Grade Ace Privacy Policy

What stays on the device

The student's first name, classes, grades, goals, practice history, flashcards, and settings are stored only on the device (the phone, or the browser when using Grade Ace on the web at app.gradeace.arghanstudios.com). We don't receive them unless the student turns on the optional save-code backup, and we never receive the first name. Deleting the app, clearing the browser's site data, or "Start over" in the Me tab erases them. The grade level and region are stored on the device too; they are sent only as part of the anonymous practice statistics below.

Save-code backup (optional)

Backup is off until the student taps Me → Back up my progress. The app then makes a random 12-character save code, shows it on screen and keeps it on the device. It sends our server (Convex, United States) a copy of the student's progress so the code can bring it back on another phone or computer:

• classes and their targets, grades (score, out of, type, date) and the grading scale and weights;
• practice progress: best scores and skill levels per topic, recent question history, challenge stars, and the topic picked as "where we are in class";
• the days practiced and right answers per day (the flame and daily goal);
• flashcard decks the student made;
• settings: grade level, region and school district, avatar, daily goal, appearance and Grade Elevator.

The backup never includes the student's first name — it stays on each device, and the app asks for it again when the code is used. It doesn't include anything from Squad. The save code itself never reaches us: the backup is stored under a one-way fingerprint (SHA-256 hash) of the code, so we can't tell whose backup is whose and can't look one up by name or email. Anyone who has the code can open the backup, so students should keep it private, like a password. After the backup is turned on, changes on that device are saved to it automatically a few seconds after they happen. To prevent guessing, each install can try 10 codes per hour; we store those try times (with the random app-install ID) for an hour.

Deleting a backup: Me → See my save code → Delete my backup deletes it from our server immediately, and the code stops working. "Start over" and "Sign out on this computer" only clear the device and leave the backup in place, so the code can still restore it. If the code is lost, email us; since backups aren't linked to a name we may not be able to find it, so deleting it from a device that still has the code is the surest way.

Anonymous usage statistics

When a practice round ends, the app sends one anonymous tally to our server (Convex, United States). It contains exactly:

• the date (day only — no time);
• the grade level (4–12);
• the region picked in the app (Texas, Massachusetts, another US state, or a country);
• the school district, only for Texas or Massachusetts and only if it was picked from the app's list of public districts;
• the subject and topic practiced (for example "Math" and "Fractions");
• how many questions were answered and how many were right;
• a random app-install ID — a random code the app makes for itself and keeps on the phone — except in Europe (see below).

Once a day, when the app is opened or brought back to the screen, and once when setup is finished, the app also sends one anonymous app-open note. It contains exactly:

• the date (day only — no time) and whether this is the app's first-ever open on the phone;
• the phone type (iPhone or Android), the app version and the ID of the app update it is running;
• the grade level, region and (Texas or Massachusetts only, from the app's list) school district, once they have been picked;
• yes/no: setup finished, joined Squad, in a Squad quest, flame reminders on; and the practice-streak flame level (0–7);
• the random app-install ID — except in Europe.

Europe: if the region picked is a country of the European Union or European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, the app sends no app-install ID and no other identifier of the phone — only the counts above — and our server drops an install ID if one ever arrives with a European region. Before a region is picked, the app sends an install ID only if the phone's language region and time zone are both outside Europe.

The app-install ID is not linked to the student's name or to anything in Squad (squad name, friend code, Squad device identifier or notification token), and we store no IP address, account, or time of day with it. It lets us count how many installs are used and practice, how often, and how many come back, without knowing who anyone is. This happens whether or not the student joins Squad. We use these numbers only to count usage and improve the app — averages by grade, region, district, subject and topic help us improve practice topics and the study plan, especially for students outside Texas and Massachusetts. They are never shown to other users, never sold, never used for ads, and never shared at the install level; partners only ever see totals and averages. Deleting the app removes the install ID from the phone; because it isn't linked to a name, we can't look up an individual student's tallies, and they stay in our totals.

Squad & Quests (optional)

Squad is off until the student chooses to join it in the Squad tab. When they join, we store on our server (Convex, United States):

• a squad name generated by the app from a fixed word list (like "Golden Fox") — never the student's real name;
• a short friend code that the student swaps in person with friends they know;
• an emoji avatar picked from a fixed list;
• a random identifier for the device;
• the number of practice questions answered correctly each day, and the daily goal;
• friend connections — each one must be accepted by the other student;
• quests the student joins or creates (a target and a period, such as questions per day or week; quest titles are generated by the app);
• a push-notification token, only if notifications are allowed on the device;
• timestamps of recent friend-code tries and quest creations, used only to prevent spam.

Friends in a squad can see each other's squad name, avatar, and practice progress. Students can't type anything that another student sees, and there is no chat or messaging.

Notifications. If the student allows notifications, a quest alert (which can include a friend's squad name and avatar) is delivered through the Expo push notification service, which receives the push token and the message text for that purpose only. The daily "flame" reminder is scheduled on the phone itself and involves no server. Squad data is hosted by Convex in the United States.

Squad Games (web, optional)

On the web app, students in Squad can play Snakes & Ladders with squad friends they have already accepted. There is no public lobby and no way to play with strangers. When a student starts or joins a game, we store on our server (Convex, United States):

• who is in the game (their existing squad identities — the generated squad name and avatar friends already see) and who was invited;
• each player's square on the board, whose turn it is, the last die roll, and whether the last answer was right;
• timestamps of recent moves, used only to prevent spam.

The questions are picked and checked on each student's own device; we don't receive the questions or the answers chosen, only "right" or "not right" for the turn. Players see each other's squad name, avatar and position. There is no chat, and nothing a student types is ever shown to anyone. Games are deleted a day after the last move, and leaving Squad removes the student from all games right away.

What we don't do

• No ads, no third-party analytics or tracking, no data sold or shared for marketing.
• No email addresses, phone numbers, locations, photos, or contacts from children.
• No chat or messaging between users.

Data retention & deletion

Data on the device stays there until the student deletes it, uses Me → Start over (or Sign out on this computer on the web), clears the browser's site data, or deletes the app. A save-code backup stays on our server until the student taps Delete my backup, or a parent asks us to delete it. Squad data stays on our server only while the student is in Squad. Me → Leave squad & delete my squad data (or "Start over") immediately deletes the squad name, avatar, friend code, friend links and requests, daily counts, quests, game seats and push token from our server. Because Squad uses a random device identifier and no account, we cannot look up a child's data by name or email; to delete it, use the in-app button. Parents may also email us to ask what is stored or to request deletion. Anonymous practice statistics are not linked to a name, so they stay in our aggregate totals.

Children's privacy (COPPA)

Squad and the save-code backup are designed so that no personal information from children is shared or made public: the backup holds no name and is reachable only with its code, and Squad has no real names, no free text, no photos, no contact details, no location, and no messaging. Grade Ace is rated 9+ and is not in Apple's Kids category. We follow the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA): we do not knowingly collect personal information from children, we show no ads, and we use no third-party tracking or analytics. The random Squad device identifier and notification token are used only to run the app's features, and the random app-install ID only to count usage and improve the app (support for internal operations). Parents can contact us at the email below to ask about or delete their child's data.

Contact

Questions or deletion requests: support@arghanstudios.com (Arghan Studios). See also our Terms of Use and Support page.

We'll post any changes to this policy here and update the date above.