. Voca Catcher has no ads and no analytics SDK. Your word list and learning history are stored only in your iCloud, where we cannot see them. The only personal data on our servers is the account information from signing in with Apple (needed for Pro) and your subscription status, and both are deleted when you delete your account. We never store the sentences you translate, only their character count for 7 days. Dictionary search history is kept under a random installation ID, unlinked to any account, for 90 days.
1. What we collect and why
We collect only the following, and use it only for the stated purposes.
| Data | When | Purpose | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple user identifier, email address (a relay address if you use Hide My Email), name (optional, first sign-in only) | When you sign in with Apple | Making Pro work across your iPhone and Mac, calculating the Pro translation allowance, answering support requests | Until you delete your account |
| Subscription status (Pro or not, expiry date, whether it will renew, store, product ID) | When Pro is purchased, renewed or cancelled, via RevenueCat webhooks | Unlocking Pro features | Until you delete your account |
| Character count of translation requests, installation ID or account ID, platform | When you use sentence translation | Enforcing the daily allowance, preventing abuse | Deleted automatically after 7 days |
| English search terms and the matched headword, time, installation ID, platform, app version | When you look up an English word (sent in one batch per day) | Statistics on which words to improve first | Raw records deleted after 90 days; only per-word counts are kept |
| App integrity token (Apple App Attest or DeviceCheck) | With each server request | Blocking tampered apps and automated tools | Not stored after the request |
- The installation ID is a random value generated on your device when the app first runs. It is not linked to your account or device identity and disappears when you delete the app.
- Sentences you translate pass through our server to Google Cloud Translation but are not stored on our server. We keep only the character count.
- On Mac, the selected text read when you press the shortcut is used only for the lookup and translation; the sentence itself is never sent as search history. The accessibility permission is used only at the moment you press the shortcut, never to read the screen continuously.
- We do not collect advertising identifiers, location or contacts, and we use no advertising or analytics SDKs.
2. Data that stays on your devices
The following is stored only on your devices and in your Apple iCloud account. We cannot access it.
- Your word list (saved words and meanings), per-word memory state and learning stage, and test results, synced between your devices through the iCloud private database.
- A Google Cloud Translation API key you enter yourself, stored in the Keychain and synced through iCloud Keychain.
- App settings such as languages and shortcuts.
Storage and deletion of this data follow Apple's iCloud terms and your device settings.
3. Retention and deletion
- Account information and subscription status: deleted immediately when you delete your account in the app's settings. Deletion re-authenticates with Apple, revokes the Apple connection and removes your account record on our server.
- Translation usage: deleted automatically 7 days after it is recorded.
- Raw search history: deleted automatically 90 days after it reaches the server. The aggregated per-word counts contain nothing that identifies a person.
- Transaction records that law requires to be kept are held by the payment providers (Apple, Paddle) for the required period. We do not hold payment details.
4. Processors and international transfers
We rely on the following providers to run the Service. Some of them operate servers outside the Republic of Korea, so personal data is transferred abroad.
| Provider | Role | Data | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google LLC (Firebase, Google Cloud) | Sign-in authentication, database and server hosting (Seoul region), sentence translation, app integrity checks | Everything in section 1, plus sentences being translated (not stored) | Korea (database and servers); United States and other Google infrastructure (authentication, translation) |
| RevenueCat, Inc. | Subscription management | Account ID (app user ID), purchase receipts, subscription status, device type | United States |
| Paddle.com Market Ltd | Mac web checkout (merchant of record) | Email, payment method, country and tax details (collected by Paddle directly) | United Kingdom, United States |
| Apple Inc. | Sign in with Apple, App Store payments, iCloud | Apple account data (processed by Apple directly) | United States |
Transfers are limited to what is needed to perform our contract with you, and each provider protects data under its own privacy policy and security measures. If you prefer no international transfer, you can use the Service without signing in with Apple, subscribing to Pro or using sentence translation; dictionary lookup, the word list and other core features still work.
5. Sharing with third parties
We do not sell personal data and do not share it with third parties except for the processors in section 4 and where required by law.
6. Your rights
- Access and correction: the account screen in the app's settings shows your sign-in information while signed in. For anything else, contact us below.
- Deletion: Settings → Account → Delete account in the app. If that is not possible, contact us and we will delete within 10 days.
- Objection and withdrawal of consent: signing out or deleting your account stops account-related processing. Deleting the app ends processing based on the installation ID.
- We verify your identity before acting on a request. Where the law allows us to refuse a request, we will tell you why.
7. Children
The Service is not directed at children under 14 and does not allow them to create accounts. If we learn that we have collected data from a child under 14, we delete it promptly.
8. Security
- All traffic is encrypted with HTTPS.
- Database security rules allow only you to read your own subscription status, and only server functions can write it.
- Server requests must carry Apple's app integrity attestation (App Attest or DeviceCheck).
- Payment details are handled only by Apple and Paddle and never pass through our servers.
- Access to production data is limited to the minimum number of people needed to run the Service.
9. Privacy officer
Connecting Dot, Representative Chiwon Lee
Email: support@vocacatcher.com
In Korea you can also contact the Personal Information Infringement Report Center (privacy.kisa.or.kr, 118) or the Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee (kopico.go.kr, 1833-6972).
10. Changes to this policy
Changes are posted on this page at least 7 days before they take effect. Significant changes to what we collect or why are also announced in the app or by email.