HanziHeart
Privacy Policy for HanziHeart
App-specific privacy information for HanziHeart, its website pages, and related services.
HanziHeart
App-specific privacy information for HanziHeart, its website pages, and related services.
Last updated: 8 July 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Gladiolus Limited, using HanziHeart as an app brand/trading name ("HanziHeart", "we", "us", or "our"), collects, uses, stores, and shares personal data when you use the HanziHeart app, website pages, and related services (together, the "Service").
HanziHeart is not a separate legal entity. For UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 purposes, Gladiolus Limited is the data controller for the personal data described in this Policy, except where a third party acts as an independent controller for its own services, such as Apple, Google, or app stores.
HanziHeart helps users understand Chinese text. You paste or type a line, or import a screenshot, and HanziHeart produces a "read" of the line — the literal meaning, the natural meaning, the cultural and emotional subtext, the tone, key words, and suggested replies. HanziHeart may also provide companion-style practice, saved words or reads, widgets or Lock Screen content, and related learning features.
Depending on how you use the Service, we may collect or process the following categories of personal data:
If you import a screenshot, HanziHeart recognises the Chinese text in it entirely on your device using Apple’s on-device Vision text recognition. The screenshot image itself is never uploaded to us or to any third party; it does not leave your phone.
Only the text that is extracted from the screenshot — the Chinese line you choose to read — is then sent to our backend to generate the read, in the same way as a line you paste or type. We do not store the original image, and we do not receive the other contents of your photo library.
HanziHeart is a language-reading tool, not a place for sensitive records. Please do not submit passwords, payment card numbers, government identifiers, health or medical information, confidential business information, or other people’s private messages where you do not have a lawful basis or permission to do so. The text you submit is sent to an AI provider to generate your read (see Section 6).
HanziHeart does not use personal data for third-party advertising or cross-app advertising tracking.
When you ask HanziHeart to read a line, the text of that line is sent through our backend to an AI model provider to generate the result. This may include the read, tone estimate, dictionary-style explanations, practice content, and suggested replies. HanziHeart currently uses DeepSeek for AI reading and related processing.
The AI provider may process the submitted text, the generated output, and technical metadata under its own terms and privacy practices. DeepSeek’s privacy policy states that information such as text inputs, prompts, and chat history may be used to improve and train its technology, and that personal information may be stored in the People’s Republic of China. You can read DeepSeek’s privacy policy at cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html.
We send only the line you choose to read, not your account contact details or payment information. AI outputs may be inaccurate, incomplete, or unsuitable for your needs, and HanziHeart is not a professional translation, legal, medical, or relationship-advice service.
We do not currently:
If any of these practices change, we will update this Policy and provide any required notices, consents, or opt-out mechanisms under applicable law.
We may share personal data with service providers that process data on our behalf, and with professional advisers, regulators, law enforcement, or authorities where legally required. We do not sell your personal data and do not use it for cross-app advertising tracking.
| Provider | Purpose | Data categories | Country or region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Backend hosting, database, authentication, and storage; routes read requests to the AI provider and meters usage. | Account identifiers, email address, authentication/session metadata, preferences, saved reads, saved words, the text submitted to read, and related app data. | May include the UK, EEA, United States, and other locations depending on project region, support access, infrastructure, and subprocessors. |
| DeepSeek | AI reading of submitted Chinese text and related AI processing. | The submitted line of text, generated request/response content, and technical metadata needed to provide the result. We do not intentionally send contact or payment details as part of normal read requests. | May include the People’s Republic of China and other locations depending on DeepSeek infrastructure and subprocessors. |
| RevenueCat | Subscription entitlement management, purchase restoration, trial status, and renewal status. | App user ID or customer ID, product ID, entitlement ID, purchase state, trial/renewal/expiry/cancellation metadata, app-store environment, and related subscription events. | May include the United States, EEA, and other locations where RevenueCat and its subprocessors operate. |
| Apple | Sign in with Apple, App Store distribution, in-app purchases, subscriptions, billing, refunds, and on-device text recognition (Vision). | Apple account-linked identifiers, private relay email or email address where provided, purchase/subscription metadata, refund status, and device/app-store metadata. On-device Vision text recognition runs locally and does not send your screenshots to Apple or to us. | Apple operates globally and may process data in multiple countries depending on the relevant Apple service. |
| Google sign-in where you choose it, and Google Play distribution, in-app purchases, subscriptions, billing, and refunds on Android. | Google account identifiers, email address and profile information provided by sign-in, and purchase/subscription and app-store metadata where applicable. | Google operates globally and may process data in multiple countries depending on the relevant Google service. |
Where a provider acts as our processor, we aim to use provider data processing terms or equivalent contractual terms covering processing instructions, confidentiality, security, subprocessors, assistance with user rights, retention, deletion, and breach support. Some providers, such as Apple or Google for app-store billing and account services, may also act as independent controllers for their own services.
We are based in the United Kingdom. Some providers we use may process personal data outside your country of residence, including in the United Kingdom, European Economic Area, United States, People’s Republic of China, or other countries where their systems, support teams, or subprocessors operate. The provider table above identifies material providers that may involve overseas processing.
Where you submit a line to be read, that text is sent to our AI provider, which may process it outside the UK depending on its infrastructure. DeepSeek’s privacy policy states that personal information may be stored in the People’s Republic of China. Where applicable privacy law requires safeguards for international transfers, we use appropriate measures such as adequacy decisions, approved contractual terms, data processing agreements, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.
If Gladiolus Limited or HanziHeart is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganisation, insolvency process, sale of assets, assignment, change of control, or similar transaction, personal data may be transferred to the acquiring or successor entity as part of that transaction.
The successor entity will continue to process personal data in accordance with this Policy, applicable law, and any required notices, consents, and opt-out rights. If we materially change how personal data is used, shared, sold, licensed, or processed after a transfer, we will provide notice and obtain consent or apply required mechanisms under applicable law.
| Data category | Typical retention | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Account and subscription data | Active account plus up to 24 months | Longer where needed for legal, fraud-prevention, support, tax, accounting, or dispute reasons. |
| Saved reads and preferences | Until deleted, account deletion, or no longer needed | User-controlled app content used to provide the Service. |
| Account deletion requests | Deleted or anonymised within 30 days after verification | Limited records may be kept where legally, technically, or security-required. |
| Support records | Up to 6 years | Used for business records, disputes, and legal claims. |
| Diagnostics and security logs | Usually up to 90 days | Longer if needed to investigate abuse, security incidents, or reliability issues. |
Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to request access to your personal data, correction of inaccurate data, deletion of your personal data, restriction of processing, to object to processing based on legitimate interests, to withdraw consent where processing relies on consent, and to request portability of certain data.
You can request account deletion or exercise privacy rights by contacting hanziheart-privacy@gladiolus.dev. You can also read the account deletion section on HanziHeart Support for the deletion request process. You have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.
This Policy is intended to apply globally. The sections above explain the main facts about HanziHeart’s collection, use, sharing, AI processing, retention, security, and international transfers.
If UK data protection law applies, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to processing, withdraw consent where processing relies on consent, and request portability of certain personal data. You may complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
If Australian or New Zealand privacy law applies, you may request access to or correction of your personal information and contact us with privacy complaints. We explain how HanziHeart collects, uses, discloses, stores, secures, and sends personal information overseas in the sections above.
HanziHeart is intended for users aged 18 and over and is not directed at children. If you are under 18, you should not use HanziHeart unless a parent or legal guardian has reviewed these terms and is responsible for your use of the Service. We do not knowingly use children’s personal data for marketing, advertising profiling, or cross-app tracking.
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal data, including encryption of authentication tokens in transit and at rest. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a personal data breach, we will assess the likely risk, keep an internal record, work with relevant providers, and notify the Information Commissioner’s Office and affected users where required by applicable law.
Our App Store privacy disclosures describe the data we collect and how we use it and should be read together with this Policy. They may identify data types such as name, email address, user ID, device ID, purchase history, product interaction, and other user content where applicable, linked to your identity where associated with an account, subscription customer, or device/session identifier.
Our website pages may use essential cookies and similar technologies for security, session management, and basic analytics. We do not use cookies for cross-site behavioural advertising. See our Cookies Policy for more detail.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version on our website and update the "Last updated" date above. Where required by law, we will take additional steps to notify you.
If you have privacy questions or want to exercise your rights, contact us using the details below.
Gladiolus Limited
71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ, England
ICO registration reference: ZC112773
Privacy: hanziheart-privacy@gladiolus.dev
Support: hanziheart-support@gladiolus.dev