This policy explains what information the Tap Talk Communicator app ("the app") collects, how it is used, and the choices you have. The app is published by Johnston Software Development Inc., Durham Region, Ontario, Canada ("we", "us").
Tap Talk is a picture-symbol communication board. A child taps symbols to build a sentence, hears it spoken aloud, and can send it to a parent or caregiver. The app is meant to be set up and managed by a parent or guardian, who agrees to this policy on the child's behalf.
Information we collect
Account
A parent or guardian creates the account with their own email address and a password, or with their Google account, and signs in with it on the child's tablet and on each parent phone. A password is handled by Google Firebase Authentication and is never visible to us. If the parent signs in with Google, we receive their name, email address and profile photo URL from Google; the app uses only the email address. Parents who sign in with Google choose a parent PIN that guards settings on the child's board; it is stored only as a salted hash. We do not ask for the child's age, email address or photo.
Name in notifications
A parent can optionally enter a name or nickname that parent phones show in notifications ("Message from …"). If none is entered, notifications say "Your child".
Messages
When the child taps Send, the message (the symbols chosen, their text and the time) is saved to the account so it can be delivered to the parent's devices and shown in the message history.
Boards and settings
The app saves the communication boards and settings such as whether parent phones are notified, so they can be restored. Voice and speech rate settings stay on the device.
Notifications
When a parent sets up a phone to receive messages, the app stores that phone's push notification token so messages can be delivered to it. The token is removed when the phone is switched back to a board, signed out, or the account is deleted.
Speech
Messages are spoken aloud using your device's text-to-speech engine. Tap Talk does not record audio and does not use the microphone.
What we do not collect
- No location, contacts, microphone or camera access
- No advertising identifier, device serial numbers or other hardware identifiers
- No analytics or advertising SDKs, and no ads
How we use your information
- To deliver the child's messages to their parent or caregiver
- To save and restore boards, symbols and settings
- To fix bugs and keep the service working
We do not sell this information or use it for advertising or profiling.
Where your information is stored
Data is stored using Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Functions and Cloud Messaging), operated by Google LLC. Data may be stored and processed on servers outside Canada, including in the United States. Data is encrypted in transit.
Sharing
Messages are shared only with the parent and caregiver devices set up on the account. We do not share information with third parties, except with Google as the service provider that runs the app, or when required by law.
Deleting your data
A parent or guardian can delete the account at any time:
- In the app: open Settings (it asks for the parent password) and tap Delete account and data. This removes the account, all messages, boards and registered parent phones right away.
- On the web: submit our account deletion form or email us. Web requests are processed within 30 days.
Settings stored only on a device are removed when the app is uninstalled.
Retention
We keep the account's data while the account exists. When it is deleted, its data is permanently removed within 30 days.
Children's privacy
Tap Talk is designed to be used by children with the involvement of a parent or guardian. We collect only what is needed to deliver messages and save the child's boards. The only information about the child we ask for is an optional name or nickname for notifications. A parent or guardian can review or delete the child's information at any time by contacting us.
Your rights
Under Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA) you may ask to access or correct the personal information we hold about you. Contact us using the details below.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. The date at the top shows when it last changed.
Contact
Johnston Software Development Inc.
Durham Region, Ontario, Canada
Derek@JohnstonSoftwareDevelopment.ca