The short version
Canto School is a product published and operated by Segis Junior AB. It works without a Canto School account. The app stores learning progress locally and does not send lesson answers or speaking recordings to us. We do not use learning activity for advertising, profiling, or cross-app tracking. Purchases use Apple or Google Play; the Android billing library also sends technical diagnostics to Google, as explained below.
Website visits
When you visit cantoschool.com, Cloudflare Web Analytics helps us see aggregate page views and how quickly pages load. Cloudflare says this service does not use cookies or localStorage and does not fingerprint visitors for analytics. We use those totals to improve the website; they are separate from learning progress in the Canto School app.
When you choose a tracked link to the App Store or Google Play, we count the page and button that sent you there before redirecting to the store. On the website's playable app preview and free learning pages, we also count views, starts and completions by published page. These are daily totals; we do not store your answers or audio. The counts we write do not include your IP address, an account ID, a cookie, or a browser identifier.
Progress in the free browser course is stored in your browser, separately from the phone app. It is not sent with these daily counters.
Website measurement updated 3 November 2026. For visits from our ads, this browser tab temporarily keeps a campaign label and its last activity time; it expires after 30 minutes of inactivity. We group resource page views, flashcard session starts and completions, successful pronunciation recording plays, and App Store or Google Play clicks into daily totals by page and campaign. These counters use no cookies or visitor identifiers and contain no search terms, ad click identifiers, lesson answers or audio. They are separate from progress in the phone app and browser course.
Information handled by the app
Canto School stores completed lessons, review performance, saved phrases, lesson drafts, your starting-point choice, flashcard decks and custom card text, card ratings and review schedules, XP, streaks and related course state locally on your device. This information is used only to provide learning and review features. It is not transmitted to Segis Junior AB.
The optional starting-point check uses recorded listening and reply choices, without the microphone. Its summary stays on your device.
Your device's backup or transfer settings may preserve a copy of ordinary app data. Android system backup is enabled for learning progress and preferences. These backups are managed by your device and backup provider, not a Canto School account or sync service.
Audio and microphone
The app plays recorded lesson and phrase audio. It does not use device text-to-speech or synthetic tones when a recording is unavailable.
In iPhone and iPad version 1.9 and later, tap the microphone to start and tap the square to finish. The attempt ends automatically after 15 seconds. A bundled Cantonese recognizer processes audio entirely on your iPhone or iPad; it never falls back to online recognition. Audio stays in memory for the attempt and is not saved as a recording file. This checks recognized words, not pronunciation or tones.
Audio and recognized text are not uploaded, shared with Segis Junior AB, used for advertising or analytics, or added to saved learning progress. Audio is released after processing finishes or the attempt is cancelled. The microphone stops if the app enters the background or is interrupted. Recognized text can remain visible until you retry or leave the activity. Progress can record completion without saving what you said.
Microphone permission is requested only after you choose to speak. If it is declined or speaking is unavailable, choose Build instead for word-tapping practice without the microphone.
Earlier iOS versions, including 1.8, with Hold to speak and Hear mine use a temporary local recording for replay. Those recordings are deleted when you retry or leave; an active attempt is discarded when the app leaves the foreground. Their optional Apple on-device Cantonese recognition requires separate Speech Recognition permission and never uses an online recognizer. Android versions with these controls offer local record and replay without automatic recognition.
Purchases and course access
Apple handles iPhone purchases and Google Play handles Android purchases, including payment details, renewals and refunds, under their own terms and privacy policies. Canto School does not receive your payment-card details. The app uses purchase information from the relevant store to determine course access.
On iPhone, Apple verifies eligible ownership. A protected, device-only Keychain record can retain previously verified production access. Subscription access ends at its verified expiration; a renewal or changed ownership may require a connection to verify. Purchase records are separate from learning progress.
On Android, the app checks Google's signed purchase record on your device and confirms completed purchases through Google Play. Purchase tokens are used for this confirmation. We do not send these records to a separate Canto School verification server. A protected local access record contains a value derived from the token and the last ownership check, rather than the raw token or receipt. This record is excluded from Android backup and allows limited offline access. The app may need a connection to check access again; refunds and account changes are reflected when updated store information becomes available.
Google's Android billing library sends billing-operation results and technical diagnostics to Google for billing reliability and analysis. These include app and library versions, device model and system information, network type, language and region settings, and a temporary billing-session identifier. This diagnostic handling is separate from learning progress and recordings. Google handles its billing records and diagnostics under Google's privacy policy. We do not control Google's retention of those records.
Where complimentary access is offered, its code is checked locally and a protected access record is kept on that Android device. The code is not uploaded or stored in its original form. This access is separate from a Google Play subscription.
Optional reminders
Practice reminders are off by default. If you enable them and allow notifications, the app schedules one quiet daily reminder locally at your chosen time. The preference is stored separately from course progress. The app does not register for remote push messages or send reminder preferences to us.
Support and external services
If you contact support by email, your email provider and the support mailbox process the address and message you provide. Please do not include passwords, payment-card details or purchase tokens. Segis Junior AB uses the information in your message only to provide support, meet legal obligations, and prevent abuse. Apple and Google separately process downloads, updates and store activity under their own privacy policies. Website and store links open outside the app.
Retention and deletion
Reset course progress deletes course progress, saved lesson drafts and Canto School migration backups on that device. In versions with one free chapter, it keeps your fixed starting level and onboarding choices; resetting does not renew that allowance. It keeps flashcard decks, custom cards, ratings and review schedules, recently deleted decks, reminders, previously granted entry lessons and purchase access. Manage flashcards separately in the flashcard library. Clearing Android app data or uninstalling removes its local data, but a device backup may restore ordinary progress and preferences when you reinstall. Manage system backups through your device or backup provider. Resetting progress or uninstalling does not cancel a store subscription or delete the store's transaction records. Support messages are retained only as reasonably needed to answer the request, meet legal obligations, and prevent abuse.
Children and changes
Canto School is a general-audience educational app and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. This policy may be updated when the app or applicable requirements change; the effective date identifies the current version.
Contact
Questions or privacy requests can be sent to Segis Junior AB, the operator of Canto School, at cantoschool@live.se.