Gengo House Privacy Policy
At a glance
- Your learning history, Notebook, and the items in your room and how they're arranged are stored only on your device.
- Your voice recordings are deleted from your device once processing is finished, and are never stored on our servers.
- When you use AI features, your voice and text are sent to OpenAI (United States) for processing.
SOZORO STUDIO ("we" or "us") publishes this Privacy Policy to explain how we handle user information in the iOS app "Gengo House" (the "App"). We comply with Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (the "APPI") and other applicable laws.
1. Operator
- Business name
- SOZORO STUDIO
- Contact
- hello@sozorostudio.com
If you ask us through the contact email above, we will promptly tell you the operator's name and address.
2. Information we collect
The App collects or generates the following information.
2.1 Information stored only on your device
Your learning history and records, your Notebook, the items in your room and how they're arranged, and your settings are stored only on your device and are not sent to our servers (except for the content needed to process a request when you use an AI feature). Audio you record is kept temporarily on your device for processing and is deleted when processing is finished. For practice features that record audio only to play it back on your device, the audio is deleted without being sent.
2.2 Information handled when you use AI features
When you use AI features such as Smart Speak, we send the following through our servers, to the extent needed for processing: your recorded voice, text you type or that is transcribed, the recent conversation, text to be read aloud, and settings such as the language you are practicing. Recording requires microphone permission, and we use the microphone only while you are recording. We do not store the audio you send on our servers. The recipients and how they handle this information are described in Section 5.
2.3 Account information
- Anonymous account ID: So that you can use the App without signing up, the App automatically creates an anonymous Firebase Authentication account when it starts. You do not need to enter your name or email address.
- Sign in with Apple: If you choose to link your account with Sign in with Apple in Settings, Firebase Authentication stores the identifier and email address that Apple provides (a relay address if you use Apple's Hide My Email).
2.4 Information created and stored on our servers
- Usage counts: The number of times each AI feature has been used, to manage usage limits (no content is included).
- Plan status: The type of plan that applies to your account.
- Temporary records of results: Temporary records of processing results (such as transcripts and feedback), kept so that a request is not processed twice when it is retried. See Section 7 for how long they are kept.
- Operational logs: Logs used to monitor how our servers are working (such as feature name, processing time, and success or error type). We design our logs not to record your audio, the text you enter or that is transcribed, AI-generated content, or your account ID. Because of how internet communication works, technical information such as IP addresses is processed by the Google services that run our servers.
3. Information we do not collect
Currently, the App does not include analytics, advertising, or crash reporting tools. We do not collect advertising identifiers, your location, your contacts, or your photos. The App currently has no payment features, so we do not collect payment information.
4. How we use information
We use information for the following purposes:
- To provide the App's features, such as generating questions, feedback, hints, and suggestions for how to say something, and transcribing audio and reading text aloud
- To manage how often AI features are used and to prevent misuse
- To let users who link their accounts keep using the same account
- To investigate problems and keep our servers running reliably
- To respond to inquiries
5. Service providers and third parties
To provide the App's features, we use the external services listed below and entrust them with handling information to the extent necessary. Except in these cases and where the law requires it, we do not provide your information to third parties. We do not sell your information.
| Provider / service | Information received | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI (United States) (OpenAI API) | Audio recorded in Smart Speak and other features, text you type or that is transcribed, the recent conversation, text to be read aloud, and settings needed for processing | Transcription; generating questions, feedback, hints, and suggestions for how to say something; reading text aloud |
| Google (Firebase Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Functions for Firebase (running on Cloud Run), Cloud Logging, Secret Manager) | Anonymous account ID, the identifier and email address from Sign in with Apple if you link, usage counts, plan status, temporary records of results, operational logs, and the audio and text sent to OpenAI when you use AI features (because they pass through our servers) | Account management, usage management, relaying AI feature requests, running our servers |
| Apple (Sign in with Apple) | Information needed for authentication if you choose to link your account | Account linking |
We currently entrust AI processing to OpenAI (United States). If we change this provider, we will revise this Policy and notify you in the App.
We do not send your account ID, name, or email address to OpenAI. Under OpenAI's API terms, data sent to the API is not used to train OpenAI's models, and OpenAI may retain it for up to 30 days to monitor for abuse.
6. Transfers to third parties in foreign countries
OpenAI and Google process information outside Japan, for example in the United States. The App's servers (Cloud Functions and Cloud Firestore) are located in a United States region. As the APPI requires, we provide the following information about providing personal data to third parties in foreign countries.
- Country: United States of America
- Personal information protection system in that country: The United States has no comprehensive federal law equivalent to Japan's APPI, but it has federal laws such as the Federal Trade Commission Act, as well as laws in individual states. For details, please refer to the information on foreign systems published by Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission.
- Measures taken by the recipients: OpenAI and Google each maintain and publish policies on how they handle personal information.
We obtain your consent to these transfers in the App before you use AI features for the first time.
7. Retention
- Audio recordings: Not stored on our servers. Audio is sent to OpenAI for transcription, and the file on your device is deleted after processing.
- Temporary records of results (transcripts, questions, feedback, suggestions for how to say something, and so on): Recorded temporarily on our servers in case a request is retried. Transcripts are deleted automatically about 1 hour after processing, and other results are deleted automatically about 24 hours after processing.
- Account information and usage counts: Kept until the account is deleted.
- Operational logs: Kept for about 30 days. Operational logs do not contain conversation content or account IDs.
- Data on your device: Remains on your device until you delete the App. Deleting the App also deletes the data on your device.
8. Security measures
Our basic approach is to limit the data we handle to the minimum necessary. We take security measures such as the following:
- The App handles only the data needed to provide its features. Your learning history, Notebook, the items in your room and how they're arranged, and your settings are stored on your device and are not sent to our servers (except for the content needed to process an AI feature request).
- Communication between the App and our servers, and between our servers and OpenAI, is encrypted in transit (HTTPS).
- Audio you record is deleted after processing and is not stored on our servers.
- Our server logs are designed to exclude conversation content and account IDs.
- We do not send information that identifies you (such as your account ID, name, or email address) to OpenAI.
- Security rules restrict access to our database so that each user can access only their own account information. The App cannot read or write usage counts or result records.
- We keep the OpenAI API key in a dedicated secret store (Google Cloud Secret Manager), not in the App.
These measures are intended to reduce the risk of information being leaked, lost, or damaged.
9. Your rights
You may ask us to notify you of the purposes for which we use the personal data we hold about you; to disclose, correct, add to, or delete that data; to stop using or erase it; or to stop providing it to third parties. You may also ask us to disclose records of its provision to third parties. To make a request, please contact hello@sozorostudio.com. After confirming your identity, we will respond promptly in accordance with applicable laws.
To ask us to delete your account and the data on our servers, contact hello@sozorostudio.com.
To verify your identity, we may ask you for information such as the device you use and when you used the App.
10. Minors
Users under 13 may not use the App. Users under 18 must use the App with the consent of a parent or guardian.
11. Changes to this policy
We may change this Policy in response to changes in the law or in the App's features. When we do, we will post the updated content and date on this page. For significant changes, we will notify you on this page or in the App.
12. Contact
For questions about this Policy, please contact hello@sozorostudio.com.