Privacy policy
Who we are
Spelling.Live (the “service”) is an educational spelling app operated by AK Shah Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 17491910), registered office 9 Cobham Avenue, New Malden, KT3 6EP. AK Shah Ltd is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy, and is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under registration number ZC266285. This policy explains how personal information is handled when you use the website or an app that loads this service. You can contact us about it at support@spelling.live.
Who this applies to
The service is intended for use with a parent or guardian involved in account setup and supervision. Child profiles and learning activity should be managed by an adult where possible.
UK GDPR & data protection compliance
We are based in the UK and build the service to comply with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and we follow the principles of the ICO’s Age Appropriate Design Code (the “Children’s Code”). In practice this means:
- Data minimisation by design: children do not create their own accounts; we collect only what is needed to run practice and show progress. Handwriting photos and voice recordings are processed in the moment and discarded, not stored.
- Lawful bases: we rely on the bases set out in “Legal bases” below - contract, legitimate interests, and consent for optional features.
- What we work out from practice: we group your child’s spelling mistakes into patterns (for example “silent letters”) to show you the progress report and to write the AI Spelling Coach’s tips. Tips based only on a word and the misspelling itself are shared with other learners and contain nothing that identifies your child. Tips based on your child’s own recurring patterns are stored separately and privately to their profile, are never shared with anyone else, are included in your data export, and are deleted when you delete your child or your account. Every tip has a “Why this tip?” link showing the mistakes it was based on, so you can see and challenge our reasoning.
- Your data-subject rights: access, rectification, erasure, portability, and objection - all available self-service from within the app (see “Your rights and account deletion” below), or by emailing us.
- No AI training on your data: inputs sent to AI providers are not used to train their models, and we maintain data processing agreements with each provider - see our AI providers & your data page.
- Accountability documentation: we maintain a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), a Children’s Code self-assessment, and a Record of Processing Activities (ROPA) with a breach-response plan. These are available to parents, schools, or regulators on request at support@spelling.live.
- International transfers & retention: handled with appropriate safeguards and automatic retention limits - see “International transfers” and “Retention” below.
Data protection questions or rights requests: support@spelling.live.
Information we collect
- Parent sign-in (optional): If you sign in, authentication is provided by Supabase. We may process your email address, account identifiers, and sign-in provider metadata (e.g. if you use Google). That provider’s privacy policy also applies.
- Child profiles: Names or labels you enter for learners, learning level (Early or Fluent), and related settings may be stored on your device and, if you are signed in, synced to our database.
- Practice reminders (iPhone, iPad and Android app): If you switch on a daily practice reminder, the child’s first name, the time and the days you chose are saved on that phone or tablet only, and the device itself shows the reminder. Nothing about it is sent to us, Apple or Google, and it names no spelling word or score. Turn it off any time in the child’s settings, or in your device’s notification settings.
- Device check for free credits: The app saves a random number on your device the first time it runs. When a parent signs in, we keep a one-way scrambled copy of it (never the number itself, and nothing else about your device) so the free starter credits are given once per device. It is used for nothing else and is removed with your account.
- Google Classroom import (teachers, optional): A teacher may import a class from Google Classroom. With their permission we read only the list of classes they teach and each pupil's name and Classroom user ID - no email addresses, photos, grades or coursework. The Google access token is used for that one import and is never stored; the Classroom user ID is stored on the pupil's profile solely so a repeat import does not create duplicates. Pupils never sign in with Google. The teacher confirms they are authorised to import that roster. Spelling.Live's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
- School MIS import via Wonde (teachers, optional): If a school has approved Spelling.Live in Wonde, a teacher at that school may import one of their own classes from the school's records. We read only each pupil's name and Wonde pupil ID - no dates of birth, pupil numbers, SEN, attendance, contact details or photos. A teacher is matched to their classes by the school email in those records, so they can only import classes they teach. The Wonde pupil ID is stored on the pupil's profile solely so a repeat import does not create duplicates. The school controls, and can withdraw, Spelling.Live's access in the Wonde portal.
- Learning activity: Practice data such as words attempted, correct/incorrect counts, hint usage, and misspelling notes may be stored locally and/or synced when you use a signed-in account.
- Voice input (optional): If you use speech features, audio may be sent to our servers and then to a speech recognition service to produce text.
- AI-assisted features (optional): When you use AI-assisted features, text or images may be sent to one or more third-party AI providers to generate responses. Voice input may be sent to a third-party speech recognition service. We currently use OpenAI, Google and Anthropic for these features, and PostHog (EU Cloud) for product analytics, feature flags and session replay; the up-to-date list and what each receives is on our AI transparency page. If we change providers we will update this accordingly. Each provider processes data under their own privacy policy. We maintain data processing agreements with our AI providers. Your inputs are not used to train AI models. When the Write it pad reads a child’s handwriting, an image of the drawn word may be sent to Google Cloud Vision (without the child’s name or account, and without the expected word). We review our AI providers’ terms on a recurring schedule and publish the list, what each receives, and our findings on our AI providers & your data page.
- Session replay (to improve the app): We record anonymised replays of how the app is used so we can see where parents get stuck or drop off and make setup easier. These replays are masked by default — every on-screen word and everything typed is hidden before it leaves the device, so a child’s name, the words being practised, passwords and handwriting are never captured. Only our own parent-facing setup screens (such as the sign-in and “add a child” screens) are shown unmasked, and none of those contain a child’s name or practice words. For a signed-in parent or tutor account we also record the account’s own email address so we can tell genuine parents apart from our internal test accounts; this is never done for a child’s login. When you use the search box on our help, blog and resources pages, we record the words you searched for, how many results came back and which result you opened, so we can see what is missing from those pages. The words are checked first and not recorded at all if they contain an email address, a phone number or a web address. The search box is on our public pages only, not in the app your child uses. Analytics and replay are handled by PostHog on their EU servers.
- Technical data: Hosting and infrastructure providers (e.g. Vercel) may collect IP address, device/browser type, and server logs for security, debugging, and reliability.
How we use information
We use this information to provide and secure the service (authentication, syncing progress, generating educational content), troubleshoot issues, and comply with law. We do not sell your personal information.
Legal bases (where applicable)
If you are in the UK, EEA, or similar regions, we rely on contract (to run the service you asked for), legitimate interests (security, product improvement that does not override your rights), and, where required, consent (e.g. optional features you turn on).
Storage, security, and third parties
Data is processed using services such as Vercel (hosting), Supabase (authentication and database), and vendors used for speech recognition and AI. Each processes data under its own terms and privacy policy. We use measures appropriate to the service; no system is perfectly secure. We choose EU settings wherever a provider offers them. Your account and your children’s practice data are stored in the European Union (Ireland), and our product analytics are held on an EU service. Our hosting is set to the EU (Frankfurt), but websites are delivered over a worldwide network, so an individual request may be handled at the location closest to you - what is kept stays in the EU. Speech, handwriting and AI requests are sent to our AI vendors to be processed and returned - they are not stored there, and are not used to train their models.
We also use AI-assisted developer tools (such as Cursor) to help build and maintain our software. These tools are used only on our source code - they do not receive your or your children’s personal data.
Children’s privacy
The Service is designed for use by parents and guardians on behalf of children. We do not permit children to register for accounts independently. All accounts must be created and managed by a parent or guardian aged 18 or over. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. Where a parent creates a child profile, the parent is responsible for supervising use of the Service and consenting to any data processing on the child's behalf. If you believe a child has provided personal information without appropriate parental consent, contact us at support@spelling.live and we will delete it promptly.
Your rights and account deletion
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or export personal data, or to object to certain processing.
You can exercise these rights yourself from within the app. Signed in as a parent, the account panel offers Download my data (a complete export of the data we hold for you and your children) and Delete account (an immediate, permanent erasure of your account and all associated data, including linked child profile data). Live data is removed immediately; residual copies in encrypted backups roll off within 30 days. If you need help, email support@spelling.live from your registered address.
Mobile app permissions
- Microphone (optional): used for speech spelling input.
- Camera / photos (optional): used when capturing or uploading written work or word-list images.
- If you deny permissions, other app features continue to work where possible.
Retention
We retain information only as long as needed to run the service, meet legal obligations, and resolve disputes, and we automatically remove old operational data on a schedule. As a guide: AI usage logs are kept for up to 14 months, email logs and support feedback for up to 12 months, and shareable game sessions for up to 90 days. Full-size handwriting photos and voice recordings are not stored - they are processed and discarded. Where the handwriting/formation report is enabled, a small thumbnail of your child's writing is kept for that report; it is included in your data export and removed when you delete the item or your account. Feedback screenshots are stored privately and are not publicly accessible. Synced data is removed when you delete your account, subject to backup roll-off and legal retention needs.
We also clear out accounts nobody is using. If an account has no child set up a couple of weeks after sign-up, or if nobody has signed in or practised for six months, we email the account holder first. Unless they choose to keep the account (one tap in the email, or simply signing in), we then delete it, together with any child profiles and progress, about two weeks later for an account with no child and 30 days later for an inactive one.
International transfers
Our service providers may process data in countries other than your own. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses).
Changes
We may update this policy. We will adjust the “Last updated” date and, for material changes, may provide additional notice (e.g. on the site or in the app).
Contact
Privacy and data requests: support@spelling.live
General help: see Support.