This policy explains how Cranora (“we,” “us”) handles information when you use our app, website and related services. Some information stays on your device; other information is processed online to provide accounts, learning synchronization, purchases and support.
1. Why do we collect information?
We use information to provide dictionary and learning features, save and synchronize your progress, confirm purchases, respond to Feedback, secure accounts and maintain the service. Purchase reporting and operational statistics help us understand subscriptions and service performance.
Where required by applicable law, we rely on performance of our agreement with you, legitimate interests such as proportionate security and service administration, legal obligations, or consent for the relevant processing. We obtain consent where required rather than treating all use of the app as consent.
2. What information do we process?
Information you provide
When you register with email, we process your email address, display name, password hash and verification information. Passwords are stored as hashes rather than plaintext.
If you choose Sign in with Apple or Google, we verify the provider's identity token and process its account identifier, verified email address when provided, and an available display name. Apple may provide a private relay email address instead of your personal address. We associate the provider identity with your Cranora account to sign you in or link a login method; we do not receive your Apple or Google password. A provider-only account does not require a Cranora password until you set up email login.
For Sign in with Apple, our server exchanges an authorization code and stores the resulting refresh credential encrypted so it can revoke Cranora's authorization when you unlink Apple or delete your account. Temporary sign-in challenges and pending verification records expire separately from your account.
Your collections, starred words, enrolled word books, learning settings, progress and review events are processed when you use account synchronization. Review events can include word identifiers, ratings, times and device or session identifiers. These records are associated with your account.
If you send Feedback, we receive your messages and chosen images, store our replies, and maintain the conversation's timestamps and read status. Support email includes the information you send and the delivery information needed to respond.
Information generated when you use the service
Guest use can involve generated guest and device identifiers, session activity and aggregate lookup and starred-word counts. These identifiers are not your name, but are still online identifiers. Linking supported guest data or purchases associates the relevant information with your account.
Connected requests may include search text, entry or audio identifiers, IP address, request time, resource path and technical information. Our services also process device identifiers, device model, operating-system and app versions, dictionary version, last activity and synchronization diagnostics.
We minimize routine access logs, including excluding URL query strings in the configured access-log format. Operational and error logs may still contain technical request context. Local searches do not require every query to be uploaded, but online search and other connected features send the information needed to fulfil the request.
Purchase information
Apple handles App Store payments. We do not receive your full payment-card details or Apple Account password.
We and RevenueCat process app-user identifiers, product and transaction identifiers, purchase history, subscription expiry or renewal, refunds or revocations, entitlement status and related store/currency information. This supports verification, restoration, account linking, fraud prevention, support and subscription reporting.
Purchase ownership and current subscription access are different records. Ownership information may remain relevant after access expires.
Information stored on your device
The app stores dictionary and audio downloads, recent searches, preferences, local collections and learning state on your device. Session tokens and guest identifiers may use operating-system secure storage.
When you choose a profile photo while signed in, it is compressed and stored with your account so it can be restored when you sign in again. You can remove it in your account settings. Photos previously saved only on your device are not automatically uploaded. Images you deliberately send in Feedback are also uploaded. Uploaded profile and Feedback images are compressed and have embedded metadata removed; personal information visible in an image is not automatically removed.
Device backups or secure storage may retain some information after the app is removed. Other devices may also retain local copies until updated or removed.
3. How do we use this information?
We use the information described above to:
- Deliver searches, pronunciation, downloads and learning features.
- Maintain accounts, collections, progress and synchronization.
- Verify purchases and enforce purchase-account associations.
- Send verification and security messages and respond to support requests.
- Diagnose errors, manage service load, prevent abuse and meet legal obligations.
- Provide purchase and subscription reporting.
We do not use your private Feedback as a public social feed. Registering does not automatically enroll you in promotional email.
4. Who processes information with us?
Cranora uses service providers to operate its features:
- Amazon Web Services: hosting the API and account/service data; the primary deployment is in Hong Kong.
- Cloudflare: website delivery, DNS, network/security services and support-email routing.
- Resend: verification and security-email delivery.
- RevenueCat: purchase verification, entitlements and subscription reporting.
- Apple: App Store payments, subscriptions, and identity verification and authorization revocation when you choose Sign in with Apple.
- Google: identity verification when you choose Sign in with Google. We do not request access to your Gmail messages, contacts, calendar or Drive files for this login.
- Our support mailbox provider and authorized support staff: receiving and responding to support communications.
Providers process the information needed for their services and may have their own privacy terms. Processing may occur outside your country, where privacy laws can differ. Applicable international-transfer requirements still apply.
We may disclose information when required by law or appropriately necessary to investigate fraud, protect security or exercise legal rights. We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
5. Permissions and website storage
Photo or camera access is used when you choose an image. We do not upload your entire photo library. You can manage permissions through your device settings.
The current app does not request contacts or precise GPS location for its features. Pronunciation uses downloaded or streamed audio or the device's speech service; it does not record and upload your speech for scoring. Device speech processing depends on your operating-system settings.
Device authentication is handled by the operating system; we do not receive Face ID biometric templates.
Our website stores your language preference in browser local storage. You can clear it in your browser. The current app and public website do not include advertising trackers. This does not exclude purchase reporting or operational statistics.
6. How do we protect information?
We use encrypted connections, password hashing, access controls and purchase-verification checks. Feedback images are available through access-controlled support features rather than a public image feed.
No service can guarantee absolute security. Protect your login details and avoid putting passwords, payment-card details or unnecessary personal information in Feedback or email.
7. How long is information retained?
Account, collection, learning and Feedback information is kept while needed to provide your account and services. Temporary verification and session records, inactive guest/device records and operational logs follow separate expiry or cleanup rules.
We may retain limited purchase-ownership, security and legal records where necessary to prevent fraud, handle disputes or comply with law. Retention depends on the purpose, the nature of the record and applicable requirements, rather than the subscription expiry alone.
8. Your choices and deletion
You can use supported features as a guest, manage collections and downloads, change supported account details and revoke device permissions.
Manage linked login methods in Account Settings > Account Binding. Unlinking requires another usable login method and identity verification; it does not delete your Cranora account or transfer its purchases and learning data. If Apple authorization cannot be revoked, the app reports a retry requirement instead of treating the unlink or account deletion as completed.
Delete Account removes your account and associated live account data, including account-linked learning and Feedback, from our active account database. Limited purchase-ownership and security records are separate and may remain where necessary. Backups and other devices may retain residual copies until their removal or rotation process completes. Records held by Apple, RevenueCat or email providers are not necessarily deleted automatically by an in-app account-deletion request.
Deleting an account does not cancel an Apple subscription or make a linked purchase transferable. Manage unwanted renewals in your Apple Account settings.
Depending on applicable law, you may request access, correction, a copy, deletion, restriction or portability of your information, object to processing, withdraw consent, or contact the relevant privacy authority. Email bd@cranora.com for assistance. We may ask for proportionate information to verify your request, but not your password. We will respond within applicable legal deadlines and explain any lawful limitation.
9. Changes and contact
We will update the date of this policy and give appropriate notice of material changes. Where a new use requires consent, we will obtain it.
For questions or privacy requests, contact bd@cranora.com.