Privacy Policy
Effective October 11, 2026
The short version
- You can use Earstep without an account. Your progress then stays on your device and we never receive it.
- If you create an account (with a sign-in code by email, Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google), we store your email address and your progress so they can sync between your devices.
- Earstep never uses your microphone. It has no ads, no advertising identifiers and no analytics or tracking tools, and we never sell or share your data for advertising.
- You can delete your account and its data at any time in the app, under You > Account > Delete account.
Who we are
Earstep ("the app", "we", "us") is responsible for the personal data described in this policy. Contact us at support@earstep.com.
What we collect
Using the app without an account
Your answers, levels, practice days, streak and settings are stored only on your device. We do not receive them. Deleting the app deletes them.
If you create an account
| Data | Why |
|---|---|
| Email address. With Sign in with Apple this may be a private relay address that Apple creates for you. | To sign you in, to recognize your account, and to reply if you contact us. |
| Name, optional. Only if you type one in the app. It can be a nickname. | To greet you in the app on each of your devices. You can change or clear it at any time. |
| Account ID, a random identifier, and for Sign in with Apple or Google the identifier Apple or Google provides. | To link your progress and purchase to your account. |
| Profile details from Google: if you sign in with Google, Google also shares your full name and a link to your profile picture. We do not display or use them. | Stored with your sign-in record by our account provider and deleted with your account. |
| Progress: which sounds you answered and whether you were right, the sessions you finished and the levels you passed, how many sounds you answered on each day (for your streak), and your settings. | To sync your progress between your devices and restore it when you sign in. |
We never ask for your phone number, location, contacts, photos or any other personal details, and a name is always optional.
Purchases
Earstep Pro, whether the yearly subscription or the lifetime purchase, is bought through the App Store or Google Play. Apple or Google processes your payment; we never see your payment details. To confirm and restore purchases we use RevenueCat, which receives purchase and transaction records, a random app user ID (your account ID if you are signed in), and basic technical information such as device platform, operating system and app version, and your store country. RevenueCat tells our server when a purchase is made, renewed, cancelled, refunded or restored, and we keep a record of it (product, store, price, date, transaction ID and app user ID) so we can help you with purchase questions and keep our accounts.
When you contact us
If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you include in your message.
Crash and error reports
If the app crashes or hits an error, it sends a report to Rollbar so we can find and fix the problem. A report contains the error and where in the app it happened, the app version, and your device's operating system and its version. It doesn't contain your account ID, name, email address or answers, it isn't linked to your account, and we set Rollbar not to store your IP address with it. You can turn crash reports off in Settings.
What we do not collect
The app contains no advertising, no advertising identifiers, no analytics and no third-party tracking. It does not request access to your microphone, location, camera, photos or contacts: it plays sounds and never listens. If you have chosen in your device settings to share diagnostics with app developers, Apple or Google may give us crash reports that do not identify you.
How we use data
Only to provide the app: to sign you in, sync your progress, confirm your purchase, answer your messages, fix crashes and errors, keep the service secure, and meet legal obligations. We may also look at synced progress in aggregate, for example how often each sound is missed, to find levels that are unclear or too hard. We do not sell your personal data, share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, or use it to build advertising profiles.
Where the GDPR or similar laws apply, we rely on these legal bases: performance of our contract with you (accounts, sync and purchases), our legitimate interests in keeping the service secure and working, fixing crashes and errors, and answering support requests, and legal obligations where they apply.
Service providers
We use a small number of providers who process data on our behalf, under contracts that limit its use to providing their service to us:
| Provider | Purpose | Data |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk | Account sign-in, including delivering sign-in codes by email | Email address, account ID, profile details shared by Apple or Google, the sign-in code, device and IP address in security logs |
| Neon | Database for synced progress and purchase records | Account ID, email address, progress, optional name, purchase records |
| Cloudflare | Hosting this website, forwarding email sent to support@earstep.com, and running the account service that deletes accounts and records purchases | Account ID, the emails you send us, and IP address and browser type in standard server logs |
| RevenueCat | Confirming and restoring purchases | App user ID, purchase records, device and store information |
| Rollbar | Crash and error reports, so we can find and fix problems in the app | The error and where it happened, app version, and your device's operating system and version. Not linked to your account |
| Apple and Google | App distribution, payments, Sign in with Apple, Sign in with Google | As described in their own privacy policies |
| Expo (EAS Update) | Delivering app updates and fixes without a new store download | IP address, device platform, app version and update channel, in standard server logs |
These providers may process data in the United States and other countries. Where required, transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.
How long we keep it
- Account data is kept until you delete your account. Deletion is immediate. Residual copies in encrypted backups are overwritten within 30 days.
- Purchase records held by RevenueCat and on our server for your account are deleted with your account, except where we must keep a transaction record for tax or accounting law, in which case we keep only the transaction details, not your email address or progress. Apple and Google keep their own records of your purchase under their policies.
- Support emails are kept only as long as needed to help you, and no longer than 24 months.
- Crash and error reports are deleted automatically within 90 days.
Your choices and rights
You can use the app without an account, sign out at any time, and delete your account in the app (You > Account > Delete account) or by following the steps on our account deletion page. If you used Sign in with Apple, deleting your account also revokes the app's access to your Apple ID.
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or export your personal data, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent. To make a request, email support@earstep.com from the address linked to your account. We will respond within 30 days. We will not treat you differently for exercising your rights. If you are in the EEA or the UK, you may also complain to your local data protection authority.
California residents: in the last 12 months we collected the categories of personal information described above (identifiers such as email address, an optional name and account ID, commercial information about your purchase, and app activity in the form of practice progress) for the purposes described in this policy. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined in the CCPA, and we do not use sensitive personal information.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit. Synced progress is protected by access rules that let each account read and write only its own records. No method of storage or transmission is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your data and collect as little as possible in the first place.
Children
Earstep is a general-audience app for people learning music. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them: the app works fully without an account. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the effective date above. If a change materially affects how we use your data, we will email account holders before it takes effect.
Contact
Earstep, support@earstep.com