Nelu CodeBestanden is made by Nelu Code (“we”, “us”), Dhaka, Bangladesh. This policy covers the Android app only. The privacy practices of our website are at nelucode.com/privacy.
The short version
- No account. You do not sign up, and we do not ask for your name, email or phone number.
- Your study progress stays on your device. Answers, scores, streak, vocabulary progress, bookmarks, exam dates and settings are stored on your phone. We do not have a server that holds them.
- No ads. The app shows no advertising and we do not sell or share your information for advertising.
- Anonymous usage statistics and crash reports are collected through Google Firebase in the release version of the app. They never contain the text you write or your answers.
- Payments go through Google Play. We never see your card details.
What the app stores on your device
The app keeps the following in its private storage on your phone:
- Your answers and results for Leben in Deutschland and B1 practice, simulations and mock exams, so the app can show progress and choose what to practise next.
- Your vocabulary progress (which words you have seen and when they are due again) and your bookmarks.
- Your setup choices: app language, federal state, study goal, daily study time, exam dates, level-check result and readiness score, to build your daily plan and countdown.
- Your study days and streak, to show the streak and weekly activity.
- App settings such as theme, translations on or off, automatic pronunciation, and reminder time.
- Whether Pro was last active and when a free trial started, so Pro keeps working between store checks.
Using “Erase all data” in Settings, or uninstalling the app, removes this data from your device.
What we collect (release version only)
The release version of the app uses two Google services, Google Analytics for Firebase and Firebase Crashlytics. They are switched off in test builds.
- Usage statistics. Events that describe what happened, for example that a screen was opened, that onboarding or a practice test was finished with a score, or that a paywall was shown. Events never include the questions you answered, the text you write or the content of any exam item.
- Crash reports. Technical details when the app crashes: device model, Android version, app version and a stack trace, so we can fix the problem.
- Identifiers. Firebase creates a random app-instance identifier. It is not your name or email, and we cannot tell who you are from it. Google Analytics for Firebase may also read the device’s advertising ID where your phone provides one, which Android lists as a permission for the app. We do not use it to show ads or to track you across other apps and we do not share it with advertisers. You can reset or delete the advertising ID in your Android settings.
- General information that Google receives with any connection from an app, such as your IP address (which Google uses to estimate your country) and the language of your device.
We use this only to understand which parts of the app are used, find and fix errors, and improve the app. We keep it for as long as the retention setting of our Firebase project allows, which is at most 14 months. Google processes it under Google’s Privacy Policy and Firebase’s privacy information, and may do so in countries outside yours.
Google Play and payments
Pro is a subscription sold by Google Play. When you view plans, subscribe or restore a purchase, the app talks to Google Play on your device through Google’s Play Billing library. Google handles your payment details and purchase records under Google’s Privacy Policy. The app receives only whether your subscription or trial is active. The app may also ask Google Play to show its review prompt and to check for app updates.
AI writing feedback (Pro)
The app contains an optional feature that gives automatic feedback on a text you write for the B1 writing task. It is not active in the current version. If we switch it on, the text you submit would be sent to our server only when you tap the button to ask for feedback, and would be used only to produce that feedback, not to identify you. We would update this policy and the in-app text before that happens. Please never put your name, address or ID numbers into practice texts.
Pronunciation and audio
The app reads German words and listening exercises aloud using your phone’s built-in text-to-speech engine. The app does not record your voice. Depending on the engine installed on your phone, your device may process the spoken text online under that engine’s own privacy policy.
Notifications and the home-screen widgets
Daily reminders are scheduled on your device and are not sent from a server. You can turn them off in Settings or in your system notification settings. The app asks for permission to post notifications (Android 13 and later) and to restart reminders after your phone reboots. The optional widgets show your exam countdown, today’s next task, your streak or a word of the day. Anyone who can see your home screen can see them.
Android backup
Android’s automatic backup is enabled for this app. Depending on your phone settings, Android may copy the app’s data (such as your progress) to your Google account so it can be restored on a new phone. That copy is handled by Google, not by us. You can turn it off in your phone’s Google backup settings.
How long we keep data
Data on your device stays there until you erase it or uninstall the app. Usage statistics and crash reports are kept as described above, for at most 14 months.
Your rights and choices
- Local data: you can erase it any time in Settings, then Erase all data.
- Reminders: turn them off in Settings.
- Advertising ID: reset or delete it in your Android settings.
- Subscription: manage or cancel it in Google Play.
- Everything else: if you live in the EU, UK, California or another place with privacy rights, you can ask us for access, correction or deletion, or object to the statistics described above. Because the statistics are tied to a random identifier and not to your identity, we may ask you for the identifier shown in your app information to find them. Email us at the address below. In the EU and UK our legal basis for the statistics and crash reports is our legitimate interest in keeping the app working and improving it. You may also complain to your local data-protection authority.
Children
Bestanden is meant for adults and young people preparing for German exams. It is not directed to children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Security
Your data lives in the app’s private storage, protected by Android’s app sandbox and your device lock screen. Data sent to Google’s services is transmitted over encrypted connections.
Independent study app
Bestanden is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), telc or the Goethe-Institut. Scores and readiness estimates are study aids and do not guarantee any exam result.
Changes to this policy
If the app starts to handle data differently, for example by turning on the AI writing feedback or adding an account, we will update this policy and the in-app text before the change takes effect and change the date at the top of the page.
Contact
Questions about privacy: hello@nelucode.com