Privacy Policy

Last updated: 5 October 2026

Aussie Talk is operated by Carolus Investments Pty Ltd (ABN 65 676 593 981).

Aussie Talk ("we", "our", "us") operates the website www.aussietalk.com and the Aussie Talk mobile application. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

Carolus Investments Pty Ltd is responsible for the personal information described in this policy. For people in the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, that makes it the "controller". You can contact us about privacy at enquire@aussietalk.com.

Information We Collect

Text you submit. When you use Translate or chat with Bruce, in the app or on this website, the text you type (or the text of what you say) is sent to our server, which passes it to xAI (Grok) to write the translation or Bruce's reply. Each chat message is sent with the conversation so far, so Bruce can follow it. Our server doesn't store your text after the response is delivered, but xAI keeps requests and replies for up to 30 days under its own policy (see Data Retention below).

Please don't share anything private. Aussie Talk never asks for your name or email. But anything you type or say to Bruce or into Translate, including any personal details, goes to xAI, and xAI and ElevenLabs may keep it as described in Data Retention below. When you practise saying words in lessons, the text of what you say is checked on your phone and isn't sent to us or to xAI (Apple's speech recognition still applies; see Voice and microphone below).

Audio. When you tap "Listen", or when Bruce answers out loud, the text to be spoken (Bruce's reply, a translation or a line from a lesson) is sent to ElevenLabs, which turns it into speech, and the audio is streamed to your device. ElevenLabs keeps the text and the audio under its own retention settings. We've opted out of ElevenLabs using it to train its models.

Bruce, Translate and this policy in the app. When you chat with Bruce or use Translate, what you type or say is sent to xAI (Grok), and when Bruce's replies or your translations are spoken, their text is sent to ElevenLabs, as described above. When you use the microphone, to chat with Bruce or to practise saying words in lessons, Apple may also process your voice on its servers (see Voice and microphone below). The app links to this policy when you first open it, below the options on the first screen, and at the bottom of the Translate tab.

Purchases. The app offers three purchases through the App Store: Premium Monthly and Premium Annual, auto-renewing subscriptions that unlock everything, including unlimited chats with Bruce (the annual plan has a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers); and Lifetime Learning, a one-off purchase that unlocks all of Learn and the dictionary. An App Store offer code can also give you a period of Premium or Lifetime Learning. Payment is processed entirely by Apple through the App Store. We do not collect or store your credit card number, billing address, or other payment details. RevenueCat, our subscription management provider, receives an anonymous app user ID (a random ID for this install of the app), your purchase history (such as which products, purchase and renewal dates, and whether a subscription is in a free trial or paid), and the device and app information its software sends to manage purchases (such as your device model, iOS and app versions, language, App Store country and your device's identifier for vendor, or IDFV). It uses these so the app can unlock what you've bought and restore it later. The app doesn't give RevenueCat your name or email address.

Usage stats in the app. The app uses Google Analytics for Firebase to see how the app is used, such as the screens you open, translations, messages to Bruce and his replies (and whether a message was typed, spoken or came from Translate), whether a word you practised was heard right, finished lessons and rounds, when the paywall appears and why, purchases and restores (which plan, and whether it's a free trial or paid), and rating prompts. These events never include what you type or say. With them, Google receives an ID for this install of the app (the app instance ID), basic diagnostic information, and an approximate location that Google works out from your IP address. We use this only to understand and improve the app. It isn't linked to you: the app has no accounts and never asks for your name or email. We don't use it to track you across other companies' apps or websites. The app shows no ads and doesn't collect your device's advertising identifier (IDFA). Google Analytics for Firebase is also set not to collect Apple's identifier for vendors (IDFV), and Google's advertising features (ad personalisation and ad user data) are turned off.

The "Share usage stats" switch. Usage stats are off when the app is first installed. When the app opens, it turns them on, unless your iPhone's Region (in iOS Settings) is in the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, or the app can't tell; there the switch starts off, and usage stats stay off unless you turn them on. The "Share usage stats" switch is below the options when you first open the app, and at the bottom of the Translate tab, so you can turn usage stats on or off at any time. While it's off, the app sends no usage stats.

Rate limiting. To stop our server being misused, each request to it is counted against your IP address and, for requests from the app (version 1.3.0 and later), against an install ID (RevenueCat's anonymous app user ID, which the app sends with each request). Neither is stored as it is: before they're counted, both are pseudonymised with a keyed hash (a code made with a secret key). The counts are kept under these pseudonymised keys in Upstash Redis and are deleted automatically within 25 hours of first being counted. If Upstash isn't set up, or is failing or too slow to answer, the counts are kept in our server's memory instead, still under pseudonymised keys. There, each count stops being used when its minute or day is over, and it stays in memory until that server restarts (or until it's cleared earlier to free up space).

Website analytics. We use Google Analytics on the website to understand how visitors use the site (page views, approximate location by country, device type). Google Analytics uses cookies and similar identifiers to count visits and see how the site is used. We don't use it to identify you personally. You can block these cookies in your browser or use Google's opt-out add-on.

Voice and microphone

The app uses your microphone only when you tap the mic button, to chat with Bruce or to practise saying words in lessons.

Your speech is converted to text using Apple's speech recognition, both when you chat with Bruce and when you practise saying words in lessons. The app doesn't require this to happen on your phone, so Apple may process your voice on its servers. See Apple's privacy policy.

In chat, the text of what you say is sent to our server and to xAI (Grok) to create Bruce's reply. When you practise saying words in lessons, the text is checked on your phone and isn't sent to us.

We don't store your voice recordings. Audio is used only to turn your speech into text, then discarded. Bruce's spoken replies are deleted from your phone after they play.

On this website, voice chat uses your browser's built-in speech recognition, which your browser's maker may process under its own privacy policy.

You can turn off microphone and speech recognition access at any time in your iPhone Settings.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information described above solely to provide and improve the Aussie Talk service, including generating translations, delivering chat responses, producing audio, managing subscriptions and purchases, understanding usage patterns, and protecting the service from misuse. We don't use it for advertising.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services. Each is bound by its own terms and privacy policy to protect the data we share with it, and we only use providers whose protections are at least as strong as this policy's.

xAI (Grok API): processes the text you type or say in Translate and chat, in the app and on this website, to write translations and Bruce's replies. It keeps requests and replies for up to 30 days. See xAI Privacy Policy.

ElevenLabs: turns Bruce's replies, translations and lesson lines into speech. It keeps the text and audio under its own retention settings, and we've opted out of it using them for training. See ElevenLabs Privacy Policy.

RevenueCat: manages subscriptions and Lifetime Learning, using an anonymous app user ID, your purchase history, and the device and app information its software sends (described above). See RevenueCat Privacy Policy.

Google Analytics for Firebase: usage stats in the app, while the "Share usage stats" switch is on. See Firebase Privacy and Security and the Google Privacy Policy.

Google Analytics: website analytics. See Google Privacy Policy.

Apple purchases: processes all payments for subscriptions and Lifetime Learning, including free trials and offer codes. See Apple Privacy Policy.

Apple speech recognition: turns your speech into text when you use the microphone, to chat with Bruce or to practise saying words in lessons. Apple may process your voice on its servers. See Apple Privacy Policy.

Vercel: hosts the website and runs the app's API, the server that passes your text to xAI and ElevenLabs. The API doesn't store your text, Bruce's replies or the audio. See Vercel Privacy Policy.

Upstash: holds the rate-limit counts described above, under pseudonymised keys, and deletes them within 25 hours of first being counted. See Upstash Privacy Policy.

Information Sent Overseas

We're based in Australia, but the providers above are based, or process data, outside Australia. So the information described in this policy may be sent to and processed in the United States and other countries where these providers operate.

Data Retention

Our own servers don't keep the text you submit for translation or chat, Bruce's replies or the audio beyond what is needed to deliver the response. The providers that do the work keep some of it under their own policies:

• xAI keeps requests and replies for up to 30 days.
• ElevenLabs keeps the text it turns into speech, and the audio, under its own retention settings.
• Upstash deletes rate-limit counts automatically within 25 hours of first being counted. Counts kept in our server's memory instead (see Rate limiting above) are cleared when that server restarts, or earlier to free up space.
• RevenueCat keeps your purchase history, and the device and app information described above, under its own policy.
• Google Analytics keeps usage stats from the app and analytics from the website for the retention period set in our Google Analytics settings.
• Vercel keeps server logs for a limited time under its own policy.
• Apple handles speech recognition and payments under its own policy.

Your progress, settings and chat count are stored on your phone, not on our servers.

Children's Privacy

Aussie Talk is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can remove it.

Your Rights

Access, correction and deletion. You can ask us for access to the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct or delete it, by emailing enquire@aussietalk.com. We'll reply within 30 days. We don't store translation or chat text ourselves, and we don't link what the app sends to who you are. The app has no accounts and never asks who you are, so to find a record we may need your help, for example what you bought and roughly when. What xAI and ElevenLabs keep is handled under their own retention settings, as described above.

Withdrawing your consent. You can turn usage stats off at any time with the "Share usage stats" switch at the bottom of the Translate tab. What you type or say goes to xAI, and Bruce's replies and translations to ElevenLabs, only when you use Bruce or Translate, so to stop it, stop using them, or delete the app. Anything already sent stays with those providers for the periods described above, and you can ask us to delete anything we hold about you. Deleting the app removes everything it stored on your phone, including its analytics ID (a new install gets a new one). On the website, you can clear Google Analytics identifiers by clearing your browser cookies.

Complaints. If you're concerned about how we've handled your personal information, please contact us first at enquire@aussietalk.com, and we'll reply within 30 days. If you're not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au. If you're in the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, you can also complain to your local data protection authority (see below).

If You're in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland

Under the GDPR, the UK GDPR and Swiss data protection law, we rely on these legal bases to use your information:

• Your consent, for usage stats in the app.
• Our contract with you, for purchases and to provide the features you use, such as Translate, chatting with Bruce and audio. That includes sending what you type or say to Bruce or into Translate to xAI, and Bruce's replies and translations to ElevenLabs, because that's how we give you the chat and translations you ask for.
• Our legitimate interests in keeping the service secure and stopping misuse, for rate limiting and security.

You have the right to access your personal information, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive it in a portable format. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time, as described above; that doesn't affect what we did before you withdrew it. To use any of these rights, email enquire@aussietalk.com. Your information is sent outside your country, as described under Information Sent Overseas, and kept for the periods described under Data Retention.

You can complain to your local data protection authority: in the European Economic Area, the authority in your country (see the European Data Protection Board's list); in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office; and in Switzerland, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Continued use of Aussie Talk after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at enquire@aussietalk.com.