Privacy Policy

PicoPhrase is designed to keep your study library on your device. It has no PicoPhrase account, advertising, analytics SDK, or developer-operated AI relay.

Information stored on your device

PicoPhrase stores settings, playback progress, collections, saved YouTube study entries, imported subtitle text for those saved entries, and cached AI explanations locally in the app's private storage. Local videos and subtitle files are opened only after you select them through Android's system file picker.

AI providers

AI explanations are optional and use an API key you provide. When you request an explanation, PicoPhrase sends the current subtitle sentence, nearby subtitle context, and your explanation prompt directly from your device to the provider you selected: OpenAI, Google Gemini, Zhipu GLM, or a custom OpenAI-compatible service. PicoPhrase displays a provider-specific notice before sending subtitle context for the first time.

Your chosen provider processes that request under its own terms and privacy policy. PicoPhrase does not operate an intermediary AI server and does not receive your provider requests or responses.

API keys

Provider API keys are encrypted using Android Keystore before being saved locally. Android cloud backup and device-to-device transfer are disabled for the app, and keys are also excluded from manual backups. Keys are not included in prompts, explanation caches, or application logs, and you can delete each key in the app.

YouTube and network services

If you use YouTube playback, PicoPhrase uses the YouTube embedded player. Loading or playing a YouTube video communicates with YouTube and Google so they can provide the video, determine playability and content restrictions, protect against fraud and abuse, and operate the player. YouTube may also process device, interaction, and playback information under its policies. PicoPhrase does not receive YouTube account credentials or operate a YouTube analytics backend.

Before the embedded player is opened for the first time, PicoPhrase presents this disclosure and requires you to agree to the YouTube Terms of Service. YouTube and Google process information under the Google Privacy Policy. The Google Play release requires you to import or paste your own SRT or VTT subtitles and does not automatically retrieve YouTube subtitle tracks.

Testing an AI connection or requesting an explanation communicates with the provider you selected. Other local playback and study features do not require an AI connection.

Text-to-speech

PicoPhrase uses the Android text-to-speech service installed and selected on your device. Some TTS engines may use network services; their data handling is controlled by the engine provider and your Android settings.

Backup and deletion

PicoPhrase disables Android cloud backup and device-to-device transfer. You may explicitly create a local backup from Settings; it contains settings and learning data but never Provider API keys, which must be entered again after restore. Local diagnostics are created only when you choose to export them and omit subtitle text, prompts, URLs, file locations, and API keys. You can delete individual provider keys and saved items inside PicoPhrase, or delete all data through Android Settings or by uninstalling the app.

Children

PicoPhrase is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes

We may update this policy when PicoPhrase's features or legal requirements change. The effective date at the top identifies the current version.

Contact

Questions about privacy can be sent to support.easystart@gmail.com.