Privacy Policy

Effective and last updated 21 September 2026.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data Zotic GK (Zotic合同会社) ("Zotic", "we", "us") collects when you use the Yomidori mobile app and the yomidori.com website (the "Service"), why we collect it, who processes it, and the choices you have. It is written to meet Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Questions? Email support@zotic.co.jp.

1. Who we are

Yomidori is operated by Zotic GK (Zotic合同会社), a company registered in Japan. Zotic is the data controller for personal data processed through the Service. We have not appointed a Data Protection Officer; please send any privacy question or request to support@zotic.co.jp.

2. The short version

• You can use most of Yomidori without an account. Until you create one, your learning data stays on your device.
• Books, photos and pasted text you import are processed on your device by default. They reach our servers only when you use a feature that needs a server.
• We use analytics and crash reporting to improve the app. You can turn off session recording in the app.
• We never sell your personal data and never share it with advertisers.
• You can export your saved words and delete your account in the app at any time.

3. What data we collect

3.1 If you use Yomidori without an account

When you open the app, it creates an anonymous identifier with our authentication provider so the app can work. Your saved words, kanji progress, reading progress and imports stay on your device and are not uploaded to us. We still collect the device, usage and crash data described in section 3.4.

3.2 If you create an account

• Account details: your email address and a password (stored only in hashed form by our authentication provider, never visible to us), or, if you sign in with Google or Apple, the account identifier and email address they share with us.
• Learning data: the words you save, your kanji and review progress, reading progress, bookmarks, settings such as your daily goal, and any custom kanji stories you write. We store this so it can be backed up and synced across your devices.
• Usage records: counts of metered features (for example, how many AI translations you have used, or podcast transcription minutes), so we can apply the limits of your plan.

When you create an account, the work already on your device is merged into it.

3.3 Content you send for processing

Most importing happens on your device. Content is sent to our servers, and from there to the service providers in section 6, only when you use one of these features:

• AI sentence translation: the Japanese sentence you ask to translate.
• Server-based text recognition (Premium): the image or part of a page you select.
• Audio transcription (Premium): the audio file you import, or, for a podcast episode, the episode audio, which our server downloads from the podcast's own host.
• Library sync (Premium): the files of books you import, stored so your library can follow you to other devices.

On-device text recognition uses Google ML Kit. The image never leaves your device; Google receives only performance and usage metrics about the feature.

Podcast transcripts are shared. A transcript of a publicly available podcast episode is stored once and shown to every Yomidori user who transcribes that episode, so it only has to be made once. The transcript is of the podcast itself and contains nothing about you, and other users cannot see who else transcribed an episode.

3.4 Data collected automatically

• Device and technical data: device model, operating system, app version, language, time zone and an app-generated identifier.
• Usage data: the screens you visit and the features you use (for example, "requested a sentence translation"). We do not send the Japanese text you are reading in analytics events. Activity you did before signing in is linked to your account when you sign in.
• Crash and error reports: stack traces, the screen you were on, your user ID and plan when an error happens. Authorization headers and request bodies are removed before reports are sent.

3.5 Session recording

To find bugs and improve the app, we record replays of how the app is used: taps, scrolls and what is on screen. Text inputs, including passwords, are masked. We never record audio or use your camera. Replays are processed by PostHog and deleted after 30 days.

You can turn session recording off at any time in Settings → Privacy & data → Allow session recording.

3.6 Our website

If you join the waitlist on yomidori.com, we store your email address, the page you signed up from and, if you arrived through a referral link, the referral code. The referral code is kept in a first-party cookie for 30 days so the referral is credited correctly. The website does not use analytics or advertising cookies.

3.7 What we do not collect

• We do not access your contacts, calendar, camera, microphone or photo library, except for a photo or file you choose to import.
• We never receive your payment card details. Purchases are handled by Apple or Google (see section 7).
• We do not use your content, or content you send for processing, to train AI models.

4. Why we use your data

• To provide the Service (performance of a contract): accounts, sync and backup, AI translation, text recognition, transcription, applying the limits of your plan, and your subscription.
• To improve and protect the Service (legitimate interests): product analytics, crash reporting, preventing fraud and abuse, and keeping the Service secure. You can object to this processing (see section 10).
• With your consent, where the law requires it. You can withdraw consent at any time, for example by turning off session recording.
• To meet legal obligations, such as tax and accounting rules for purchases.

We may also email you about your account or about important changes to the Service or these policies.

5. How long we keep it

• Account and learning data: for as long as you have an account. When you delete your account, your account, learning data and stored files are deleted straight away.
• Imported content: on your device, until you delete it. Content we store for Premium library sync is deleted when you delete it or your account.
• Content sent for translation, text recognition or transcription: processed to return the result and not kept by us beyond that, except the resulting transcript or text, which is stored with your library.
• Shared podcast transcripts: kept while they are useful to users. They contain no personal data.
• Analytics events: up to 1 year. Session replays: 30 days. Crash reports: 90 days.
• Waitlist email: until you ask us to remove it, or once we no longer need it to tell you about the launch.
• Backups: deleted records disappear from backups within 35 days.
• Purchase records we are legally required to keep are kept for the required period, with your identity removed where possible.

6. Who processes your data

We use the service providers below to run Yomidori. Each processes personal data only to provide its service to us.

We do not sell personal data and do not share it with advertisers or data brokers. We may disclose data if the law requires it, or to protect the rights, safety or property of our users or others.

6.1 International transfers

Most of these providers process data in the United States. Where the law requires safeguards for data leaving Japan or the European Economic Area, we rely on appropriate measures such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. You can ask us for details at support@zotic.co.jp.

7. Purchases

Subscriptions are bought through the Apple App Store or Google Play, and RevenueCat tells us your subscription status. We receive only what we need to unlock Premium: the product, purchase status and renewal or expiry date. We never receive your card details.

8. Children

Yomidori is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal data, contact support@zotic.co.jp and we will delete it.

9. Security

Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, access to it is limited, and we keep our systems up to date. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong password and keep your device protected.

10. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you can ask to access, correct, delete, restrict or receive a copy of your personal data, object to how we use it, and withdraw consent you have given. Some of this you can do yourself in the app:

• Export your saved words: Settings → Privacy & data → Export saved words (CSV)
• Turn off session recording: Settings → Privacy & data → Allow session recording
• Delete your account and its data: Settings → Account → Delete account
• Clear the data on your device: Settings → Privacy & data → Wipe all data

For anything else, email support@zotic.co.jp. We will reply within 30 days. You can also complain to a data-protection authority: in Japan, the Personal Information Protection Commission; in the EU, the authority in your country.

10.1 California residents

You have the right to know what personal information we collect, to ask us to delete it, and to opt out of its "sale" or "sharing". We do not sell or share personal information as the CCPA defines those terms. To use your other rights, email support@zotic.co.jp. We will not treat you differently for doing so.

11. Changes to this policy

If we make significant changes, we will tell you in the app and, if we have your email address, by email before they take effect. The date at the top shows when this policy was last updated.

12. Contact

Operator: Zotic GK (Zotic合同会社) Address: 402 Wizard Bldg., 1-4-3 Sengencho, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-0072, Japan Email: support@zotic.co.jp

This policy is written in English. If a translation conflicts with the English version, the English version prevails.