No Account, No Sign-Up
You can practise without telling us who you are
GoChinese does not ask you to create an account, and it does not ask for your email address, phone number, or date of birth in order to work. You open the app and write.
When you start, the app asks what to call you and offers you a Chinese name. Both are optional, both stay on your device, and they are only used to greet you and to stamp your notebook.
You only share an email address with us if you choose to write to us — for example to report a character we graded wrongly.
Your Practice Data Stays On Your Device
What the app stores locally
- The name you gave and the Chinese name you chose, if any
- Which characters you have written, and which ones you got wrong
- Stroke accuracy, how much you practised today, and your day streak
- Your HSK level, reminder time, and app settings
- Whether GoChinese Pro is active on this device, and which plan
This record is what lets the app bring a character back for review at the right time and fill your notebook. It is stored in the app's private storage on your device.
Deleting the app removes it. We cannot restore it for you, because we never had a copy — although you can save a backup to a file yourself from the app's advanced settings.
The Strokes You Draw
Handwriting is graded on your device
Each stroke is compared against the reference stroke for that character on your device, as you draw it. Your handwriting is not stored as a drawing, it is not linked to your identity, and it is not used to identify you. The characters in your notebook are shown in a printed font, not in your own strokes.
If you write to us about a character you believe was graded wrongly, describe it in your own words or attach a screenshot if you like. We use what you send to fix the grader and for nothing else.
Permissions We Request
Device access
- Notifications — optional, and only if you turn on the daily practice reminder
- Files / Share sheet — only when you export a PDF workbook or a backup, to save or send the file you asked for
- Tracking (iOS) — the system may ask whether ads in the free version can use your advertising identifier. Saying no does not limit anything in the app
GoChinese does not request your camera, microphone, contacts, location, or photo library. You can change or revoke notification and tracking permission at any time in your device settings.
Advertising in the Free Version
Banner ads served by Google AdMob
The free version of GoChinese shows banner ads on the screens where you browse — the home tabs and a character's details — never on the screens where you write or answer. To deliver, measure and limit fraud on those ads, the Google AdMob SDK may collect and send to Google:
- Device identifiers, such as the identifier for vendors and — only if you allow tracking — the advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS, advertising ID on Android)
- Approximate location derived from your IP address
- Ad interactions (impressions and taps) and basic app usage
- Diagnostic information such as device model, OS version and crash data from the SDK
Where the law requires it — in the EEA, the UK and some US states — the app asks for your consent through Google's consent form before any ad is requested, and you can decline. Your practice history, your names and your strokes are never shared with Google or any other ad provider.
GoChinese Pro removes ads entirely, and the ads SDK is not started for Pro users.
Google's use of this data is described in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and the Google Privacy Policy.
Other technical information
- Crash reports that Apple or Google provide, if you have allowed it in your device settings
- App version and device model, when you write to us
What we never collect
- Your email, address, or phone number (unless you write to us)
- Contacts, photos, or your precise location
- Payment card details
- Your practice history or handwriting
Subscriptions and Purchases
GoChinese Pro is an auto-renewing subscription sold through the Apple App Store on iOS and Google Play on Android. The store processes the payment, holds your billing details, and manages the renewal. We never see or store your payment card.
The app receives a receipt from the store confirming that a subscription is active, and stores that status on your device so it knows what to unlock. Restoring a purchase on a new device asks the store, not us.
The store's handling of your purchase is covered by Apple's or Google's own privacy policy.
Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell your data
We do not sell, rent, or trade any information to anyone, and we do not share your practice history with third parties. The only data that leaves the app is the advertising data the Google AdMob SDK collects in the free version, described in Section 5.
The other parties involved are Apple and Google, for app distribution, crash reporting, and subscription billing, and the email provider that carries a message you choose to send us. We may disclose information if required to do so by law.
Your Rights and Choices
In the app
- Back up, restore, or clear your progress in advanced settings
- Turn the daily reminder off
- Decline ad tracking, or remove ads with Pro
- Delete the app to remove all local data
- Manage the subscription in App Store or Google Play settings
By writing to us
- Ask what a message you sent contained
- Ask us to delete a message you sent
- Ask a question about this policy
- Tell us a character was graded wrongly
Children's Privacy
GoChinese is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The app requires no account and collects no personal details, but the free version shows ads, and a purchase should always be made by a parent or guardian.
If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us so we can address it.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected here with an updated date, and where appropriate, noted in the app.
Your continued use of GoChinese after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how GoChinese handles data, please contact us:
Email: contact@davaco.app
Website: https://davaco.app/gochinese
Developer: Anh Trinh
Response Time: We aim to respond within 48 hours
