String is a language-learning app and website available at getstring.app. This Privacy Policy explains how information is collected, used, shared, retained and deleted when you use String or contact us.
1. Who is responsible for your information?
String is operated by Mr Jermaine Johnson, trading as String (also referred to as “we”, “us” and “our”). We are responsible for deciding how personal information is used for the purposes described in this notice (the data controller).
Contact: Mr Jermaine Johnson, String, PO Box 735, CATERHAM, CR3 4FE
Email: support@getstring.app
Website: https://getstring.app
You can use the contact email for privacy requests and data-protection complaints.
2. Information we process
Depending on how you use String, we process:
- Account and profile information: your email address, display name, account identifier and authentication details managed by Firebase Authentication; your selected learning language, level and learning goals/reasons.
- Learning activity: lesson and content progress, practice attempts, answers, scores and feedback, favourites and sentences or phrases that you create.
- Speaking and AI practice: voice recordings that you choose to submit for transcription, transcripts, messages or conversation context and text submitted for language feedback or speech generation. Please avoid including sensitive personal information in free-text or voice practice.
- Subscription information: your account identifier, the subscription products you choose, entitlement/trial status, renewal or expiry dates and relevant transaction identifiers supplied by Apple, Google and RevenueCat. We do not receive or store your full payment-card details.
- Technical and diagnostic information: device/platform and operating-system information, app version, error reports, crash logs, approximate technical/network information and a pseudonymous account identifier associated with error reports.
- Support messages: the information and contact details you provide when you email us about an account, a purchase or a privacy concern.
Our search service may receive search queries and technical connection information needed to return results. A query could contain personal information if you type it into the search box.
3. Why we use your information and our lawful bases
Under UK data-protection law we need a lawful basis to process personal information. We use the following bases, depending on the activity:
| What we do | Why we do it | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Register and authenticate accounts; save preferences and learning progress | Deliver the language-learning service you request | Performance of a contract |
| Process speaking exercises, submitted text and AI conversations | Provide transcription, pronunciation support, generated speech and learning feedback | Performance of a contract |
| Check purchases, subscriptions and access entitlement | Provide paid access, restore purchases and resolve billing/access issues | Performance of a contract |
| Handle service enquiries and account requests | Respond to users and maintain their accounts | Performance of a contract, or legitimate interests in providing support, depending on the request |
| Prevent misuse, enforce reasonable usage limits and maintain service security | Protect users and keep the service reliable | Legitimate interests in protecting our service and users |
| Investigate crashes, errors and service failures | Identify and fix problems in the app | Legitimate interests in maintaining a reliable service |
| Comply with accounting, consumer-protection or other legal requirements | Meet applicable legal duties | Legal obligation, where relevant |
We balance the legitimate interests identified above against your rights and expectations. We do not rely on your acceptance of these Terms as general consent for unrelated uses of your personal information.
Marketing: We do not use your account details to send optional promotional newsletters unless and until we have a lawful basis to do so and provide the required choice and opt-out. [CONFIRM WHETHER ANY PROMOTIONAL EMAIL OR OTHER DIRECT MARKETING IS ACTIVE AT LAUNCH.]
4. AI, voice recordings and generated audio
String uses external AI and audio-service providers to power parts of the language-learning experience. When you choose a relevant practice feature, the text, audio or conversation context needed to return a result is processed by our backend and may be sent to OpenAI (for transcription, feedback and conversational exercises) or ElevenLabs (for generated speech, including some personalised introductions).
Audio submitted for transcription is handled as a temporary processing input. Current app functionality generally transmits audio directly to a secure backend; a legacy flow may temporarily upload it to Firebase Storage. The legacy stored file is scheduled for deletion after transcription processing. We do not offer a permanent library of your original practice recordings.
Practice responses, feedback and progress may be saved to your account so you can continue learning. Some generated speech audio may be cached for performance; personalised introduction audio may be cached locally on your device and cleared when you sign out or remove your account.
AI responses may be inaccurate. Please do not share highly sensitive information through practice prompts or recordings.
5. Services that help us operate String
We use service providers that process information to provide the app. The services relevant to the current implementation include:
- Google Firebase / Google Cloud: authentication, account and learning records, temporary audio storage and server functions.
- OpenAI: language-related AI processing, including transcription, text evaluation and conversation generation.
- ElevenLabs: speech generation from text, including learner-supplied text where that feature is used.
- Algolia: search functionality and associated queries and technical metadata.
- RevenueCat: subscriptions, entitlement management, trial status and purchase-related identifiers, associated with your String account identifier.
- Sentry: crash and error monitoring. String configures reports using a pseudonymous Firebase account ID and technical context, and aims not to submit lesson answers, transcripts or speech content in diagnostic events.
- Apple App Store / Google Play: handle in-app purchases, billing and subscription management under their own applicable privacy notices.
Our app-development and hosting providers may also process limited technical information required to deliver or maintain the website and app. We do not sell your personal information.
6. International processing
Some of the providers listed above operate across countries, so information may be processed outside the UK. Where UK data-protection law requires safeguards for a restricted international transfer, we use an applicable legal transfer mechanism, such as relevant contractual safeguards or an adequacy arrangement. [OPERATOR: VERIFY THE ACTUAL PROVIDER CONTRACTS, REGIONS AND INTERNATIONAL-TRANSFER MECHANISMS BEFORE PUBLISHING.] Contact us if you would like information about safeguards relevant to your data.
7. How long we keep information
We keep personal information only for as long as needed for the purposes described above or to satisfy applicable legal requirements:
- Account, preferences, learning progress, favourites, practice history and custom sentences: normally kept while you have a String account, then removed through our account-deletion process.
- Raw practice audio: temporary processing input, not a permanent recording library; legacy uploaded recordings are ordinarily deleted after transcription. If cleanup fails, additional deletion may be needed.
- Technical rate-limiting records: kept to protect the service and removed alongside your account data.
- Crash/error reports and operational logs: retained according to our configured monitoring and hosting retention settings, for the time necessary to investigate issues.
- Support correspondence: kept only as needed to address the enquiry or any ongoing dispute or legal obligation.
- Subscription and transaction-related records: retained by the applicable store, RevenueCat and, where needed, us, according to the applicable billing, record-keeping and legal requirements.
Backups and provider logs may not disappear immediately when an account is deleted and may be removed on their normal retention cycles, subject to applicable legal requirements.
8. Your choices and rights
Depending on your circumstances and applicable law, you may be entitled to request access to your personal information, correction, deletion, restriction of its processing or a portable copy. You can also object to processing based on legitimate interests, and withdraw consent where consent is used.
To exercise your rights, email support@getstring.app. We may need reasonable information to verify that a request relates to your account. We aim to respond within the time required by applicable data-protection law and will explain if an exception applies.
You can delete your account from Profile → Delete Account within the app. This removes your String account and associated Firebase-held learning data. Deleting your String account does not cancel any ongoing Apple or Google subscription; cancel that separately through your device’s subscription settings. Purchase records or linked customer records maintained by payment platforms and RevenueCat may need separate handling. Contact us if you want to request erasure of such records where your rights apply.
If you cannot access the app, email support@getstring.app to request account deletion or help exercising your rights.
9. Privacy complaints
If you are concerned about how we handle your personal information, email support@getstring.app with the subject “Data protection complaint”. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days, investigate it as appropriate and inform you of our response or progress without undue delay.
You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk, the UK data-protection regulator. We would welcome the opportunity to consider your concern directly first, but you do not have to contact us before contacting the ICO.
10. Keeping your information secure
We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards, including authentication, access controls and restricted access to account records. No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Contact us if you believe your account or personal information has been compromised.
11. Children
String is intended for users aged 4 and above (4+).
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our services or legal obligations change. We will publish the updated version here and update the date above. Where appropriate, we will also notify you of significant changes in the app or by email.
13. Contact
For questions, privacy requests or complaints, contact support@getstring.app or write to Mr Jermaine Johnson, String, PO Box 735, CATERHAM, CR3 4FE.