Privacy Policy for SpellHive

Effective date: August 28, 2026

SpellHive ("the App," "we," "us") is a spelling practice app designed for children. It's available two ways — as an iOS app set up by a parent at home, and as a web app used by a teacher in a classroom, with students joining using a class code their teacher gives them. Both share the same backend, so this policy covers both. It explains what information we collect, how it's used, and the choices parents and teachers have. It's written for the adults who set the App up — the primary audience of this policy — since the App is intended to be used by children under adult supervision.

Information We Collect

If you're a parent using the iOS app, we collect:

• A first name the parent or child enters during setup (used only to personalize the greeting on screen — we do not require or ask for a last name, email address, or any other identifying contact information).
• An avatar selection (an emoji chosen from a fixed set) and a grade level selection, both used to personalize the experience.
• Gameplay data: which words were practiced, whether they were spelled correctly, how long each attempt took, and which category/difficulty was used. This powers the adaptive difficulty and the Progress screen a parent can view.
• A randomly generated device identifier (an anonymous ID created by Firebase Authentication), by default, so no sign-up is required to use the App.
• Optionally, a real account: a parent can choose to sign in with Apple or Google so their data is backed up and available if they reinstall the App or switch devices. Doing so shares that account's name and email address with us, via Firebase Authentication — we never display it to your child, never use it for marketing, and it is kept separate from the gameplay/profile data described above rather than written into it.
• Custom word lists a parent chooses to add, by importing a spreadsheet file, typing or pasting a list directly, or scanning a paper list with the camera. If a parent scans a paper list, the App uses the device camera and on-device text recognition (Apple's Vision framework) to read the words on the page. The photo itself is processed entirely on the device, is never uploaded or stored anywhere — not by us, not by any third party — and is discarded as soon as the words are extracted. A parent reviews and edits the recognized words before anything is saved; only that reviewed text (the words themselves) is stored, the same way any other word list is.

If you're a teacher using the web app, we collect:

• Your name and email address, from the Google account you sign in with (teachers must sign in to use the web app).
• If you join a school using an invite code, your name and email are also stored as part of that school's staff roster, so the school's administrator(s) can manage their teachers. Two kinds of invite codes exist: a teacher code, and an administrator code that additionally lets someone view every teacher's and student's activity within that school. A school administrator can also enter a school name, logo, and color theme, shown to that school's teachers and students.
• Classes and students you create: a student's first name, avatar, and grade level — the same kind of information a parent enters on iOS — plus any custom word lists you add, the same way as described above.

If your child joins a class on the web app using a code their teacher gives them, no personal information is required. Their device gets an anonymous Firebase Authentication identifier, and entering the class code links that device to the student record their teacher already created — so their progress can be seen from any device that enters the same code (for example, a classroom computer and a home computer).

We do not collect: precise location, contacts, health information, payment/financial information, browsing or search history, or any government-issued identifiers. We do not retain photos, and the camera is only ever used in the one parent-initiated scanning flow described above — never in the background, and never during normal gameplay. The App also uses on-device text-to-speech to read words aloud; no audio is recorded, transmitted, or stored.

A parent-only "Parent Zone" area, protected by a PIN the parent sets, lets a parent adjust settings like which word categories are available and how long a practice session is. That PIN is stored only on the device (in Apple's Keychain) and is never transmitted to us.

How We Use Information

We use the information above solely to operate the App: to run adaptive spelling sessions, to show a parent their child's practice history and progress, and to keep basic aggregate analytics about how the App is used so we can improve it. We do not use this information to build advertising profiles, and we do not sell, rent, or share it with data brokers.

Third-Party Services

The App uses Google Firebase for backend services:

• Firebase Authentication — anonymous by default on both apps; a parent on iOS may additionally sign in with Apple or Google, and a teacher on the web app signs in with Google, as described above. We never use email/password accounts.
• Cloud Firestore to store the profile and gameplay data described above.
• Firebase Analytics, on the iOS app only, for aggregate usage analytics. The web app does not currently use Firebase Analytics or any other analytics or advertising SDK.

On iOS, we have configured Firebase Analytics to not collect the Advertising Identifier (IDFA) and to not allow ad personalization signals. We do not use any advertising or cross-app tracking SDKs on either app. Google processes this data as our service provider, subject to Google's Privacy Policy and Firebase's data processing terms.

Children's Privacy

SpellHive is designed for use by children under adult supervision. Only an adult ever signs in with a real identity — a parent on the iOS app, or a teacher on the web app. A child's own profile is never tied to a personal email address or social account, on either platform. We do not knowingly collect more information from a child than described above, we do not require children to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary to use the App's features, and we do not serve behavioral or interest-based advertising to children. A parent can review, correct, or request deletion of their child's data at any time by contacting us (see below).

If you are a parent and believe your child has provided us with information beyond what's described in this policy, please contact us and we will delete it.

Data Retention & Deletion

Gameplay and profile data is retained for as long as the App is installed and in use, so that progress and adaptive difficulty continue to work across sessions. A parent can request full deletion of their child's data at any time by contacting us at spellhive@gmail.com with the request — we will delete the associated Firestore data within 30 days.

Data Security

Data is stored in Cloud Firestore, secured by server-side rules so it's only accessible to the parent or teacher account that created it. The one exception: if a school opts into SpellHive's school features, that school's administrator(s) can view roster and aggregate progress information for the teachers and students within their own school — never data belonging to a different school or family.

Your Choices

• The Parent Zone lets you control which word categories your child practices and how long a session is.
• Signing in with Apple or Google on the iOS app is optional — SpellHive works fully as a guest without it. On the web app, a teacher must sign in with Google to use the App; a student never signs in with a personal account.
• You may request deletion of all stored data at any time (see above), including removing a teacher's account or a school from our records.
• Uninstalling the App stops all further data collection; previously stored data can still be deleted on request as described above.

Changes to This Policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the effective date above. Continued use of the App after changes means you accept the updated policy.

Contact Us

Questions, data access, or deletion requests: spellhive@gmail.com