Privacy Policy
Cleave - vocabulary and ideas flashcards. Last updated 20 October 2026.
Cleave is made by Ross Fitzgerald, a sole trader in Dublin, Ireland ("we"). Contact: ross.fitzgerald114@gmail.com.
In short: there are no accounts, no ads, no analytics and no tracking, and we never sell data. We do not receive or store any of your data. Everything you do in Cleave stays on your device.
What stays on your device
Your progress, review schedule, streaks, XP, achievements, the words you add, and your settings (daily goal, reminder time, appearance) are stored only on your phone. We do not receive them. Deleting the app deletes them. On Android they may be included in your device's own Google backup, under Google's control.
Looking up a definition
When you add a word - by typing it, or by highlighting it in another app and choosing Cleave - the app can suggest a definition. To do that it sends only that word, over an encrypted connection, to two public dictionary services: Wiktionary and the Free Dictionary API. No name, account, device ID or anything else about you is sent with it. As with any website, those services can see the internet address the request comes from; their own privacy policies apply. Nothing is sent unless you add a word.
Daily reminder
The word-of-the-day reminder is scheduled on your phone by the phone itself. It does not come from a server, and we never learn whether you open it. You can turn it off in Cleave's Settings or in your phone's settings.
Pronunciation
When you tap the speaker icon, the speech engine built into your phone (Apple or Google) reads the word aloud. We never receive anything.
Cleave Pro purchases
Cleave Pro is an optional subscription bought through the App Store (or, later, Google Play). Apple or Google handle the payment and your billing details; we never see them. To know whether Pro is active, the app asks the store on your phone. We don't receive or store your purchase history, and no account is created.
Who processes data
| Service | Purpose | What it receives |
|---|---|---|
| Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation) | Suggested definitions for words you add | The word being looked up |
| Free Dictionary API (dictionaryapi.dev) | Back-up source of suggested definitions | The word being looked up |
| Apple, Google | App stores and Cleave Pro payments, device speech engine, backups | Their own privacy policies apply |
Crash reports
This version of Cleave does not send crash reports or any usage data. If that ever changes, this page will say so before the change reaches the app.
Young people
Cleave is made for a general audience of teenagers and adults. It collects no personal data from anyone, of any age.
Your rights
Because we hold no data about you, there is nothing for us to copy, correct or delete - but you are welcome to email us with any question. You can also complain to the Data Protection Commission, dataprotection.ie.
Deleting your data
All of Cleave's data is on your device, so you delete it yourself:
- Everything - delete the Cleave app. This removes your progress, streaks, XP, achievements, the words you added and your settings.
- Just your review history - in the app go to Settings, Reset progress. This clears which words you have seen and when each is due again; your streak, XP, achievements and the words you added are kept.
- Android backup - if your phone backed Cleave up to your Google account, you can remove that backup in your phone's Google backup settings.
We keep nothing on any server, so there is nothing else to delete. If you have a question, email ross.fitzgerald114@gmail.com.
Changes
If this policy changes, we will update this page and the date at the top.