Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Podvance (“Podvance”, “we”, “us”) collects, uses, shares, and protects your information when you use the Podvance mobile application and the podvance.com website (together, the “Service”). Podvance helps you learn English by listening to podcasts, with transcripts, translations, vocabulary, AI summaries, and shadowing practice.

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

Account information. When you register we collect your email address and a password. Passwords are stored only in encrypted (hashed) form — we cannot read them. If you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive an account identifier and the email address (and, where provided, the name) associated with that account. We do not receive your Google or Apple password.

Profile and learning preferences. To personalize your learning we collect the information you choose to provide during onboarding and in your profile: your native language, your English proficiency level, podcast categories you are interested in, and optionally a nickname, gender, birthday, and short bio.

Learning activity. To sync your progress across devices and power learning features, we record how you use the Service: episodes you play and your playback position, your episode queue and listening history, podcasts you follow in the app, your vocabulary items, and which learning modes you use (for example listening with the transcript open, or reading a summary).

Purchase information. Subscriptions are purchased through Apple App Store or Google Play and processed with our subscription infrastructure provider (RevenueCat). We receive your subscription status, product identifier, and transaction identifiers so we can unlock paid features. We never receive your full payment card details; those stay with Apple, Google, and their payment processors.

Technical and diagnostic data. Like most online services, our servers automatically log technical information such as IP address, device and operating system type, app version, timestamps, and request metadata. If the app or our servers encounter an error, diagnostic reports (which may include device information and the state of the app at the time of the error) are sent to our error-monitoring provider so we can find and fix problems.

Consent records. When you accept the Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy, we record which document versions you accepted and when, so we can demonstrate your consent and ask you to review material changes.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information above to:

• create and secure your account, and let you sign in;
• sync your learning progress, queue, vocabulary, and settings across devices;
• personalize podcast recommendations and learning content based on your level, native language, and interests;
• determine your subscription entitlements and provide paid features;
• send service emails such as email verification, password recovery, and important notices about your account or changes to legal documents;
• monitor, debug, and improve the reliability, safety, and quality of the Service; and
• prevent fraud and abuse and enforce our Terms of Service.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not show third-party advertising in the Service.

4. AI-Generated Content

Transcripts, translations, and summaries in Podvance are generated by machine learning systems, including third-party AI service providers. What is processed by these systems is podcast content (audio and text published by podcast creators), not your personal profile. We do not use your personal information to train third-party AI models.

5. How We Share Information

We share information only in the following situations:

• Service providers. We use a small number of infrastructure providers to operate the Service — cloud hosting and storage, AI processing for transcripts/translations/summaries, error monitoring, email delivery, and subscription management. They process data only to provide their service to us.
• Sign-in and app-store partners. If you use Google or Apple sign-in, or purchase a subscription, Google and Apple process data under their own privacy policies.
• Podcast publishers’ servers. Podcast episodes are published by their creators via public feeds. When you stream or download an episode, your device may connect directly to the publisher’s hosting servers, which can see your IP address and standard request data under their own policies, as with any podcast app.
• Legal reasons. We may disclose information if required by law, or when necessary to protect the rights, safety, or integrity of Podvance, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers. If Podvance is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, information may be transferred as part of that transaction; this policy will continue to apply to it.

6. Data Retention

We keep your information for as long as your account exists. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal information within a reasonable period, except for records we need to keep — such as consent records and purchase/transaction records — to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. Residual copies in backups are removed on our normal backup rotation schedule.

7. Your Rights and Choices

• Access and update. You can view and edit your profile and learning preferences in the app settings at any time.
• Delete your account. You can request deletion of your account and associated data from the app settings, or by emailing us at support@podvance.com.
• Email choices. Service emails (such as verification and recovery) are necessary to operate your account. We do not send marketing email without your consent.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional legal rights regarding your personal information (such as access, correction, deletion, or portability). To exercise them, contact us at support@podvance.com.

8. Security

We protect your information with industry-standard measures: encryption in transit (TLS), hashed password storage, access controls, and monitoring. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your data and will notify you as required by law if a breach affects you.

9. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us at support@podvance.com and we will delete it.

10. International Processing

Our infrastructure providers may store and process data on servers located in different countries or regions. Wherever your information is processed, we apply the protections described in this policy.

11. Changes to This Policy

When we change this policy, we publish a new version with a new version identifier and effective date, and the previous versions remain available in our archive. If the changes are material, we will notify you in the app and ask you to review and accept the new version before continuing to use the Service.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy or your personal information, contact us at support@podvance.com.