Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 25, 2026

Plain-language summary: there are no accounts and we don’t ask who you are. Your progress stays on your device. In the iOS app, out-loud practice is processed entirely on your phone — your voice is never recorded, saved, or uploaded — and the app has no analytics and collects no data at all. On the website we use Google Analytics to understand general usage, and in the EU/UK it only runs if you say yes. We don’t show ads and we don’t sell data.

1. Who we are

Spot the Cue (“we”, “us”) helps people practice reading social cues. It is available as a website at spotthecue.com and as an app on the Apple App Store. This policy covers both, and explains what information is involved when you use them and the choices you have.

Spot the Cue is operated by Justin Fernandez, a sole proprietor trading as Spot the Cue, who is the data controller for the purposes of UK and EU data protection law. You can reach us at privacy@spotthecue.com.

2. Information involved

Stored on your device

Your progress, streak, daily goal, difficulty levels, theme, audience choice, and your cookie/consent choice are saved in your browser’s local storage. This stays on your device, isn’t sent to us, and is removed if you clear your browser data.

In the iOS app

The iOS app has no accounts, no analytics, and no tracking, and it does not collect any data about you. Your progress, settings, and practice history are stored only on your device (and are included in your own iCloud device backup if you use one). You can export, import, or delete them at any time from Profile.

Microphone & speech. Out-loud practice uses the microphone to show you a live transcript and gentle delivery feedback (pace, filler words, pauses). Audio is processed entirely on your device using Apple’s on-device speech recognition. Your voice is never recorded, stored, or transmitted — nothing leaves your phone. The microphone is only active while you are recording, every out-loud step is optional and skippable, and the feature can be switched off in Profile.

Purchases. Full Access is a one-time in-app purchase handled entirely by Apple. We never see or receive your payment details; Apple only tells the app whether the purchase is active.

Analytics (website only)

We use Google Analytics 4. When it’s active, Google collects standard, non-identifying usage data such as pages and screens viewed, time on page, approximate location derived from your IP address, device, browser, operating system, referring site, and basic interactions. We use this only in aggregate to see what’s helpful and improve the site. We’ve configured Google Consent Mode, so in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland analytics runs in a cookieless mode until you accept.

Hosting logs (website only)

Our host (Vercel) automatically processes technical data such as IP address and request details to deliver the site and keep it secure, as is standard for any website.

AI-generated practice (website only)

Some practice scenarios may be produced with help from a third-party AI service. When this feature is used, only non-personal parameters (such as the skill and difficulty level) are sent — never information about you.

Tone checker (website only)

The tone checker’s instant read runs entirely in your browser — the message you paste is never sent to us or anyone else. If you are signed in and choose the optional AI read (or ask for AI feedback on a practice draft), that specific text is sent once to our third-party AI provider to generate the response, and is not stored afterwards. If you use the optional voice typing (microphone) button, your browser’s built-in speech recognition converts your speech to text; on some browsers (for example Chrome) that audio is processed by the browser vendor’s speech service — we never receive or store it. Using the AI read or voice typing is always your choice; the free on-device tone read never leaves your device.

Blind Spots calibration beta (website only)

The Blind Spots exercise runs entirely in your browser and stores nothing by default. At the end of a full form you can choose to contribute your run to calibrating the exercise. If you do, we store: which moments you flagged and how strongly, the two calibration numbers, how long the sitting took, and an anonymous pairing code generated in your browser (like quiet-harbour-4821). We store no name, email, account, or anything that identifies you with your answers, and contributed runs cannot be read back from the browser by anyone.

If you optionally leave an email for the one Form B reminder, it is stored in a separate table from your answers, used for that single email, and deleted as soon as the reminder is sent (or after 30 days at the latest). Until then, that email is linkable to your pairing code — that is the trade, and the form says so where you enter it. To have a contributed run deleted, email us your pairing code (that is the only way we can find it — which is the point).

3. Cookies & local storage

Preferences and progress use local storage (not cookies) and aren’t transmitted anywhere. Google Analytics sets cookies (for example _ga and _ga_*) only after you consent; in the EU/UK nothing is set until you accept. You can change your choice any time using .

4. Why we’re allowed to do this (EEA/UK)

Consent — for analytics cookies and related collection.
Legitimate interests — for basic security and keeping the service running.

5. Sharing

We don’t sell personal data, and we never share your practice answers with anyone. Data is processed on our behalf by these service providers, which may process it in the United States:

Vercel — hosting for the website and its API routes.
Google Analytics — website usage measurement, only if you accept analytics cookies.
Supabase — if you create an optional account, stores your email address and your synced progress so it works across devices.
Polar Software, Inc. — if you buy full access on the website. Polar is the merchant of record, meaning they are the seller for your purchase rather than a processor acting for us. They collect your email and payment details directly, handle tax, and are an independent controller of that data under their own privacy policy. We receive your email address and a record that a purchase happened — never your card details.
Apple — if you buy inside the iOS app, the purchase is handled entirely by Apple under their terms; we receive no payment details.

Your voice recordings are never shared, because they never leave your device. Out-loud practice is processed locally and nothing is uploaded.

6. How long it’s kept

On-device data: until you clear it.
Analytics: retained by Google under our configured retention (up to 14 months), then deleted or aggregated.
Account data: kept while your account exists. Email us to have it deleted.
Purchase records: kept as long as needed for support, refunds and tax record-keeping.

7. Your choices

Change or withdraw analytics consent any time via .
Clear on-device data by clearing your browser storage (or “Reset” in the app’s settings).
Use your browser’s Global Privacy Control / “Do Not Track”, or Google’s opt-out browser add-on.
If you’re in the EEA/UK, you have rights to access, correct, delete, or object. Because we don’t hold data that identifies you, contact us and we’ll help where we can.

8. Children

Spot the Cue isn’t directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and we don’t knowingly collect personal information from them. The teen content is general practice material and still collects nothing that identifies you.

9. International users

The site is available globally and data may be processed in other countries, including the United States. Our providers rely on standard safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) where required.

10. Changes

We may update this policy and will revise the date above when we do.

11. Contact

Questions about privacy? Email privacy@spotthecue.com. For help with the app, see Support or email support@spotthecue.com.