Readback is designed to help New Zealand pilots practise VFR radio calls. This policy explains what information the app and website handle, why it is used, and the choices available to you.
Who we are
“Readback”, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to the team responsible for the Readback app and readbackradio.app. For privacy questions, email support@readbackradio.app.
Information we collect
Account information
When you create an account, we receive your email address and the authentication details needed to sign you in. If you use Sign in with Apple, Apple may provide your name and either your email address or an Apple private relay address, depending on your choices.
Practice and progress information
Readback stores practice events such as scenarios and activities attempted, whether answers were correct, missing call elements, hints and corrections used, completion counts, timestamps, time zone, and content versions. This lets the app calculate progress and streaks, choose useful review drills, and keep learning history in sync across supported devices.
Feedback and support
If you contact support, we receive the information you choose to provide and the email address you use to contact us. In-app feedback is linked to your Readback account and may include the feedback category, your comment, relevant content or scenario identifiers, app version and build, device model, and iOS version so we can understand the report.
Speech and audio
When you choose spoken practice, Readback temporarily records audio on your device so the call can be transcribed and replayed to you. Audio is never uploaded to Readback, Apple, or our database provider or stored in your account. Readback uses Apple's on-device speech recognizer. If the required language model is unavailable, or you choose, you can type your answer instead. The temporary recording is deleted when you continue, close, or complete the session. Abandoned temporary recordings are removed the next time the speech service starts.
Readback does not sync raw or corrected transcript text to our servers. Typed answers also remain on your device. Speech playback is generated locally using an installed Apple system voice.
App analytics
Readback uses PostHog for optional product analytics. Analytics are off by default. You can choose to share them during the welcome tour or in Settings → Privacy → Share app analytics, and turn sharing off at any time. Turning sharing off stops new analytics events; it does not automatically delete events already received by PostHog.
When sharing is enabled, analytics may be linked to your Readback account identifier and may include sign-in method, app screens and features used, permission outcomes, reminder preferences, content and scenario identifiers, practice mode, whether an answer was correct, hints and corrections used, completion counts, session duration, app lifecycle events, and app, device, and operating system information. PostHog necessarily receives network information, including an IP address, when events are delivered, but we disable its IP-based location enrichment.
We do not send practice audio, transcripts, typed answers, feedback comments, email addresses, passwords, or Apple credentials to PostHog. Session replay, automatic interaction and text capture, surveys, feature flags, and automatic error tracking are disabled.
Purchases
Readback uses RevenueCat to offer and manage the one-time Readback Plus purchase. RevenueCat receives your Readback account identifier, product and entitlement information, App Store purchase and receipt information, and limited app and device information needed to display products, validate purchases, restore access, prevent fraud, and maintain purchase records. Apple processes the payment; Readback and RevenueCat do not receive your full payment-card details.
Practice reminders
If you enable a daily practice reminder, the app stores your preference and chosen time on your device and schedules local notifications using Apple’s notification system. Your enabled status and chosen reminder time are also included in product analytics when you set or change the reminder if you have enabled analytics sharing. You can turn reminders off in Readback or iOS Settings.
Website information
This website does not use advertising cookies or behavioural analytics. Our hosting provider may process basic request information—such as IP address, browser type, requested page, and security signals—to deliver the site, prevent abuse, and maintain service reliability.
How we use information
We use information only as reasonably necessary to:
- create and secure your account;
- provide practice sessions, feedback, review, and progress history;
- sync progress and make updated lesson content available;
- respond to support requests and review content feedback;
- measure feature use and improve Readback;
- process purchases and provide or restore premium access;
- detect misuse, maintain reliability, and protect the service; and
- meet legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal information.
Service providers and overseas processing
We use carefully selected providers to operate Readback. These may include Apple for Sign in with Apple and app distribution, Supabase for authentication, database, storage, and server functions, Cloudflare for website hosting and security, PostHog for product analytics, and RevenueCat for purchases and entitlements. These providers may process information outside New Zealand under their terms, privacy commitments, and any agreements they have with us.
Storage, security, and retention
We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards appropriate to the information we hold. No internet service can guarantee absolute security.
Account information, synced practice data, in-app feedback, and Readback’s entitlement record are generally kept while your account is active and removed from Supabase when your account is deleted. Account deletion also removes that account’s local data from the device on which you complete the deletion.
Deleting your Readback account does not automatically erase App Store transaction records, Readback’s purchase-event records, or all records already held by Apple, RevenueCat, or PostHog. Purchase, analytics, security, and support records may be kept for as long as reasonably needed to provide the service, handle a privacy request, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, or comply with law. Contact us if you want us to consider deletion of provider-held data associated with your Readback account.
Your choices and rights
You can:
- use typed input instead of microphone and speech recognition;
- deny or revoke microphone and speech-recognition permission in iOS Settings;
- turn practice reminders off in Readback or iOS Settings;
- turn optional analytics sharing on or off in Settings → Privacy → Share app analytics;
- request access to or correction of personal information we hold;
- delete your account in Readback under Settings → Account management → Delete account; and
- contact us with a privacy question or complaint.
New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020 may give you rights concerning access, correction, use, disclosure, security, and retention of your personal information. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner explains these rights.
Children
Readback is intended for aviation learners and is not directed to children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information without appropriate authorisation, contact us.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as Readback changes. We will publish the revised policy here and update the effective date. If a change materially affects how we handle personal information, we will provide an additional notice where appropriate.
Contact
Email support@readbackradio.app with privacy questions or requests.