OET TIPPrivacy Policy
This policy explains how OET TIP collects, uses, stores and shares personal information when you use our preparation app or this legal and support website. Read it together with our Terms of Use. Contact us at kimloydmail@gmail.com.
1. Information we collect
- Account information: Firebase Authentication manages guest/anonymous accounts, email and password sign-in, Sign in with Apple and Google sign-in. We process an account identifier and, where provided by you or your sign-in provider, your email address and name. Apple may provide a private relay email. We do not receive your Apple or Google password.
- Study profile: your profession (nursing or medicine), target country, exam date and weakest skill. These preferences are stored on your device and synchronised to Cloud Firestore for signed-in accounts with an email address; guest profile preferences remain local.
- Practice information: answers, progress, practice results, estimated scores and AI feedback. Writing letters, drafts and Speaking recordings are processed when you use those features. Drafts and some practice history are kept on your device; results and feedback are also stored in Firestore. Speaking feedback can include a transcript.
- Technical and usage information: app interactions, screen views, study events, study-profile attributes, device and app information, identifiers, crash reports and diagnostic logs, through Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics.
- Notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging uses a device registration token and notification preferences to deliver push messages. The token may be stored with your account.
- Purchases: subscription product, transaction or purchase-token identifiers, verification information, expiry and entitlement status. Apple and Google process your payment; we receive purchase status and verification data, not your payment-card details.
- Support: information you send in emails, feedback or content-error reports, including contact details and any attachments you choose to provide.
2. How we use information
We use information to authenticate you, personalise study activities, save progress, generate feedback, verify and restore purchases, deliver permitted notifications, answer support requests, diagnose crashes, measure app use, improve content and protect the service from abuse.
Where UK or EU data protection law applies, our bases are performance of our contract for account, practice, scoring and subscription services; legitimate interests for security, support and service improvement where appropriate; legal obligations for required records; and consent where required for advertising, tracking or other optional processing. You may withdraw consent without affecting earlier lawful processing, and may object to processing based on legitimate interests.
3. AI scoring and Speaking audio
When you request Writing or Speaking feedback, we send your letter or recording, together with the relevant practice task, through our backend to Google Gemini, using Google Cloud Vertex AI or the Gemini API. Speaking audio is temporarily uploaded to Firebase Cloud Storage before scoring. Gemini processes the submission to generate estimated scores, feedback and, for Speaking, a transcript.
The scoring backend deletes uploaded Speaking audio after processing, including an attempted cleanup if scoring fails. Deletion is best effort: interrupted uploads or cleanup failures can leave temporary files pending removal. Scores, feedback and transcripts may remain in your practice history. OET Speaking session files on your device are removed when the session is disposed; any recordings saved for replay in other practice features may remain locally.
Google processes submissions under the terms and data-handling rules of the AI service used, including any applicable provider retention. Deleting our uploaded audio does not mean every provider log or backup is immediately erased. Do not submit real patient information, confidential clinical records or other sensitive personal information; use fictional practice content. AI feedback is an estimate for learning and is not an official OET result or a medical, employment or licensing decision.
4. Analytics, diagnostics, advertising and consent
Firebase Analytics helps us understand feature use and study activity. Firebase Crashlytics collects crash and diagnostic information to help us fix faults. These services can process device/app identifiers and information associated with your account or study profile.
Free users may see Google AdMob advertisements. AdMob and its advertising partners may process device identifiers, IP address, approximate location inferred from IP, ad interactions and consent choices to deliver, measure and, where permitted, personalise ads. We use Google’s User Messaging Platform (UMP) for required consent choices and request Apple App Tracking Transparency (ATT) permission on iOS. Ads are requested only when the consent SDK allows them; declining personalised advertising or tracking does not necessarily remove all ads.
You can manage Apple tracking permission in your device’s privacy settings, use the advertising privacy controls available on your device and in consent prompts, and contact us about changing or withdrawing consent. Device notification settings let you turn off push notifications. Microphone access is used for Speaking recording and can be revoked in device settings.
This static website contains no tracking scripts, analytics SDKs, advertising or cookies set by our page code. Firebase Hosting may process ordinary request information, such as IP addresses, for delivery and security. The app uses local storage and SDK technologies as described above.
5. Who receives information
We share the information needed to operate these features with Google/Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Storage, Analytics, Crashlytics, Cloud Messaging and Gemini), AdMob and its advertising partners where applicable, and Apple or Google for sign-in and purchases. We do not sell your letters or recordings. We may disclose information when legally required, to protect rights and security, or in a business transfer subject to applicable safeguards.
For provider information, see the Google Privacy Policy and Apple Privacy Policy.
6. Retention and account deletion
We retain account and study information while needed to provide your account and practice history. Temporary server-side Speaking audio is handled as described above. Support correspondence, diagnostics and purchase records may be retained as needed for support, security, legal obligations or disputes; provider logs and backups follow their applicable retention schedules. We do not promise a single retention period for every data category.
To delete your account, open Profile > Account > Delete Account in the app and confirm; you may need to sign in again. This removes your Firebase Authentication account, initiates deletion of the main profile document and clears app preferences. Stored practice-result subcollections, historical analytics, diagnostics, support records, backups or residual uploads may not be erased automatically by that action. Email kimloydmail@gmail.com to request deletion of remaining identifiable data. We may verify your identity and retain information where legally required or necessary to resolve a dispute.
Uninstalling the app alone does not delete your server account. Account deletion or uninstalling the app does not cancel a store subscription; cancel it separately with Apple or Google. Local files may need to be removed by clearing app data or uninstalling the app.
7. Your choices and rights
You can update your study preferences in the app. Depending on your location, you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction or portability of your data, object to certain processing, or withdraw consent. Email us to make a request. We may ask for information to verify your identity. You may also complain to your local data protection authority, including the UK Information Commissioner’s Office where applicable.
8. International transfers and security
Our providers operate internationally, so information may be processed outside your country, including in the United States. Data protection rules may differ. Where required, transfers rely on applicable safeguards such as contractual protections and recognised transfer mechanisms offered by providers.
We use access controls and provider security features to protect information, but no storage or transmission method is completely secure. Keep your credentials private and contact us if you suspect unauthorised access.
9. Children
OET TIP is intended for nurses, doctors and other eligible adult exam candidates and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided information, contact us so we can investigate and arrange deletion.
10. Changes and contact
We may update this policy as the service changes and will update the effective date. Material changes will be communicated in the app or by another appropriate method. For privacy questions or requests, contact YOUNGSIC KIM at kimloydmail@gmail.com.