GrooTalk Privacy Policy
Effective date: October 11, 2026 · Tiếng Việt
In short
- You can use GrooTalk without an account. Signing in with Apple or Google is optional; if you do, we keep only the email address your provider shares with us.
- Your progress, phrasebook, call history and voice recordings are stored on your device. Our server keeps only an anonymous device identifier, your language settings, daily usage counters and product-analytics events — never your recordings or conversations.
- Speech-to-text runs on your device using Apple's on-device speech recognition.
- To give AI feedback and run role-play calls, the text of what you say passes through our server to our AI providers. For pronunciation scoring (Premium), short audio clips of your sentences are sent to our speech provider. Neither is stored by us.
- The app currently shows no ads. It does not track you across other apps or websites.
1. Who we are
GrooTalk ("the app", "we", "us") is an English speaking-practice app in the GrooEdu family (grooedu.com), operated by GROOWING COMPANY LIMITED, 6th Floor, Viet A Building, No. 9 Duy Tan Street, Cau Giay Ward, Hanoi. We are the controller of the personal data described in this policy.
2. Data we process and why
| Data | Where it is kept | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Settings (interface language, native language, learning language, daily goal, reminder time) | Your device; language settings are also sent to our server | Make the app work the way you chose |
| Learning progress (minutes, streak, XP, results of exercises, saved phrases) | Your device | Show your progress on the learning path and schedule reviews |
| Voice recordings of your answers and calls | Your device (call history keeps the last 30 calls, with their scores) | Let you listen back to yourself; pronunciation scoring (see below) |
| Text of what you say (recognised on your device), the role-play scenario and your earlier lines in the call | Passed through our server to our AI providers; not stored by us | Character replies, corrections, explanations, scores, translations |
| "Learner memory": a first name you choose to say in a call, a few facts you mention, your frequent mistakes | Your device; included in AI requests | So characters remember you between calls. The app is instructed never to keep phone numbers or email addresses. You can erase it in Settings. |
| Short audio clips of your sentences (Premium pronunciation scoring only) | Passed through our server to our speech provider; not stored by us | Word-by-word pronunciation scores |
| Character lines to be spoken | Passed through our server to our speech provider; the returned audio is cached on your device | Natural-sounding character voices |
| Anonymous device record: a random device identifier, platform, language settings, first/last use date, and whether the device passed Apple's DeviceCheck | Our server (hosted on Cloudflare; the database is located in the Asia-Pacific region) | Apply free-tier limits and prevent abuse of AI features. The identifier is not linked to your name unless you sign in. |
| Daily usage counters (AI requests, voice characters, pronunciation seconds, calls) and free calls used | Our server and secure storage on your device (which may persist after the app is deleted); Apple's DeviceCheck may store two bits per device | Free-tier limits and preventing abuse |
| Product-analytics events (e.g. app opened, lesson finished, paywall viewed, subscription started — with the device identifier and time; never the content of what you say) | Our server | Understand how the app is used and improve it |
| Account (optional): the email address shared by Apple or Google (Apple may give a relay address), the sign-in provider, and which of your devices are linked | Our server | Use one account on several devices and keep Premium across them. Up to 5 devices per account. |
| Your name and profile picture from Apple or Google (if you sign in) | Your device only. Our server reads the sign-in token to verify it, but stores only the email address. | Show who is signed in on the Me tab |
| Subscription status (product, expiry, original transaction identifier) | Apple; confirmed by our server with Apple and stored there | Unlock Premium on the device that bought it, or on the devices signed in to your account. We never receive your payment card details. |
Microphone and speech recognition are used only while you practise, after you grant permission. Daily reminders are local notifications scheduled on your device. We do not process special categories of data (health, religion, etc.); please do not say such information in calls.
Legal bases (EEA/UK/Switzerland): performance of our contract with you (providing the app, your account and Premium), our legitimate interests (security, preventing abuse, understanding and improving the service), and your consent where required (microphone, speech-recognition and notification permissions).
3. Service providers
We share data only with providers that process it on our behalf to deliver the features above:
- Cloudflare, Inc. — hosts our server and database (device records, usage counters, analytics events, accounts, subscription status), and delivers sample-sentence audio and images to the app.
- Anthropic, PBC (Claude API) — AI replies, feedback and scoring (text only).
- Microsoft Corporation (Azure OpenAI Service) — backup AI provider when the primary one is unavailable (text only).
- Microsoft Corporation (Azure AI Speech) — pronunciation scoring (audio clips, Premium) and backup character voices (text only).
- OpenRouter, Inc. and the model host it routes to (currently DeepInfra, Inc.) — character voices (the text of the character's line only; never your voice).
- Apple Inc. — on-device speech recognition, Sign in with Apple, DeviceCheck, App Store purchases and subscription management.
- Google LLC — Sign in with Google (only if you choose it).
Under their commercial API terms, the AI and speech providers do not use our requests to train their models and keep them only for a limited period for security and abuse monitoring, as described in their own policies. Your data may be processed in the United States or other countries where these providers operate; where required, transfers are covered by appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
We do not sell or rent personal data and do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.
4. Retention
- Data on your device stays until you delete it in the app or delete the app.
- Our server keeps device records and usage counters while the device is in use and deletes them after 12 months of inactivity; analytics events are kept for up to 12 months; account data until you delete the account.
- We do not store your recordings, your conversations or the text of what you say on our server. Requests sent to providers are kept by them only as long as described in section 3.
5. Your choices and rights
- Turn off microphone, speech-recognition or notification access at any time in iOS Settings.
- Erase learner memory in the app's Settings; remove saved phrases in the app; or delete the app to remove all local data, call history, scores and recordings included.
- Sign out, or delete your account, in the app's Me tab. Deleting the account removes your email and sign-in links from our server; your devices become anonymous again.
- Manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple ID settings.
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR, UK GDPR, Vietnam's Decree 13/2023/ND-CP, or California law), you may have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to processing of your personal data, to data portability, and to withdraw consent. Most requests can be fulfilled directly in the app; for anything else (for example deleting the anonymous device record) contact us at support@grootalk.com from the app's Me tab so we can identify your device. We reply within 30 days. You may also complain to your local data-protection authority.
6. Children
GrooTalk is not directed at children under 13 (under 16 in the EEA). We do not knowingly collect their personal data. If you believe a child has used AI features of the app, contact us and we will help remove any data.
7. Security
Data is sent over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Data on your device is protected by iOS. No method is completely secure, but we limit what we send to what each feature needs.
8. Changes
We may update this policy. We will change the effective date above and, for significant changes, tell you in the app.
9. Contact
GROOWING COMPANY LIMITED
6th Floor, Viet A Building, No. 9 Duy Tan Street, Cau Giay Ward, Hanoi
Tax code: 0111583815 issued by Hanoi Department of Finance on 28/07/2026
support@grootalk.com · +84357975232