Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

This Privacy Policy describes how CitizCoach (“CitizCoach,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares information in connection with the CitizCoach iOS application and related backend services at api.citizcoach.com (the “Service”).

This notice is intended to meet Apple App Store privacy disclosure expectations and applicable U.S. privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the CPRA (“CCPA”).

Contact: privacy@citizcoach.com · Support: support@citizcoach.com

Study content and accuracy

Civics questions, accepted answers, explanations, and related study material in the Service are based on data available from official resource websites, primarily U.S. government educational materials published by USCIS and similar public sources. We compile, sequence, and present that material for practice. Those official publications remain the authoritative source.

We do not claim that CitizCoach is 100% accurate, complete, or up to date. Official materials can change. Our presentation, hints, scoring, and AI-generated feedback can contain errors, omissions, or paraphrases that differ from the current official text.

CitizCoach is a study aid meant to help you prepare and improve. Using the app does not mean it is a source of truth for the civics test, the English test, or any immigration matter. Always confirm answers and legal information against official USCIS materials at uscis.gov, your interview notice, and qualified legal counsel.

2. Information we collect

We collect information you provide, information created when you use the Service, and information from Apple when you choose Sign in with Apple or purchase a subscription.

We do not collect Social Security numbers, A-numbers, passport numbers, government case numbers, payment card numbers, or precise GPS location. Do not enter sensitive immigration case documents into the app.

3. How we use information

We use information to:

• Create and authenticate your account (anonymous bootstrap and optional Sign in with Apple);
• Deliver civics practice, study plans, and readiness estimates;
• Run AI-enabled mock interviews (speech-to-text, practice questions, spoken AI “officer” lines, and a practice report);
• Enforce free-tier mock-interview quota and Premium entitlements purchased through the App Store;
• Provide customer support, prevent fraud/abuse, and maintain security;
• Improve the Service (for example, understanding which question types users miss);
• Comply with law and App Store rules, and protect our rights.

We do not use your information to contact USCIS, to appear at or influence a real interview, or to provide legal representation.

4. AI mock interviews and voice

The mock interview is a simulated practice exercise generated with artificial intelligence. It is not a live interview with a person, and it is not a government proceeding.

If you start a mock interview, your spoken answers are streamed to our servers so we can transcribe them, evaluate practice answers against publicly known civics content, generate the next practice prompt, and (where enabled) synthesize spoken audio for the simulated officer.

To provide that feature we use third-party processors such as speech-recognition, large-language-model, and text-to-speech providers. Those processors receive the audio and/or transcript only to perform the requested practice functions.

• Default: we process audio for the session and do not keep your recording as a long-term file unless you opt in.
• Optional retention: you may opt in (audio_retention_opt_in) so a recording can be stored for your later review or quality improvement. You can choose not to opt in.
• We do not use your voice to identify you to a government agency, and we do not build a voiceprint for authentication or surveillance.
• Transcripts, scores, and the written practice report are stored with your account so you can review them in the app.

5. How we share information

We share information only as follows:

• Service providers / processors that host or process data on our instructions (cloud database, object storage, Redis cache, speech, TTS, and LLM providers).
• Apple, for Sign in with Apple and App Store subscription validation, restore, and server notifications. Payment is handled by Apple, not by CitizCoach. We do not receive your full card number.
• Legal disclosure if required by law, valid legal process, or to protect users, the public, or CitizCoach.
• Business transfer if we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, subject to this Policy.

We do not share your information with USCIS or any government agency as part of any interview, filing, or adjudication process — because we do not run that process.

6. We do not sell your personal information

We do not sell personal information and we do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, as those terms are used in the CCPA. We do not use your mock-interview audio for advertising.

If that practice changes, we will update this Policy and provide any required opt-out.

7. Retention

We keep account, profile, learning, and mock-interview records for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service. If you delete your account, we delete or de-identify personal data within 30 days, except limited records we must retain for security, fraud prevention, tax, accounting, dispute, or App Store billing compliance (for example, subscription transaction identifiers).

Ephemeral session state (for example, a live WebSocket mock-interview connection) is short-lived. Push tokens are kept only while notifications remain enabled on that device.

8. Security

We use industry-standard safeguards appropriate to the nature of the data, including encrypted transport (HTTPS/TLS), access controls, and token-based authentication. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. Please keep your device passcode enabled and do not share account credentials.

9. Your U.S. privacy rights

Depending on your state (including California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and others), you may have the right to:

• Know / access the personal information we hold about you;
• Correct inaccurate information;
• Delete personal information (see Account deletion);
• Obtain a portable copy of certain information;
• Opt out of sale or sharing (we do not sell or share as defined above);
• Limit use of sensitive personal information where applicable;
• Be free from discrimination for exercising these rights.

To exercise rights, email privacy@citizcoach.com. We will verify your request (for example, via Sign in with Apple or device account). You may use an authorized agent as permitted by law. You may appeal a denial by replying to our decision email.

California Notice at Collection: we collect the categories listed in Section 2 for the purposes in Section 3. Retention is described in Section 7. We do not sell or share personal information. Sensitive information you might provide (voice recordings; optional age-related civics accommodation flag) is used only to provide the requested study/mock-interview features.

10. Account deletion (Apple Guideline 5.1.1(v))

You may delete your CitizCoach account and associated personal data:

• From in-app account settings, when that control is available; or
• By emailing privacy@citizcoach.com from a reachable address and identifying your account (Sign in with Apple email or a description of the device/install).

Deletion of your CitizCoach account does not cancel an Apple subscription. You must cancel auto-renewal in your Apple ID subscription settings. Apple, not CitizCoach, processes refunds under Apple’s rules.

11. Children

The Service is intended for adults preparing for U.S. naturalization (generally 18 years or older). It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child provided information, contact us and we will delete it. This app is not intended to comply with COPPA as a child-directed service.

12. Apple, Sign in with Apple, and the App Store

If you use Sign in with Apple, Apple may provide us a stable Apple user identifier and, if you choose, an email address (including Apple’s Hide My Email relay). We use that only to create or link your CitizCoach account.

Purchases and subscriptions are billed by Apple. We receive signed transaction and subscription-status information so we can unlock Premium features. See Apple’s privacy policy at apple.com/legal/privacy.

App Tracking Transparency: CitizCoach does not track you across other companies’ apps or websites for advertising, and we do not use your data for third-party ads.

13. International users

The Service is operated for users in the United States. If you use CitizCoach from another country, you understand your information is processed in the United States.

14. Changes

We may update this Policy. The “Last updated” date will change, and the revised Policy will be posted at this URL. Material changes may also be noted in the app. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy where permitted by law.

15. Contact

Privacy questions, CCPA/state privacy requests, and account deletion:

Email: privacy@citizcoach.com
Support: support@citizcoach.com
This policy: https://api.citizcoach.com/privacy
Terms of Use: https://api.citizcoach.com/terms