Privacy policy

Your account. When you sign up we collect your name, email address and password. We store your password only in hashed form, so nobody at EthnoLingo can read it. We also keep the avatar and language you choose, your learning settings (daily goal, reminder time, audio speed) and your notification choices. If you turn on two-step sign-in, we store its secret in encrypted form.

Your learning activity. We record the lessons you complete, your quiz and practice answers, your XP, streaks, gems and badges, and your scores when you practise pronunciation. We use this to save your progress, build your review sessions and work out your leaderboard rank.

Your voice, only when you practise speaking. The app only uses your microphone while you're practising pronunciation. Each recording is sent to our speech service, compared with a native speaker's recording and turned into a score. We don't keep the recording; we keep only the score.

Your device and connection. If you allow notifications, we store your device's push notification token and whether it's an iPhone or Android phone. We record the IP address you sign up and sign in from, and our servers keep logs of requests (including IP addresses). We use these to keep accounts secure, stop abuse and fix problems.

The waitlist on our website. If you join the waitlist we collect your first name and email address, plus your phone number if you choose to get WhatsApp messages. We use these only to tell you about the launch. You can turn either channel off from the link in any message we send.

We don't use advertising, we don't use third-party analytics or tracking tools, and we don't sell your information.

• To run your account and save your progress across devices.
• To score your pronunciation and pick the words you need to practise.
• To send the reminders and updates you've turned on, such as daily reminders and streak alerts. You can change these in the app under Settings.
• To send emails you need, such as sign-up codes and password resets.
• To protect accounts, for example by spotting repeated failed sign-ins and blocking automated sign-ups.
• To find and fix bugs and keep the service running reliably.

The leaderboard shows your name, your avatar and your XP to other learners. Your email address and other account details are never shown to anyone else.

We share information only with service providers that help us run EthnoLingo, and only what each one needs for its job:

• Hosting and database providers, where our servers and your account data are kept.
• An email delivery provider, to send sign-up codes, password resets and other emails.
• Expo, Apple and Google, to deliver push notifications to your phone, and Expo to deliver app updates.
• Cloudflare Turnstile, which checks that sign-ups come from a real person and not a bot.
• Meta's WhatsApp service, only for waitlist members who asked for WhatsApp messages.
• Logging and monitoring providers, which help us find and fix errors.

We may also share information if the law requires it, or to protect the safety of our users or the service.

Our servers and database are located in the European Union. If you use EthnoLingo from Nigeria or anywhere else, your information is transferred there and protected as this policy describes.

• We keep your account information for as long as your account is open.
• We keep pronunciation scores for up to 180 days. We never store the recordings.
• We keep server logs for a limited time and then delete them.
• When you delete your account, see deleting your account for what is removed and when.

You can delete your account in the app under Settings → Delete account. You can also ask us to delete it without the app by following the steps on our account deletion page.

Your account is deactivated straight away. If you sign back in within 30 days, it's restored. After 30 days we permanently remove your name, email address, password, avatar, IP addresses, notification tokens and two-step sign-in details. Your learning history (such as XP and completed lessons) stays in our database, but nobody can link it to you any more.

You can ask us for a copy of your information, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete it, or object to how we use it. You can change your name, avatar and settings in the app at any time. To make any other request, email hello@learnibom.com. If you aren't happy with how we handle your request, you can complain to your data protection authority. In Nigeria, that's the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

EthnoLingo isn't directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them. If you think a child under 13 has created an account, email us and we'll delete it.

We encrypt information in transit, store passwords only in hashed form, and limit access to our systems. No service can promise perfect security, but we work to protect your information and will tell you if a breach affects you.

If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top of this page. If a change is significant, we'll also tell you in the app or by email.