Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Depending on how you use Banana English, we may collect the following types of information.

Account and User Information

Banana English may create or use an account or anonymous identifier to maintain your learning experience. This may include:

• Anonymous or internal user identifiers
• English proficiency level
• Learning preferences
• App settings
• Learning progress
• Completed lessons, missions, and activities
• In-app achievements, rewards, and progress

We do not require users to provide unnecessary personal information in order to use the core learning experience.

Voice and Speech Data

Banana English includes speaking exercises that require access to your device's microphone. When you choose to participate in a speaking activity, your voice may be recorded or transmitted for speech recognition and processing.

Voice and speech information may be used to:

• Convert speech into text
• Determine whether a spoken answer matches an expected response
• Evaluate responses during speaking exercises
• Provide feedback
• Generate appropriate AI responses
• Enable interactive conversations with AI teachers
• Improve the learning experience

Microphone access is requested through your device's operating system. You may disable microphone permission through your device settings, although speaking features may not function without it.

Conversations and Learning Content

When you interact with AI-powered features, we may process information you provide during the conversation, including:

• Speech converted to text
• Written responses
• Conversation context
• Lesson responses
• AI-generated responses
• Information voluntarily provided during a conversation

Please avoid sharing sensitive personal information during AI conversations.

Usage and Analytics Information

We may collect information about how Banana English is used in order to understand app performance and improve the learning experience. This may include:

• App interactions
• Lessons and missions started or completed
• Feature usage
• Session activity
• Device and app information
• App version
• Performance and diagnostic information
• Crash information
• General engagement and usage statistics

We may use analytics services, including Firebase services provided by Google, to process some of this information.

2. How We Use Information

We use information collected through Banana English to:

• Provide and operate the app
• Deliver English speaking exercises and lessons
• Recognize and process spoken responses
• Provide personalized learning experiences
• Generate AI-powered conversations and feedback
• Save learning progress
• Maintain app functionality
• Understand how features are used
• Diagnose crashes and technical problems
• Improve lessons, features, and user experience
• Protect the security and integrity of the service
• Comply with applicable legal requirements

We do not sell users' personal information.

3. Artificial Intelligence Services

Some Banana English features use artificial intelligence and speech-processing technologies. When an AI-powered feature requires external processing, relevant information is transmitted to the third-party providers named below so we can recognize speech, understand your responses, generate feedback, and provide AI-powered conversations.

Depending on the feature being used, this information may include:

• Audio or speech data
• Speech transcripts
• User responses
• Relevant conversation context
• Prompts required to generate a response

Groq

When you use speaking features, your voice or audio may be transmitted to Groq for speech recognition and transcription. Groq processes the audio to convert your speech into text.

Google Gemini

Your speech transcripts, responses, and relevant lesson or conversation context may be transmitted to Google Gemini to understand your responses, generate feedback, and provide AI-powered conversations.

Before Banana English sends personal data to these third-party AI services, we ask for your permission in the app. You may choose not to provide consent, but AI-powered speaking features may not be available.

We take reasonable steps to limit the information transmitted to third-party services to what is necessary for the relevant feature.

4. Third-Party Services

Banana English may use third-party services for functionality such as:

• Cloud infrastructure
• Analytics
• Crash reporting
• Artificial intelligence
• Speech recognition
• Text-to-speech
• App distribution and platform services

These providers may process information on our behalf according to their respective terms and privacy practices. We require third-party service providers that process user information on our behalf to provide the same or equivalent level of protection for personal information as described in this Privacy Policy, as applicable to the services they provide.

Third-party services used by Banana English may include:

• Google — Firebase analytics and related services, and Gemini AI services
• Groq — speech recognition and transcription
• Apple — iOS platform and App Store functionality
• Google Play services — platform functionality on supported Android devices

The specific providers used may change as we improve the service. We will update this Privacy Policy when material changes affect how user information is handled.

5. Data Storage and Retention

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Provide Banana English
• Maintain learning progress
• Fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy
• Maintain security and prevent abuse
• Meet applicable legal requirements

Different categories of information may have different retention periods depending on their purpose. Information that is no longer reasonably necessary may be deleted, anonymized, or aggregated.

Information processed temporarily by third-party AI or speech services may also be subject to those providers' data-processing and retention practices.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Where appropriate, information transmitted between Banana English and our servers or service providers is protected using secure network connections.

However, no electronic transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

7. Your Choices and Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights regarding your personal information, including the right to:

• Request information about data associated with you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your information
• Withdraw certain permissions or consent
• Object to or restrict certain processing where applicable

You can manage permissions such as microphone access through your device settings. You may also contact us to request access to or deletion of information associated with you.

We may need to verify a request before completing it to protect users from unauthorized access or deletion requests.

8. Deleting Your Data

You may request deletion of your personal information and learning data by contacting us using the information provided in the Contact Us section below.

Where account deletion functionality is available within Banana English, you may also use that functionality to initiate deletion.

When a valid deletion request is received, we will delete or anonymize information associated with the user unless retention is required for legitimate security, fraud-prevention, legal, or regulatory purposes. Some information may remain temporarily in secure backups before being automatically removed according to our backup retention processes.

9. Children's Privacy

Banana English is designed as a general English-learning service and is not specifically directed to young children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children in violation of applicable privacy laws.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child has provided personal information to Banana English in a manner that is not permitted by applicable law, please contact us. We will review the request and take appropriate action, including deletion where required.

10. International Data Processing

Banana English may use cloud and AI service providers that operate infrastructure in multiple countries. As a result, information may be processed in countries or regions other than the one in which you live.

Where required, we take reasonable measures to ensure that appropriate safeguards apply to international processing of personal information.

11. No Sale of Personal Information

Banana English does not sell personal information to third parties. We do not use information collected through speaking exercises for third-party advertising.

If our practices materially change in the future, this Privacy Policy will be updated accordingly.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Banana English evolves, new features are introduced, or legal and regulatory requirements change. When we make changes, we will update the Last Updated date at the top of this page.

If a change materially affects how we handle personal information, we may provide additional notice where appropriate. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or would like to request access to or deletion of your information, please contact: