Privacy Policy
Last updated: 7/26/2026
This English version is provided for convenience. The Japanese version is the authoritative text; in case of any discrepancy, the Japanese version governs.
This Privacy Policy (“this Policy”) describes how the individual developer (“the Developer”) who provides the mobile application “Seedex” (“the App”) and the official website seedex.me (“the Site”, together with the App, “the Service”) handles user information.
The Service is developed and operated by an individual.
1. Information We Collect and Where It Is Stored
The Service is designed to be local-first: data stays on your device by default, and only specific features communicate with outside services.
1-1. Information Stored Only On Your Device (Never Transmitted)
The following is stored only in the App’s on-device database and is never sent to the Developer’s servers or any other external destination:
- Vocabulary data you register (words, meanings, examples, related words, pronunciations, tags)
- Images you attach to words
- The context in which you encountered a word (text, URLs, page numbers, notes) and voice memo recordings
- Usage history, view history, XP, and other activity data
- The content of AI chat conversations you have within the App
- App settings such as theme, sort order, and notification preferences
- A random identifier generated only on your device (see 1-4)
This data is deleted from your device when you uninstall the App. The export feature in Settings lets you save this data yourself as a backup file to storage of your choosing; that export happens entirely on your device and is not sent to the Developer’s servers.
1-2. Google Drive Backup (Seedex+, opt-in only)
Only if you subscribe to “Seedex+” and explicitly enable it in Settings, you may sign in with a Google account and back up your data to Google Drive. Unless you enable this feature, none of the following applies to you:
- Your Google account name and email address, obtained via Google Sign-In
- Backup data stored in Google Drive’s app-specific “appDataFolder” (including the vocabulary data, AI chat logs, and encounter-source information described in 1-1)
The “appDataFolder” is a private area created within your own Google account, accessible only to this App. It is your own Google account’s storage, not a server operated by the Developer. The Developer accesses this area only through Google’s API and only in response to your own actions (running a backup or restore).
Disabling this feature (signing out) does not automatically delete backups already stored on Google Drive. To delete them, please remove the data from your Google Drive management screen.
1-3. Information Sent When You Use AI Features
The App includes AI-assisted features such as meaning explanations, nuance comparisons, example generation, word lookup, chat, and illustration generation (these are features of the paid “Seedex+” plan). Using them sends text you provide — such as the word, its meaning, context, target language, and chat history — to an external AI provider in order to deliver the feature.
- Default configuration: this information is sent, via a relay server the Developer operates (the “AI Gateway”), to an AI provider located outside Japan that the Developer has selected. For illustration generation, the converted generation prompt is sent to the provider of the image-generation model.
- Temporary operational logging: the AI Gateway may temporarily record part of a request as an operational log, for troubleshooting and debugging. These logs are not persisted to a database; they are retained only for the short period needed for operational purposes.
- Identification for rate limiting: to prevent excessive requests, a random identifier generated on your device (see 1-4) is used only to count requests within a short time window. Conversation content is never associated with or stored against this identifier.
About BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)
With “Seedex+”, you may register your own API key for Anthropic, Google, or OpenAI in Settings and use it directly — “BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)”.
- When BYOK is enabled, the input you provide to the AI features other than illustration generation (meaning explanations, example generation, nuance comparison, word lookup, and chat) is sent directly to the AI provider you chose, without passing through the Developer’s servers. In that case, the handling of your data is governed by that provider’s own privacy policy and terms of service, not the Developer’s. Please review the relevant provider’s policies yourself before using BYOK.
- Illustration generation is processed through the AI Gateway regardless of your BYOK setting.
- The API key itself is stored only in secure storage on your device (provided by your device’s operating system) and is never sent to or stored on the Developer’s servers.
1-4. Device Identifier and Usage Metrics
To prevent abuse (rate limiting) and to measure AI feature usage, the App generates a random identifier on your device that does not identify you personally. This identifier is not linked to your name, email address, or other personal information, and is referenced only transiently when the AI Gateway checks rate limits. Aggregate AI usage statistics (feature name, plan, usage month — never conversation content) are recorded only on your device.
1-5. Payment Information
Payments for paid plans (the one-time “Pro” purchase and the “Seedex+” subscription) are processed through Google Play or the Apple App Store. The Developer does not directly handle payment card information. An external purchase-management service is used to verify purchases, and an anonymous identifier and purchase (receipt) information are sent to that service.
1-6. Advertising (Free plan only)
If you use the free plan, ads delivered by Google’s advertising service are shown in the App. No ads are shown on paid plans (Pro or Seedex+). To deliver ads, Google and its advertising partners may collect information such as advertising identifiers. Please refer to Google’s own privacy policy for details on how they handle this information. Depending on your region’s applicable law, choices regarding ad personalization may be provided.
1-7. Crash Reporting
To help improve the App’s stability, we use an external crash-reporting service. It is active only in production builds and collects error information when the App crashes (error details, the location of the error, and technical information such as device model and OS version). We have explicitly disabled collection of personally identifying information (such as name, email address, or IP address).
1-8. Contact Form
If you use the contact feature in the App or on the Site, the category and message you submit, along with your contact details (your name, email address, and an optional phone number), are stored in a database the Developer manages. To ensure a timely response, this content is also automatically forwarded to a notification channel the Developer monitors.
The same content is also registered with an external inquiry management service, used to track the state of each inquiry (unanswered, in progress, answered) and to send replies.
The contact form on the Site uses an external bot-protection service to prevent automated (bot) submissions. As part of that check, the service may collect your IP address and technical information about your browser.
About Advertising Measurement
When a submission through the Site’s contact form completes, part of the submission may be sent to an advertising measurement service in order to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns (this includes what is known as “enhanced conversion” measurement).
Your email address and phone number are sent only if you tick the consent checkbox on the form. That checkbox is off by default; if you submit without ticking it, this information is not used for advertising measurement at all. Whether or not you consent has no effect on how your inquiry is handled or how quickly it is answered.
- If you do consent, what is sent are SHA-256 hashes of your email address and phone number. These values are never sent in their original form. The original values cannot be read directly from a hash; however, the advertising measurement service matches these hashes against comparable hashes it holds in order to associate the submission with your exposure to an advertisement.
- Regardless of consent, information that is not the content itself — such as the inquiry category, the input language, the character count of your message, and whether a phone number was provided — may be sent. This is used to count how many inquiries arrive via advertising and cannot identify you on its own.
- If you reach the Site through an advertisement, the identifier attached to that ad click (a click ID) is stored in your browser and recorded together with your inquiry when you submit it. It is used to determine which advertisement an inquiry came from and, unlike your name or contact details, cannot identify you on its own. It is kept for 90 days and can be removed through your browser’s settings or by clearing site data.
- Your name and the body of your message are never sent externally for advertising measurement purposes.
- This measurement is used solely to understand how many inquiries arrive via advertising and to improve ad delivery.
- If you wish to withdraw consent you have previously given, please contact us using the details at the end of this Policy.
In the App’s contact screen, you may optionally attach diagnostic information — device model, OS, app version, current plan, AI usage status, and (for bug reports) error logs — after reviewing it before sending. Attachment is enabled by default, but you can view the contents or turn it off with a checkbox before sending. This diagnostic information contains no personally identifying information such as your name or email address.
1-9. Dictionary, Image Search, and Translation Features
When you look up the meaning of a word, search for an image to attach to a word, or display a translation, only the search term, keyword, or text to be translated is sent to the external service providing that feature. These requests never include personally identifying information such as your name or email address.
1-10. OCR (Text Recognition)
The feature that reads words from a photo is processed entirely on your device using your operating system’s built-in capabilities. Neither the image nor the OCR result is ever sent to an external server.
1-11. Usage Analytics
To improve the App, we use an external analytics service to collect usage data such as screen views and in-app interaction events. No personally identifying information such as your name or email address is sent.
On iOS, consent settings for the use of data for advertising purposes are controlled according to your ATT (App Tracking Transparency) permission status. If permission is not granted, aggregate usage analytics continue, but advertising-related consent remains off.
1-12. About This Website (seedex.me)
This Site is a static website. It is delivered using an external cloud infrastructure (CDN), which, like most web hosting, may technically log access information (such as IP addresses) on that provider’s side.
The Site may use a tag management tool and measurement tags in order to measure advertising effectiveness and understand site traffic. In doing so, information about your browsing may be collected through cookies or similar technologies. You can disable cookies through your browser settings.
2. Purposes of Use
Information we collect is used only for the following purposes:
- Providing, maintaining, and improving the Service
- Providing paid plans and managing payments
- Providing AI and other features that involve external service integrations
- Investigating and fixing issues, and maintaining security
- Responding to inquiries
- Measuring advertising effectiveness and improving ad delivery
- Complying with legal obligations where required
3. Third-Party Disclosure and Use of External Services
To provide the Service, we entrust processing to, or send information to, the following categories of external services.
| Category of recipient | Purpose | Main information sent |
|---|---|---|
| Google (Google Sign-In / Google Drive) | Seedex+ backup feature (opt-in) | Google account name and email address; backup data (within your own Google Drive) |
| An AI provider you select (Anthropic / Google / OpenAI) | AI features when using BYOK | Words, meanings, context, chat history, etc. (only if you opt in) |
| AI provider (default configuration) | Delivering AI features | Words, meanings, context, chat history, etc. you provide |
| Cloud infrastructure provider | AI Gateway, contact form, and Site delivery | AI request content (relayed), contact-form content, access logs |
| Purchase-management service | Billing and purchase verification | Anonymous identifier, purchase (receipt) information |
| Advertising provider (Google and others) | Ad delivery (free plan only) | Advertising identifiers, etc. |
| Advertising measurement service (Google and others) | Measuring inquiries arriving via advertising (including enhanced conversion measurement) | Metadata such as inquiry category; hashed email address and phone number |
| Bot-protection service | Preventing automated submissions through the Site’s contact form | IP address, technical information about your browser |
| Inquiry management service | Tracking the state of inquiries and sending replies | Name, email address, phone number, inquiry content |
| Analytics service | Analyzing app usage | Screen views, interaction events, and similar usage data |
| Crash-reporting service | Investigating and fixing defects | Error information, device and app technical information |
| Dictionary, image search, and translation services | Delivering those features | Search words, keywords, and text to be translated |
For providers the Developer engages as processors, we select them after reviewing their standard of personal information protection and require appropriate handling through contractual terms. If you would like to know the identity of a specific processor, please contact us using the details at the end of this Policy; we will respond to the extent required under applicable law.
We do not disclose personal information to any third party other than those listed above, except where required by law or another legitimate basis applies.
4. Cross-Border Transfer of Information
The providers described above include ones located outside Japan (primarily in the United States) or that process information on servers outside Japan. As a result, information sent through the Service may be processed outside Japan. Those countries may not have a personal information protection framework equivalent to Japan’s. When selecting processors, the Developer reviews the security measures and privacy policies each provider publishes.
5. Retention Periods
- Information stored only on your device (1-1) is retained until you delete it within the App or uninstall the App.
- Google Drive backups (1-2) remain in your own Google account until you delete them via Google Drive.
- Contact-form content (1-8) may be retained for a reasonable period after resolution as a record of the response provided.
- Operational logs on the AI Gateway (1-3) are retained only briefly, as needed for operational purposes, and are then deleted.
6. Your Rights (Access, Correction, Deletion, etc.)
You may request access to, correction of, restriction of use of, or deletion of your information.
- On-device data can be deleted yourself, either through the App’s editing/deletion features or by uninstalling the App.
- Google Drive backup data can be deleted or disabled from Google’s account management screen, or by signing out / using account deletion within the App.
- To request access to or deletion of information submitted through the contact form, please use the contact details at the end of this Policy. We will respond within a reasonable period.
- API keys registered for BYOK can be removed at any time from Settings.
7. Children’s Privacy
The Service is not primarily directed at children under the age of 13, and the Developer does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If a parent or guardian believes their child has provided information through the Service, please contact us using the details at the end of this Policy.
8. Security
The Developer takes reasonable technical and organizational measures appropriate to the nature of the information handled. However, no method of transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
9. Changes to This Policy
This Policy may be revised as the Service changes or as applicable law requires. Material changes will be announced on the Site or through other appropriate means. The revised Policy takes effect from the time it is published on the Site.
10. Contact
For questions about this Policy, or to request access, correction, restriction of use, or deletion of your personal information, please contact us at the address below. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such a request.
- Contact: support@seedex.me
- Operator: The Seedex Developer (individual)
Effective / last updated: July 26, 2026