Who this policy covers
This policy describes the Aloud Cards app and the public website at aloudcards.com. Aloud Cards is a voice-driven learning app for families and young children.
Microphone and speech processing
Aloud Cards uses the microphone only while a practice prompt is actively listening for an answer. Audio is streamed in memory to the Vosk speech recognizer running on the device. The recognizer is limited to the answers expected for that card.
- Microphone audio is not sent to a cloud speech service.
- Audio recordings and speech transcripts are not saved.
- Audio is not used for advertising, analytics, or model training.
- Microphone permission can be removed in the device's system settings.
Text-to-speech also runs on the device through Piper. The app does not send practice prompts to an online voice service.
Information stored on the device
Aloud Cards stores the information needed to provide the app locally, including player profiles, selected and custom card sets, preferences, and practice progress. This information is not synced to an Aloud Cards account or uploaded to an Aloud Cards server.
Removing the app may remove its locally stored information, depending on the platform's uninstall and backup behavior.
Model downloads and network access
On first use, the app downloads speech-recognition and text-to-speech model files over HTTPS from the model publishers. Those providers receive the ordinary network information needed to deliver a download, such as an IP address and standard request headers. Aloud Cards does not include a child's name, practice activity, audio, or transcript in those requests.
Once the verified models are installed, core practice is designed to work offline. The app may use the network later to retrieve a missing or updated model.
Optional in-app feedback
A grown-up can choose Settings -> Send feedback to report a problem or share an idea. Nothing is submitted automatically. Before sending, the form shows the exact technical information that will be included.
The feedback service receives only:
- the selected category, summary, and details entered by the grown-up;
- an opaque request identifier;
- app version and build number;
- platform and coarse operating-system major version; and
- confirmation that the privacy notice was acknowledged.
Feedback does not include player names or IDs, practice prompts, answers, scores, custom cards, microphone audio, transcripts, file paths, logs, device or install identifiers, account identifiers, full operating-system versions, locale, or location. The form rejects obvious email addresses, phone numbers, and web addresses and asks grown-ups not to include personal information.
The feedback relay uses the request's network address only to enforce short-term abuse limits. It immediately converts the address into a rotating one-way quota value; the raw address and report body are not logged. Minimal idempotency and quota records are stored in Microsoft Azure. The report and allowlisted metadata become a private issue in the project's private GitHub repository so the developer can review it. Reports are kept only as long as they are useful for product maintenance.
A receipt confirms delivery but does not provide direct replies or ticket status.
Website data
The public website is a static site hosted by GitHub Pages. It does not use analytics, advertising, cookies, accounts, or a public contact form. GitHub may process standard web request information to deliver the site under its own privacy terms.
Children's privacy
Aloud Cards is intentionally designed to avoid collecting personal information from children. The app has no child account, cloud profile, social feature, public posting, advertising identifier, or behavioral tracking. The only submission flow is placed in Settings, uses a grown-up acknowledgement, and warns against entering identifying information.
Security and sharing
Aloud Cards does not sell personal information. Information is shared only when needed to deliver model files, host the website, or process feedback that a grown-up deliberately submits. Those limited services are described above.
Changes to this policy
Material changes will be published on this page with a new effective date. Product changes are also summarized on the What's new page.
Privacy questions
Customers with the app installed can open Aloud Cards and choose Settings -> Send feedback. Select Something else and describe the privacy question without including names, contact details, or other identifying information.