Privacy policy

This policy explains information handling in the BabelTrans iPhone app and its static website. It is provided by the BabelTrans developer identified on the App Store product page (“we,” “us”). Contact us at [email protected].

It distinguishes local processing, third-party online processing you initiate, and information you choose to send us. Review the relevant information and system permission prompts before using a feature.

The information processed depends on the features you use:

Text translation

Information: Your source text, source and target languages, and request authentication fields.

Destination and purpose: Sent over HTTPS to Baidu’s translation API to obtain a translation. The current app has no developer-operated translation relay server.

Photo translation

Information: The image you take or choose and confirm, plus the target language. The image may be cropped, re-encoded and compressed on your device.

Destination and purpose: The entire image to be translated is uploaded to Baidu’s image translation service for recognition, translation and a translated image. Faces, documents and location clues in the image may also be sent; review it before confirming.

Voice & conversation

Information: Microphone audio, recognized text and translation languages.

Destination and purpose: Apple speech recognition converts audio to text. The app does not require on-device-only recognition, so Apple may process audio online. Recognized text is sent to Baidu for translation and may enter local text history. The current app does not persist original recordings as files.

Translation history

Information: Source and translated text, language direction, time, source type and a random record identifier.

Destination and purpose: Up to 500 recent successful text translations are stored in the app’s local sandbox for review. Translated images are not automatically added to text history. We operate no cloud history sync.

Practice & playback

Built-in scenarios, phrases and example-matching feedback work locally without cloud chat or model downloads. Practice drafts and progress are used during the current app run. Playback uses iOS speech synthesis; available voices depend on system configuration.

Feedback & email

When you email us, we receive the email address, message, attachments and related information conveyed by the mail service to respond and address the issue. You confirm sending in the system mail composer; your mail provider also processes mail under its own rules.

• Camera: To take an image for translation when you choose.
• Photo library access: To browse photos, album names and covers within your granted scope and choose an image. Full and limited iOS access are supported; the system may download iCloud photos over the network.
• Add to Photos: To save translated images or quote cards when you request it.
• Microphone and speech recognition: To capture and recognize speech for voice translation or conversation.

Manage or revoke permissions in iOS Settings. Denying permission may disable the corresponding feature; unrelated permission is not required. The current app does not request contacts or location permission, although text, photos or speech you provide can contain such information.

Baidu receives translation text, images, language parameters and necessary request information. Apple provides system speech recognition and other system capabilities and may process audio and related service data. Online providers may also receive network information such as IP addresses and request times, and may retain or process data under their own policies.

Providers’ processing locations, retention and subsequent uses depend on their service terms and applicable law. We cannot promise that third parties immediately delete content, retain none of it, or exclude it from service improvement or model training. Consult each provider’s official channels for current policies.

iOS sharing passes chosen content to a recipient or app only when you initiate it; the recipient is responsible for subsequent handling. The current implementation includes no advertising, tracking or analytics SDK and sets no cross-app advertising tracking identifier. We do not sell your personal information. If legally required to disclose information we actually hold, we handle it in accordance with applicable law.

Local text history holds up to 500 recent successful records; older records are trimmed beyond that limit. The current history screen has no individual-delete or clear-all control.

Deleting the app normally removes its local sandbox. iOS Offload App, which keeps documents and data, may retain them. Device and iCloud backups are controlled by your system settings; manage them there. App deletion does not remove saved photos, shared copies, sent emails or third-party service records; manage those separately in Photos, with recipients, in your mail service or through the provider.

Practice drafts and progress are not guaranteed to survive app exit. We retain email correspondence only for a reasonable period needed to address your request and meet legal obligations. You may request deletion of relevant personal information we hold, subject to legally required retention.

Translation requests use HTTPS. Local history is kept in the app sandbox with system data protection. Device security, lock settings, system backups, mail and sharing recipients also affect security.

No transmission or storage method is absolutely secure. Local data protection is not a claim of end-to-end encryption, and content held by third-party services or shared by you is outside our control.

You can stop submitting content, revoke system permissions, manage photos and backups, or delete the app. The current version has no registered accounts and therefore no account-closure process.

Depending on applicable law, you may have rights to information, access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, withdrawal of consent or complaint. Email us with the scope of your request. We respond within legally required periods and request reasonable identity verification only when necessary.

We can directly handle only information we actually hold. Manage device information through relevant system settings. Requests about data held by a provider may need to be directed to that provider; we will assist where feasible.

Online translation or speech recognition may send requests from your region to third-party infrastructure. Actual processing locations depend on the provider’s deployment; we make no unverified location guarantee. Cross-region processing is subject to applicable law. If you do not wish to submit particular content to online services, do not submit it; built-in offline practice remains an option.

BabelTrans is not specifically designed for children. Minors should use it with the guardian guidance and authorization required by applicable law and avoid unnecessary personal information. If you believe a minor provided personal information to us without appropriate authorization, contact us so we can review and act in accordance with law.

This is a static website. It sets no cookies, uses no browser local storage, and contains no analytics scripts, online forms or automatic backend data requests. Icons, fonts, images and styles are embedded in each page.

The contact email link opens your mail tool; you decide whether to send. If the site is later hosted on a server, its hosting or network providers may process routine access logs such as IP addresses and visit times under their own configuration. This page does not promise that those providers keep no logs.

We may update this policy when features, providers or legal requirements change and revise its date. Material changes will be communicated appropriately; additional notice or consent will be handled where law requires it. Nothing in this policy limits your statutory rights.

For privacy questions or personal information requests, contact the BabelTrans developer:
[email protected]

Start by describing your issue or request. Avoid unnecessary identity documents, sensitive source text or private photos in your initial email.