Privacy Policy

Who we are and what this covers

Liao is built and operated by Aiden Guo, an independent developer ("Liao", "we", "us"). There is no company behind it and no support desk — you are contacting the person who wrote the app. Privacy contact: aidenguo15@gmail.com.

This policy is effective July 16, 2026 and applies to the Liao iOS app, the Liao website, and related support services. It explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and the controls you have.

Information you provide

• Email address and display name from your sign-in provider
• Your Sign in with Apple or Google account identifier (we never see your password)
• Native language, Chinese proficiency level, learning goals, and preferred conversation topics
• Notification preferences
• Messages you send to customer support and any survey or feedback responses

We do not ask for your birthdate. We do not collect government identifiers, precise location, contacts, or photos.

Voice and conversation information

Voice is Liao's core feature, so this is the most important section.

When you start a conversation, and only after you grant microphone permission, Liao processes:

• Live microphone audio, streamed in real time to generate your conversation
• Speech transcripts of what you said
• AI-generated responses, pronunciation observations, grammar and vocabulary notes, and suggested natural, professional, or casual alternatives
• Conversation topic, duration, lesson results, and your corrections

What is stored and what is not:

• Raw microphone audio is NOT intentionally retained by Liao after processing. It is streamed to our speech provider to produce the transcript and feedback, and Liao's copy is then discarded.
• Transcripts are kept in your conversation history so you can review feedback. You can delete any conversation, and unsaved transcripts are automatically deleted 12 months after the conversation.
• Structured learning insights (vocabulary gaps, recurring grammar errors, proficiency, completed lessons) are kept in your learning profile until you reset it or delete your account.

A visible timer and waveform are always on screen while the microphone is active. Liao never records in the background.

Information collected automatically

• Device type, operating system, and app version
• IP address and the approximate region derived from it
• Language and time zone
• Session timestamps, feature interactions, conversation duration, and streak activity
• Crash reports and performance information such as latency
• Authentication and security logs
• Push-notification token, if you enable reminders
• Subscription status

We collect only what appears in this list.

Purchases through Apple

Subscriptions are processed by Apple through your Apple ID. Liao receives transaction identifiers, the subscription product, expiration status, and entitlement information so we can unlock paid features. Liao never receives your full card number. Apple's handling of payment information is governed by Apple's own policies.

Why we use your information

Necessary to provide Liao:

• Running real-time AI conversations, transcribing speech, and generating replies
• Evaluating vocabulary, grammar, and phrasing to create personalized feedback and mini-lessons
• Tracking progress, streaks, proficiency, and learning goals
• Authenticating your account and managing paid access
• Sending reminders you asked for and answering support requests
• Debugging crashes and latency; preventing abuse, fraud, and unauthorized access
• Meeting legal obligations

Optional (you can decline or withdraw):

• Product analytics used to improve Liao's features

How AI processing works

Your conversations are processed by artificial-intelligence systems. Audio and transcripts are sent to our AI speech provider (currently OpenAI) to generate responses, transcripts, and evaluations. AI output can be inaccurate — treat corrections as guidance, not authority.

Liao analyzes your recurring mistakes to personalize future lessons. Liao does NOT use your identifiable private conversations to train general-purpose AI models, and our provider agreements do not permit them to train their models on your content by default. Provider abuse-monitoring systems may retain API content for up to 30 days before deletion; we do not claim your audio vanishes from every system instantly.

Service providers

We share information only with providers that help us run Liao, and only what each needs:

• AI and speech processing (currently Google Gemini) — live audio and transcripts, to run your conversation
• Cloud hosting and database (currently Fly.io) — account, progress, and transcript storage
• Sign-in (Apple, Google) — account identifiers for authentication
• Subscriptions (Apple) — purchase and entitlement status
• Crash reporting and analytics — device and usage diagnostics
• Email and customer support — your support messages

Providers may process information only to deliver their contracted services. A current subprocessor list is available on request at aidenguo15@gmail.com.

No selling, no ad tracking

• Liao does not sell personal information.
• Liao does not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• Liao does not use your conversation content to target advertisements.
• Liao contains no third-party advertising SDKs.

How long we keep information

• Raw microphone audio — not intentionally stored by Liao after processing
• Conversation transcripts — until you delete them; unsaved transcripts auto-delete after 12 months
• Personalized learning profile — until you reset it or delete your account
• Streak and lesson history — until account deletion
• Analytics data — up to 12 months
• Security and diagnostic logs — 30 to 90 days, unless needed for an active investigation
• Support correspondence — up to 24 months after the ticket closes
• Transaction records — as required for accounting, disputes, or law

Our speech provider may retain content in abuse-monitoring logs for up to 30 days, as described above.

Your controls

Inside Liao you can:

• Review and correct your profile and learning preferences
• Delete any individual conversation, or clear your entire history
• Reset your personalized learning profile
• Turn notifications on or off
• Withdraw optional analytics consent
• Request an export of your data
• Delete your account entirely (Profile → Settings → Delete account)

Depending on where you live, you may also have legal rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, port, or object to processing, and to withdraw consent. Contact aidenguo15@gmail.com to exercise any of these; we respond within the time required by applicable law.

What account deletion does

When you delete your account:

• Your credentials, conversation history, personalized learning records, and streak data are deleted
• Deletion completes within 30 days
• Certain security, transaction, or legal records may be retained where required by law

Important: deleting your Liao account does not cancel an active Apple subscription. Manage or cancel it in your Apple ID subscription settings.

Microphone permission

Liao requests microphone access solely to run your spoken conversations. Access begins only after you grant iOS permission, audio transmission begins only when you start a conversation, and a visible timer and waveform are on screen the whole time. You can revoke access any time in iOS Settings → Liao; lessons, review, history, and your saved phrases remain fully usable without the microphone.

Children and teenagers

Liao is not intended for children under 13, and users under 13 may not create an account. If we learn that personal information was collected from a child under 13 without legally valid permission, we will delete it. If you are between 13 and 17, use Liao with a parent or guardian's awareness where applicable. Parents and guardians can reach us at aidenguo15@gmail.com.

International transfers

Liao is operated from the United States, and information may be processed in the United States and other countries where our providers operate. Where required for users outside the United States, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses with our providers.

Security

We protect your information with encryption in transit, access controls, restricted employee and contractor access, secure authentication, monitoring and logging, provider reviews, and incident-response procedures. No online service can guarantee perfect security, and we do not claim to be an exception.

Changes and contact

If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you in the app and ask you to review it again before continuing. The effective date at the top always reflects the current revision.

Liao is run by Aiden Guo, an independent developer. Contact me directly at aidenguo15@gmail.com — privacy questions, data requests, and support all reach the same place. I aim to reply within a few days, and within any time limit the law sets.