Privacy Policy for Parla
Last updated: 11 September 2026
Parla is a language-learning app that puts a short speaking exercise in front of apps you choose. This policy explains what it collects, where that goes, and what you can do about it.
Mediterranean Tech ("we") operates Parla. Contact us at help@tryparla.xyz.
The short version
- Your voice never leaves your phone. Speech recognition runs entirely on the device. Audio is held in memory for the length of one attempt and then discarded.
- The text of what you said is uploaded — not the audio — and is used to improve how the app scores answers. See Speech transcripts below, including how to switch it off.
- We never see inside the apps you block. Parla reads which app is in the foreground, and nothing within it.
- We do not sell your data, and we do not use it for advertising.
What we collect
Information you give us
- Email address and password when you create an account. The password is hashed by our authentication provider; we never see or store it in plain text.
- Your Google account identifier and email address if you choose to sign in with Google instead.
- A display name, if you set one.
An account is required to use Parla.
Information created by using the app
Stored on your device and, when you are signed in and online, synchronised to our servers:
- Learning progress — for each phrase in a course: whether you have met it, how many times you have answered correctly, and when it is next due for review.
- Session records — whether a session was a lesson or an app gate, the languages involved, which lesson it drew from, how many exercises it held, how many were skipped, the minutes and XP it earned, and when it started and finished.
- Attempt records — for each answer: which phrase, which exercise type, how much help was on screen, which attempt number it was, whether it passed, a similarity score, and the time.
- Your minute balance — the record of screen time earned and spent.
- Settings — interface language, the language you are learning, daily limits, difficulty, and quiet hours.
The app that triggered a gate
When a gate opens because you tried to open one of your chosen apps, the
package name of that app (for example com.zhiliaoapp.musically) is stored
with the session record and synchronised. This is how the app can tell you how
much scrolling you have traded, and per-app statistics.
Speech transcripts
When you complete a speaking exercise, the text our on-device recogniser produced is uploaded with the attempt. We use it for one purpose: to find phrases the app marks wrong when the learner was in fact correct, and to fix the matching rules that caused it.
- The audio is never uploaded, stored, or transmitted anywhere. Recognition runs locally.
- Transcripts are short — a word or a phrase in the language you are learning.
- This is on by default. [PENDING: describe the in-app switch once it exists. Do not publish this sentence until it does.]
- [PENDING: state the retention period only once the scheduled purge is actually running.]
Purchases
If you subscribe, the purchase is handled by Google Play. We never receive your card details. Our subscription provider, RevenueCat, receives an anonymous identifier for your installation together with the purchase and renewal status, so the app knows whether your subscription is active.
Information we do not collect
- Audio recordings.
- The contents, messages, screens, or notifications of any other app.
- Your location.
- Your contacts, photos, or files.
- Advertising identifiers. Parla contains no advertising and no analytics SDK.
Permissions, and why each one exists
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Microphone | Speaking exercises. Audio is processed on the device and discarded. |
| Usage access | To notice when an app you chose comes to the foreground. Parla reads which app is open, never anything inside it. |
| Display over other apps | Android will not otherwise let Parla open its own screen while another app is in front. Parla draws nothing on top of anything. |
| See all installed apps | To show you a list to choose from when you pick apps to block. The list is shown on your device and is not uploaded. |
| Notifications | Android requires a visible notification for the whole time the blocking service runs. |
| Run at startup | To restart blocking after you restart your phone. |
Parla does not use accessibility services and cannot read the contents of any app.
Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the services that make the app work:
- Supabase — hosts our database and handles sign-in. Stores everything in the "Information created by using the app" section above.
- RevenueCat — subscription status.
- Google Play — payments and subscription management.
- Google — only if you sign in with Google.
We may disclose information if we are legally required to.
Where it is stored, and for how long
Data is held on servers operated by Supabase. Your account data is kept while your account exists.
Progress, sessions and attempts are kept for as long as your account exists, because they are what the app uses to schedule your reviews — deleting them would reset your learning.
Your choices
Deleting your data
On your device: Settings → Delete my data erases everything Parla has stored locally — progress, session history, your minute balance, and your chosen apps — and signs you out.
On our servers: [PENDING: this currently requires emailing us, because the in-app control clears the device only. Publish the email route, or wire the button to the server-side deletion, before this policy goes live.] Email help@tryparla.xyz from the address on your account and we will delete your account and everything associated with it within 30 days.
Other rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, export, or restrict the processing of your personal data, and to object to it. Email help@tryparla.xyz and we will respond within the period your law requires.
Children
Parla is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has given us personal information, email help@tryparla.xyz and we will delete it.
Changes
If we change this policy we will update the date at the top and, for anything significant, tell you in the app before it takes effect.
Contact
Mediterranean Tech help@tryparla.xyz