Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 29, 2026

SmallPanta ("we", "our", or "us") built the CitiZen app to help users prepare for the United States citizenship test. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information when you use our app.

1. Information We Collect

CitiZen is designed with privacy in mind. We collect minimal data:

Stored on your device only:

• Quiz scores and progress
• Study streak and statistics
• Language preferences
• Daily question count

Sent to our backend for voice and analytics features (see sections 2 and 4):

• For voice features: question/answer text (for spoken playback), and — in the Mock Interview — a short recording of your spoken answer and its transcript
• Anonymous usage and purchase events, app version, and a per-install random identifier

We do NOT collect:

• Your name, email, or any personal contact information
• Your location
• Any data from other apps on your device

2. Microphone, Speech, and Voice

CitiZen uses your device's microphone and speech recognition to let you practice answering citizenship test questions out loud — simulating the real USCIS interview experience.

• For practice quizzes and reading/writing exercises, your spoken answers are transcribed on your device using Apple's Speech framework. Your voice audio does not leave your device for these features.
• To read questions aloud in a natural voice (text-to-speech), the question and answer text — not your voice — may be sent over a secure connection to our backend (hosted on Supabase) and OpenAI's text-to-speech service. If this is unavailable, the app falls back to the built-in system voice.
• For the Mock Interview feature, your spoken answer is recorded as a short audio clip and sent over a secure connection to our backend (Supabase), which forwards it to OpenAI's Whisper service for transcription. The transcript — together with the question and answer choices — may also be sent to OpenAI's language model to evaluate whether your answer is correct. Audio and transcripts are processed transiently and are not retained by us; they are subject to OpenAI's API data policy (OpenAI states API data is not used to train their models and is retained only as needed to provide the service).
• We log non-content metadata for each request (timestamp, audio size in bytes, language code, and a per-install random identifier) for abuse prevention and rate limiting. We do not log or store the audio content or the resulting transcript.
• You can avoid sending anything off-device by tapping answer choices instead of speaking, and you can use the built-in system voice instead of the enhanced voice.

3. In-App Purchases

CitiZen offers optional in-app purchases (monthly subscription and lifetime access). Purchases are processed entirely by Apple through the App Store. We do not collect or store any payment information.

• Subscription management is handled through your Apple ID settings
• We receive confirmation of your purchase status from Apple to unlock features
• No credit card numbers, billing addresses, or financial data passes through our app

4. Analytics

We collect anonymous usage data to improve the app. This is sent to our backend (Supabase) and includes:

• Which features are used (e.g., quiz started/completed, voice used, language selected)
• In-app purchase events (e.g., purchase started, completed, restored)
• App version and a per-install random device identifier
• No name, email, location, or other personally identifiable information is included
• This data is not used to track you across other apps or websites, and is not sold to third parties

5. Data Storage

Your quiz progress, scores, and preferences are stored locally on your device using standard iOS storage. We do not store these on our servers.

Voice requests pass through our backend on Supabase, which logs only the non-content metadata listed in section 2 (no audio, no transcript). Anonymous analytics events (section 4) are stored on our backend. If you delete the app, locally stored data is permanently removed.

6. Third-Party Service Providers

We use the following service providers to operate the voice and analytics features:

• Supabase (backend and edge-function hosting; receives audio, text, and metadata in transit, and stores analytics events and request metadata)
• OpenAI (Whisper speech-to-text for transcription, a language model for answer matching, and text-to-speech for spoken question playback; receives audio, transcripts, and question text)

Both are bound by their respective privacy and data-processing terms.

7. Children's Privacy

CitiZen is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. The app is designed for adults preparing for the U.S. citizenship test.

8. Advertising

CitiZen does not integrate with third-party advertising networks. We do not share your data with advertisers.

9. Your Rights

You have full control over your data:

• Delete the app to remove all locally stored data
• Deny microphone permission to disable voice features
• Use the Mock Interview by tapping answer choices instead of speaking, if you do not wish to send audio to our service providers
• Manage your subscription through Apple ID settings

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected in the "Last Updated" date above. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at:
support@citizenapp.us