Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: 29 May 2026
Here's everything we collect and exactly why. Nothing more. We never sell your data, never share it with advertisers, and delete it immediately when you ask.
Who we are
PenpAI is operated by an individual developer based in Switzerland. If you have any questions about this policy, contact us at privacy@penpai.app.
Who this applies to
PenpAI is intended for users aged 13 and over. Users between 13 and 15 years old must have parental or guardian consent to use the app. Users under 13 are not currently permitted to use PenpAI.
What we collect and why
Account information
When you sign up, we collect your email address, name, birth year, and optionally your gender. These are stored securely in our database and used to operate your account.
Location
We ask for your country (required, for time zone purposes) and optionally your city. We do not collect precise location data and never will.
Profile picture
If you choose to upload a profile picture, it is stored securely in our database. This is entirely optional.
Conversations
Messages you exchange with your penpAIs are stored in our database so your conversation history is preserved across sessions. They are deleted when you delete a chat, delete a penpal, or delete your account.
Voice calls
Voice call transcripts are processed by ElevenLabs. We have configured ElevenLabs to delete all transcript data and personally identifiable information after 90 days. Call audio is not retained.
Push notifications
We store your device push notification token to deliver messages from your penpAIs. You can disable notifications at any time in your device settings.
Crash and error data
We use Firebase (Google) to collect crash reports and basic error data to help us fix bugs. This does not include conversation content.
Third parties who process your data
To provide PenpAI's features, certain data passes through third party services. We've been deliberate about what each service receives — in most cases it is no personal data at all, just content you've chosen to interact with.
- Supabase — our database and authentication provider. Stores your account details, conversation history, and profile picture. This is where your data lives. Privacy policy
- Anthropic — processes the text of your conversations to generate penpal responses. Anthropic receives the conversation text only — no name, no email, no account details. They do not use API data for training. Privacy policy
- OpenAI (Whisper) — transcribes your voice input during calls. Receives audio only, no account information. Privacy policy
- ElevenLabs — generates the penpal's voice during calls. Receives the text to be spoken, no personal account data. Transcript data is deleted after 90 days, call audio is not retained. Privacy policy
- Google Translate API — translates words or phrases you tap on. Receives only the word or phrase, nothing else. Privacy policy
- Firebase (Google) — handles authentication and crash reporting. Receives your email at sign-in and anonymised crash data if the app encounters an error. No conversation content. Privacy policy
- Recraft — generates your penpal's avatar image. Receives a text description of the penpal you've created, no personal data. Privacy policy
In plain terms: only Supabase holds anything that could identify you. Every other service receives only the content needed to perform a specific function — a word to translate, a sentence to speak, a description to illustrate. Nothing more.
What we absolutely do not do
- We do not sell your data to anyone, ever
- We do not share your data with advertisers
- We do not use your conversations to train AI models
- We do not collect precise location data
- We do not retain voice call audio
- We do not display advertising of any kind
Your undeniable rights
Under GDPR and the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revDSG), you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data
- Withdraw consent at any time
- Data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@penpai.app. Account deletion can also be done directly in the app under your profile settings.
Data retention
We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, all associated data is permanently deleted immediately. Individual conversations and penpals can be deleted at any time from within the app.
Voice call transcript data is deleted by ElevenLabs after 90 days. Crash and error data retained by Firebase follows Google's standard retention policies.
Data security
Your data is stored securely using Supabase, which provides encryption at rest and in transit. We follow industry-standard security practices and access to user data is strictly limited.
Changes to this policy
If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you via the app or by email. The date at the top of this page reflects when it was last updated.
Contact
Questions about this policy? Email us at privacy@penpai.app.