Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Parli (“Parli,” “we,” “us”) collects, uses, and shares information when you use the Parli mobile app for iOS and Android and the website at parlimusic.com (together, the “Service”). Parli is operated by Heath Gerrald, an individual based in South Carolina, United States.
We collect information to run your account, save your learning progress, and provide optional speaking practice. We do not show ads or sell your personal information. Our website uses PostHog for anonymous usage analytics, with no session recordings or automatic capture of clicks and form contents.
1. Information we collect
Account information
You need an account to use Parli. You can sign in with:
- Email one-time code. We receive your email address and send a sign-in code to it.
- Sign in with Apple. Apple shares an account identifier, your email address (or an Apple private relay address, if you choose to hide your email) and, if you allow it, your name.
- Sign in with Google. Google shares your name, email address, profile picture URL, and a unique Google account identifier. We request only these basic profile permissions and do not access your Gmail, contacts, files, or any other Google data.
If your Parli account uses Sign in with Apple, we ask you to confirm with the same Apple account before deletion. We retain an encrypted Apple authorization token briefly so we can revoke Parli’s authorization with Apple before removing the account. We remove this token when deletion completes. If Apple is unavailable, deletion remains queued for retry until revocation and removal can finish.
We also record when you confirm that you are 13 or older.
Email preferences
When you change an email preference, we save your choices, the time of the change, and the policy version shown with that choice. We keep a limited record of unsubscribe requests so we can honor them, including if an account is deleted and later recreated with the same email address.
Website waitlist
The website waitlist is closed and no longer accepts email addresses. If you joined before launch, we stored your email address and signup time to send a signup confirmation and one launch notice. Joining the waitlist did not create an app account. You can ask us to remove your address at support@parlimusic.com.
Website analytics
When PostHog analytics is enabled on the website, PostHog receives page views and page-exit events, page URLs and referring pages, browser and device details, and Core Web Vitals. It also receives network information that may be used to estimate your general location. PostHog groups activity into visits using a pseudonymous browser identifier and may associate these technical properties with that identifier. Click autocapture and session recording are disabled. The website does not send waitlist addresses, form contents, or Parli account information to PostHog. PostHog processes this information for Parli using its US cloud service. You can limit analytics through browser privacy controls or an ad blocker; blocking it does not affect the website.
Learning activity
To save your progress, we store the songs, stories, introductions, and word cards you complete; your listening counts and successful spoken uses of taught words; your experience points (XP), practice stars, lesson-group progress, and badges. We also save your music preferences, liked recordings, and saved playlists. The app keeps local copies of library and progress information, and any audio you choose to download, on your device.
Optional voice practice
Speaking practice
Speaking practice is optional. The app requests your device’s microphone and, when needed, speech recognition permission before recording. The microphone opens when you hold the speak button (or use its screen-reader tap actions) and stops when you release, finish, leave, or background the app. You can leave without starting a recording. Canceling stops capture and checking but cannot recall audio already sent. Listening questions with answer buttons do not need microphone access.
Your short recording passes through Parli’s backend to OpenAI for transcription. On supported app versions and devices, audio is streamed while you hold the speak button so transcription can begin before you finish; otherwise the recording is sent after release. Each answer is limited to 18 seconds in the app, with a separate server limit. Streaming does not generate a spoken AI reply. When an answer needs a further meaning check, Parli also sends the transcript, the practice question, and relevant taught expressions to OpenAI. These requests check phrase use and meaning; they do not score pronunciation. Spanish listening cues and guided partner replies use prerecorded audio.
Parli does not save your recordings or transcripts on its servers. The app temporarily holds a recording while an answer is checked or a failed check is retried, then deletes it after a successful check or when you leave. Parli saves completed question identifiers, the current question and help state, authored feedback, stars, XP, successful spoken-use counts for taught words, and completion times. These records let you resume practice and prevent duplicate rewards. Voice requests count toward a daily limit.
Live conversations in earlier app versions
When you agree to start a live voice conversation, Parli streams microphone audio to OpenAI to understand you and generate spoken replies and captions. Your microphone remains active until you mute it or the call ends; leaving the call or backgrounding the app stops capture. Parli does not save call audio or transcripts in its database. Captions appear temporarily in the app. We count voice requests to enforce a daily practice limit. For graded listening and speaking exercises, Parli uses the server-observed answers to calculate a 0–3 grade and a readiness message. We save the grade, the number of successful answers, which individual checks passed, XP awarded, the stop and completion time, and a call identifier so the result can be explained, retrieved and duplicate rewards can be prevented. A grade of 3 earns a stop seal. We do not save the call audio or transcript.
Voice checks in earlier app versions
Earlier app versions offer a voice check. If you start that check, Parli asks for microphone and speech recognition access. Your device's speech service shows a live transcript; depending on your device settings and available language models, Apple or Google may process the audio for that transcription. A short recording is sent through Parli to OpenAI for a separate transcription. We send that transcript, the conversation situation, and the relevant taught expressions to TypeSafe AI to judge the reply. The app removes its temporary recording when it is no longer needed. Parli does not save recordings or transcripts in its database. We save which voice-check turns you passed and when, so your listening and speaking seals remain on your account. We also count voice requests to enforce a daily limit.
Security and usage limits
To limit automated sign-ups, duplicate voice requests, and excessive AI use, Parli keeps short-lived security records. These include a salted network bucket derived from the sign-up request’s IP address, sign-up request identifiers and counts, and voice-request identifiers, times, account identifiers, and a one-way fingerprint of the submitted request. The fingerprint helps identify a repeated request; it does not store a playable recording or a readable transcript. The sign-up throttle tables do not store the raw IP address. We also keep account-free aggregate usage and cost-reservation counters and operational alerts so deleting an account cannot reset the app’s safety limits.
Display name
Your profile has a display name. When you sign in with Apple or Google, it is set from the name on that account; otherwise it defaults to “Learner.” To change your display name, contact us at the address below.
Crash and diagnostic data
If the app crashes or hits an error, it sends a report to Sentry so we can diagnose problems. Reports can include your device model, operating system and app versions, technical error details, limited network request breadcrumbs, and a Sentry-generated identifier that groups events from the same app installation. Sentry may also derive an approximate city or region from the network address used for the request. Parli does not send your Parli account ID, name, or email address in these reports. The Sentry project applies its default secret scrubbers, but error reports may still contain technical details about the circumstances of an error.
Parli also sends service-wide AI usage and security alerts to Sentry so the operator can respond to unusual use or a reached safety limit. These alerts contain the alert type, date, and an operational delivery identifier. They do not contain account identifiers, users’ network addresses, request-content fingerprints, recordings, or transcripts.
What we do not collect
- We do not collect precise location, contacts, photos, or advertising identifiers.
- Parli does not currently offer paid features. If it does, purchases will be processed by Apple or Google, and we will not receive your full payment card details.
2. How we use information
- To create and secure your account and sign you in.
- To save and sync your learning progress, XP, and badges.
- To stream lesson audio and songs to the app.
- To transcribe and check optional spoken replies, give feedback, and save practice progress, stars, spoken-use counts, and earned seals.
- To diagnose crashes and fix bugs.
- To prevent abuse, enforce sign-up and voice-request limits, and control AI costs.
- To respond to your support requests and send essential service messages, such as sign-in codes.
- To send the launch notice to people who joined the website waitlist before it closed.
- To send learning and product emails as described below, subject to your choices and applicable law.
We do not sell or rent your personal information or share it for third-party advertising.
Email communications
We may use the email address associated with your Parli account to send:
- Account and service messages: sign-in codes, security notices, responses to support requests, and important account or policy changes.
- Learning emails: listening and practice reminders, learning tips, and summaries of your progress.
- Parli updates and offers: new songs and stories, app features, and announcements or offers about Parli products and services.
Learning emails and Parli updates and offers are optional. Where applicable law permits, we may send these emails to account holders unless they opt out. Where consent is required, we ask for it before sending. Downloading the app or accepting our Terms does not replace any consent required by law.
In app versions with email preferences, open Settings > Email preferences to change individual email categories or unsubscribe from all optional emails. Changes are saved to your account.
You can stop all optional emails using the unsubscribe link in an optional email or by emailing support@parlimusic.com from the address you want to unsubscribe. We honor unsubscribe requests without requiring you to sign in or delete your account. You can continue using Parli after you unsubscribe. Essential account and service messages may still be sent.
Addresses collected through the former website waitlist remain limited to the signup confirmation and one launch notice. A waitlist signup alone does not subscribe you to ongoing optional emails.
3. Service providers
We share information only with the providers that help us operate the Service, and only for that purpose:
- Supabase hosts our database, user authentication, and audio file storage. Your account and learning data are stored there.
- Resend processes email addresses to send account sign-in and sign-up codes, the launch notice, and, before the waitlist closed, website signup confirmations.
- Sentry receives crash and error reports and service-wide AI usage and security alerts.
- PostHog processes pseudonymous website analytics for Parli, including page views, page exits, Core Web Vitals, page URLs, referrers, browser and device details, and network information used to estimate general location. The website does not send it waitlist addresses, form contents, or account data; click autocapture and session recording are disabled.
- Apple provides Sign in with Apple and distributes the iOS app.
- Google provides Sign in with Google and distributes the Android app.
- Apple and Google speech services may process microphone audio to show live words during voice checks in earlier app versions, depending on the device and available on-device language models.
- OpenAI transcribes recorded or streamed answers in Speaking practice and may check the transcript against the question and taught expressions. In earlier live-conversation and voice-check versions, it also processes streamed microphone audio, generates spoken replies and captions, and transcribes recordings.
- TypeSafe AI evaluates transcripts against the situation and taught expressions in voice checks in earlier app versions. It receives text, not the recording.
We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect the rights and safety of our users or others, or as part of a transfer of the Service to a successor that agrees to honor this policy.
Google user data
Parli’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We use Google account information to sign you in and set up your Parli profile. Before using an email address obtained through Google Sign-In for optional learning or product emails, we disclose that use and obtain the permission required by Google’s policies and applicable law. If you authorized Google Sign-In under an earlier policy that limited use to sign-in and profile setup, we ask for your agreement before using that information for optional emails.
4. Data retention
We keep your account and learning data while your account is active. In the current app, confirming account deletion starts permanent deletion immediately. For accounts linked to Sign in with Apple, we revoke Apple access before deleting the account. If a service is temporarily unavailable, the request stays protected and is retried automatically. Requests already scheduled in earlier app versions keep the deadline shown in the app and can be canceled before that deadline. We keep waitlist addresses until we send the launch notice or you ask us to remove yours, whichever comes first. Website analytics data is retained according to the settings and retention rules for our PostHog project. Sentry currently retains error-event data for 30 days on its Developer plan. See Sentry’s retention details.
An hourly cleanup deletes voice-request security records after 7 days and sign-up network buckets and request identifiers after 48 hours. When an account is deleted, Parli removes the account identifier and request fingerprint from its voice-request security records immediately; the account-free reservation amount and timestamp can remain until cleanup. Aggregate counters and operational alerts contain no account identifier, recording, or transcript and may remain to enforce app-wide limits and investigate service incidents.
Account email preferences and their change history are deleted with your account. We retain only the email fingerprints and unsubscribe-link records needed to honor an opt-out after account deletion. Unsubscribe links can only stop optional emails; they cannot access your account or subscribe you.
Provider retention is separate from Parli’s temporary processing of speech. OpenAI’s published API policy lists no content retention for its transcription endpoint. Streamed speaking answers, text meaning checks, and earlier live conversations may have abuse-monitoring logs retained for up to 30 days under OpenAI’s standard policy, with exceptions for legal requirements or preventing harm. Parli requests that text meaning-check responses are not stored as reusable responses; this does not disable provider abuse monitoring. OpenAI states that API data is not used for model training by default. See OpenAI’s data controls for endpoint-specific details.
For TypeSafe AI processing in earlier voice checks, retention depends on the applicable provider terms. Its privacy policy describes retention for as long as reasonably necessary for the stated purposes and legal obligations. Deleting your Parli account does not itself delete provider logs. Contact us about access or deletion requests involving a provider.
5. Deleting your account
In the app, go to Traveler > Account > Delete account, type DELETE, and confirm. This starts permanent deletion of your account and learning data immediately. If your account uses Sign in with Apple, confirm with the same Apple account; Parli revokes Apple access before it removes your account. If a service is temporarily unavailable, the request is retried automatically and the app shows when deletion is complete. Requests already scheduled in earlier app versions keep their displayed deadline and can be canceled with Keep my account before then. You can also request account deletion on the web or email support@parlimusic.com from the address linked to your account if you cannot access the app.
Deleting your Parli account does not cancel a subscription managed by Apple or Google. Cancel it in the store settings if one is active.
If you signed in with Apple or Google, you can also remove Parli’s access from your Apple or Google account settings.
6. Your choices and rights
You can ask us to access, correct, or delete your personal information, or ask questions about how we handle it, by emailing support@parlimusic.com. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under local law, and we will honor requests as required.
7. Children
Parli is intended for people aged 13 and older. The app asks you to confirm your age before you can use it, and people who indicate they are under 13 cannot continue. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
8. Security
Data is sent over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Access to learner records in our database is restricted so that each account can read only its own private data. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information.
9. International users
Parli is operated from South Carolina, United States, and our service providers may process information in the United States and other countries.
10. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will post the new version here and update the effective date. If the changes are significant, we will tell you in the app or by email.
11. Contact us
For privacy questions or requests, email support@parlimusic.com. For general questions, email info@parlimusic.com.
Heath Gerrald
South Carolina, United States