Privacy policy

Who we are

ContextCat is a reading app for iPhone made by an independent developer ("we"). You can reach us with Contact us in the app (Profile, then Contact us) or by email at indie.yt.tr@gmail.com.

You do not have an account

ContextCat has no sign-up and no login. The first time you open the app, our subscription service, RevenueCat, gives your installation a random ID. The app sends this ID with every request, and our server keeps your library, words and settings under it. We never ask for your name, phone number or password. If you delete the app and install it again, you get a new ID and start with an empty library.

What we collect and why

• Things you add: PDFs, text you paste, links you save, and anything you share to ContextCat from another app. We store them, with the text, page images and figures taken from them, so you can read them in the app.
• What you do with them: the words you tap and their explanations, the sentences you translate, the questions you ask about a document and the answers, your saved words and when to review them, your quiz answers, and how far you have read. We store these so the app can explain, translate, answer and help you review. When ContextCat reads a document aloud, we keep the audio so it does not have to be made twice.
• Your settings: your native language, the language you read, whether you are learning it, and your level. They decide the language of explanations and what you are shown. Display settings such as font and text size are saved on your device.
• Your voice: only when you tap the microphone to ask a question. The recording is turned into text and not kept. The text becomes your question.
• How you use the app: events such as opening the app, switching tabs, opening a document, tapping a word, finishing a reading session and seeing the subscription screen. Each event carries your ID, the time, the app version, the device platform and system version, and the device language. Some events record how long something took. We use them to see which features work, how fast they are and where people get stuck. Events do not contain the text of your documents, words or questions, with two exceptions: what you type into a search in the app (up to 100 characters), and a reason you write when you cancel a subscription in the app (up to 500 characters). When the app hits an unexpected error, it records only the type of error.
• Free-use counts: how many free explanations, translations, questions and imports your ID has used.
• Purchases: Apple handles payment. RevenueCat tells us whether your ID has an active subscription, which plan it is, and when it renews or ends. We never see your card details or your Apple Account.
• Messages to us: Contact us asks for an email address and a message. We store both with your ID, so we can reply and know which data the message is about.

AI services

Some features send what you read to AI services outside ContextCat. Before any of this happens, the app shows a notice and asks you to agree.

• What is sent: the text you tap, select or ask about, with the text around it; the documents you upload; and your voice when you use the microphone.
• Who receives it: AI services such as OpenAI and Google Gemini write the explanations, translations, answers, quizzes and audio, and turn your voice and your PDFs into text.
• Why: only to run the features you use. We do not sell your data or use it for ads.

Each service handles the data under its own terms and privacy policy.

Advertising measurement (Meta)

The app tells Meta when it is installed and opened, when you finish setup, and about App Store trials and purchases. This shows us which of our ads bring people to the app. If you allow tracking when the app asks, your device's advertising identifier is included; if you do not, it is not. What you read, import, tap or ask is never sent to Meta. You can change your choice at any time in your iPhone's Settings, under Privacy & Security, then Tracking.

Other services we use

• Supabase hosts our database in the EU (Frankfurt, Germany).
• Cloudflare R2 stores files: your documents, the images taken from them, and generated audio.
• RevenueCat manages subscriptions.
• Apple distributes the app and handles payments.

Our server sees your IP address when the app connects. We do not use it to find out where you are.

What we do not do

We do not sell your data. We do not show ads. We do not share what you read, tap or ask with advertisers, and we do not share any data with data brokers.

Where your data is

Your data is stored in the EU and on Cloudflare's network. It is processed by AI services such as OpenAI and Google Gemini, which may process it outside your country.

How long we keep it

We keep your documents, words, questions and answers, settings and usage events for as long as you use ContextCat, and after that until you ask us to delete them. Voice recordings are not kept. Messages you send us are kept until you ask us to delete them. Some data may be kept longer if the law requires it.

Deleting your data

Open ContextCat, go to Profile, then Contact us, and ask us to delete your data. A request sent from the app is linked to your ID, so you do not need to look it up. We delete your documents, words, questions, settings, usage events and messages from our servers within 30 days and confirm by email.

Deleting the app from your phone does not delete your data on our server. If you no longer have the app, email us; without your ID we may not be able to tell which data is yours.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, for example in the EU, the UK or California, you can ask to see, correct, export or delete your data, object to how we use it, or withdraw your consent. Ask through Contact us or by email. To withdraw your agreement to the AI notice, stop using the app and ask us to delete your data. You can also complain to your data protection authority.

Children

ContextCat is not meant for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you think a child has used the app, contact us and we will delete the data.

Security

The app talks to our server over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Access to our servers and databases is limited to the developer. No system is completely secure. If a breach affects your data, we will look into it at once and tell the people affected what happened and what we are doing about it.

Changes

When ContextCat changes what it collects or which services receive it, we update this page and the date at the top. If we add an AI service, the app shows the AI notice again and asks you to agree.