At a Glance
Piko helps children learn Chinese characters by photographing the real objects around them. It is built local-first and privacy-first. Object recognition runs entirely on your device — camera images are used to identify an object and are then discarded; they are never uploaded and never saved to a server. Piko requires no account, collects no personally identifiable information (PII), shows no third-party ads, and does not sell or share your data. Because Piko is made for children, we deliberately collect as little as possible.
1. What We Collect — and Where It Lives
1.1 Stored Locally on Your Device
The following is created and stored on your device only (inside Piko's iOS app sandbox), and is not uploaded to our servers:
- Your character gallery: the words and characters recognized from photos, plus the cutout sticker image Piko generates for each collected object.
- Learning progress: which characters have been collected, review (spaced-repetition) schedules, streaks, badges, and curriculum progress.
- Child profile: a nickname and age range that a parent optionally sets during setup, used only to personalize the in-app experience.
- App preferences: language, learning-reminder and eye-rest settings, and similar options.
1.2 Camera & Photos — Processed On-Device, Never Uploaded
To recognize an object, Piko uses the camera (or a photo you pick from your library) with an on-device machine-learning model.
- Recognition happens locally on your device. Camera frames and picked photos are not sent to any server.
- The original photo is not saved and not uploaded. Piko keeps only a small cutout image of the recognized object, stored locally in your gallery.
- Piko recognizes everyday objects (a cup, a toy, fruit). It does not perform facial recognition and does not identify people.
You can revoke camera or photo access at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security.
1.3 No Accounts, No Logins
Piko does not require an account to use any feature. There is no email, phone number, real name, or other PII collected at sign-in — because there is no sign-in.
1.4 Anonymous Analytics & Install Attribution
Piko collects anonymous, aggregate app-usage events (for example, "a character card was opened") and crash reports to improve stability and the learning experience. These events never include photos, the child's gallery content, the profile nickname, or any PII. Piko also reads Apple's privacy-preserving App Store install attribution (campaign-level only, provided by Apple's AdServices — no user identifier). You can turn analytics off at any time in the app's settings.
1.5 What We Do Not Collect
- We do not access your contacts, calendar, location, or microphone.
- We do not use third-party advertising SDKs, and Piko shows no ads.
- We do not build advertising profiles or sell data to data brokers.
- We do not perform facial recognition or identify individuals.
2. Third-Party SDKs
Piko does not embed third-party advertising, marketing, social, or tracking SDKs. The only platform frameworks involved are Apple's own (camera, photos, notifications, and App Store attribution), governed by Apple's privacy policies and operating within your device and Apple account.
3. How We Use the Data
| Data | Where it goes | What it powers |
|---|---|---|
| Camera / picked photo | On-device only, then discarded | On-device object recognition |
| Character gallery & cutout stickers | On-device only | Your collection, review, curriculum |
| Learning progress | On-device only | Spaced-repetition review, badges, progress |
| Child profile (nickname, age range) | On-device only | In-app personalization |
| Anonymous usage events & crashes | Aggregated analytics service | Bug fixes and product improvement |
4. Data Retention & Deletion
- On-device data persists until you remove it. Deleting an item inside Piko removes it immediately. Uninstalling Piko removes all local data.
- Anonymous analytics is retained only in aggregate for at most 24 months, then purged. Because it is anonymous, it cannot be linked back to a specific user, child, or device.
There is no "delete my account" action — because Piko never creates an account.
5. Your Rights
Because Piko stores everything locally, you (the parent or guardian) are always in direct control:
- Review / delete: view the gallery and remove individual items, or uninstall Piko to wipe everything.
- Revoke camera / photo access: iOS Settings → Privacy & Security.
- Opt out of analytics: in Piko's settings.
If you have a specific request we can help with, contact us at the address in section 9.
6. Children's Privacy
Piko is a learning tool intended to be set up and supervised by a parent or guardian. We have designed it to be safe for children:
- Piko collects no personal information from children and requires no account.
- All learning content and the character gallery live on the device; nothing about the child is uploaded.
- Camera images are processed on-device for object recognition and are then discarded — they are never uploaded or shared.
- Piko contains no third-party advertising and no in-app social features, external links, or open web browsing available to the child.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and have any concern, please contact us and we will address it promptly.
7. Security
We rely on iOS app-sandboxing and Apple's file-level on-device encryption to protect locally stored content. Because Piko does not transmit your photos, gallery, or profile off the device, traditional server-side breach risk does not apply to your content.
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be surfaced via an in-app notice. Continued use of Piko after the effective date of an update indicates acceptance of the revised policy.
9. Contact Us
Support contact: [email protected]
If you have questions about this policy or how Piko handles your data, we are happy to help.