Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: April 24, 2026
Quips is an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) app built for non-speaking individuals. We believe privacy is a right, not a feature. This policy explains exactly what data the app collects, where it goes, and how you control it.
What We Collect
Account Data
Stored in Google Firebase when you create an account:
- ✓ Email and display name — authentication and account identification
- ✓ Age group — whether you are 13+ or under 13 (restricts AI features)
- ✓ Account timestamps — when your account was created and last used
- ✓ AI consent records — opt-in/out status, timestamp, and consent version
Users under 13 are signed in anonymously. No email or password is collected for under-13 accounts.
AI Feature Data
Optional · 13+ OnlyIf you are 13+ and consent, the app sends the following to OpenAI's API:
- ✓ The letters you've typed so far (current word prefix)
- ✓ Recent words in your current message (for context)
- ✓ Personal vocabulary patterns (frequent words/phrases learned on-device)
- ✓ A device identifier for rate limiting
Data is sent only while typing with AI enabled. Not stored after prediction. See OpenAI's privacy policy. You can revoke consent anytime in Settings.
Cloud Voice Synthesis Data
Optional · Consent requiredIf you select an "AI voice (cloud)" in Voice & Speech settings, the following is sent to Inworld AI for text-to-speech synthesis:
- ✓ The text you tap Speak on (one utterance at a time)
- ✓ The selected voice ID (e.g., "Ashley", "Diego") and audio configuration
- ✓ A device identifier for rate limiting (handled by our server, not forwarded to Inworld)
No microphone audio is captured — this is text-to-speech only. Your name, email, and account ID are never sent. See Inworld's privacy policy. Apple's on-device voices remain available as the default and as a fallback.
Quiz & Learning Data
If you complete quizzes assigned through the app, the following is stored in Firebase:
- ✓ Question ID, whether you answered correctly, number of attempts, and timestamp
Local Device Data
Never leaves your deviceStored only on your device — never transmitted to any server:
- ✓ Word learning history — usage frequency and context for on-device personalization
- ✓ Saved documents — letters, math expressions, and other work
- ✓ Board layouts and preferences — customized keyboard arrangements and settings
- ✓ Language preference — English or Spanish
- ✓ Recent message contacts — names and phone numbers stored locally for convenience
How We Use Your Data
Authentication
To sign you in and maintain your account
Word Prediction
Cloud AI requires consent; offline dictionary works without it
Personalization
Learn your vocabulary and improve predictions over time (all on-device)
Age-Appropriate Access
Ensures users under 13 cannot access cloud AI features without parental consent
Voice Synthesis
Apple voices work offline by default; cloud voices require consent and are spoken aloud only
Third-Party Services
| Service | What It Receives | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase | Account data, age group, consent records, quiz results | Authentication and data storage |
| OpenAI | Typed text context (with consent only) | AI-powered word prediction |
| Inworld AI | Utterance text and voice ID (with consent and a cloud voice selected only) | High-quality cloud text-to-speech voices |
No other third-party services receive your data. The app contains no analytics SDKs, no ad networks, and no tracking pixels.
Children's Privacy
Quips takes children's privacy seriously:
Under-13 users sign in anonymously — no email or password collected
Cloud AI off by default for under-13 users — text is sent to OpenAI or Inworld only after a parent or guardian grants consent in caregiver settings
Full access to all boards with the offline 50,000-word dictionary
Quiz results are the only data stored remotely for under-13 users
Your Controls
Revoke AI Consent
Go to Settings and turn off AI features at any time. Predictions switch to offline-only mode immediately.
Delete Your Account
In Settings, tap "Delete Account." This permanently removes all your data from Firebase, including consent records and quiz results.
Manage iOS Permissions
Camera, microphone, photos, and contacts permissions can be revoked anytime in iOS Settings. The app only uses these when you explicitly activate features that need them.
Clear Local Data
Signing out or uninstalling the app removes locally stored learning data, documents, and preferences.
Device Permissions
| Permission | Used For | Data Sent Remotely? |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | Head tracking (ARKit) and video recording | No |
| Microphone | Audio recording for communication videos | No |
| Photos | Adding images to communication boards | No |
| Contacts | Selecting recipients when sending messages | No |
Face Data & Head Tracking (TrueDepth API)
Quips includes an optional head tracking feature that uses Apple's TrueDepth camera and ARKit as an accessibility input method for users with motor differences. Head tracking is off by default and only activates when the user enables it in Settings. The TrueDepth camera is never accessed unless head tracking is turned on.
What face data is collected
When head tracking is enabled, the app reads the following from the TrueDepth camera via ARKit each frame:
- ✓ Head orientation — pitch, yaw, and roll from the ARFaceAnchor transform matrix
- ✓ Eye gaze direction — the ARFaceAnchor lookAtPoint (collected by the tracking framework but not currently used in any user-facing feature)
- ✓ Blend shape coefficients — a limited subset (jaw open, smile, blink, eyebrow raise, tongue out, cheek puff, jaw left/right) collected by the tracking framework but not currently used in any user-facing feature
The app does not capture facial geometry, depth maps, or 3D face meshes. No biometric identifier or faceprint is created.
How this data is used
Currently, only head orientation is actively used — it is mapped to an on-screen cursor so the user can navigate the app by moving their head. Eye gaze and blend shape data are read by the underlying tracking framework but are not used in any feature today. No profiling, identification, expression analysis, or machine learning is performed on any of this data.
Storage, retention, and sharing
All face data is processed in volatile memory (RAM) only — each frame is consumed, converted to a cursor position, and immediately discarded. No face data is written to disk, saved to any database, or sent over the network. Face data is never shared with any third party. The only tracking-related data saved to the device is your configuration preferences (sensitivity, smoothing). These are user settings, not face data.
Disabling head tracking
Turn off "Enable Head Tracking" in Settings at any time. When disabled, the TrueDepth camera is not accessed and no face data is collected. You can also revoke camera permission in iOS Settings.
Data Storage & Security
All network communication uses HTTPS encryption
Custom API keys stored in the iOS Keychain (hardware-encrypted)
Learning data stays on your device and is never uploaded
Firebase data protected by authentication rules — only you can access it
Data Retention & Deletion
Account deletion permanently removes all Firebase data (user profile, consent records, quiz results) and your authentication credentials
Local data (documents, learning history, preferences) persists on the device until you sign out or uninstall the app
We do not retain data after account deletion
What We Don't Do
Collect analytics or usage metrics
Show ads or use ad networks
Sell or share data with data brokers
Track your location
Collect crash reports
Use fingerprinting beyond a device ID for rate limiting
Third-Party Content
Pictographic symbols used in this app are created by Sergio Palao for ARASAAC, funded by the Government of Aragon (Spain), and distributed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license.
These symbols are used for non-commercial, educational communication purposes in accordance with the license terms.
Changes to This Policy
If we make material changes, we'll update this page and the "Last updated" date. For significant changes affecting data collection, we'll notify users in the app.
Contact
Questions about this privacy policy or your data? Reach out at contact@quips.org or email quipsaac@gmail.com.