Privacy Policy — TypeAura

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TypeAura ("we", "our", or "us") is an AI-powered Android keyboard developed by Himanshu Kashyap. This Privacy Policy explains exactly what data the app collects, how it is used, and your rights. By installing and using TypeAura, you agree to this policy.

1. Data We Collect

Anonymous Device ID — a randomly generated UUID (version 4) created on first install. It is not linked to your name, phone number, email, or Google account.
Usage Events — events such as "keyboard_opened", "ai_used", "voice_ai", "theme_changed". No text you type is ever included in these events.
Device Info — device manufacturer, model name, and Android version. Used only to understand which devices TypeAura runs on.
Install & Last-use Timestamps — used to calculate usage streaks shown inside the app.
Crash Reports — if the app crashes or encounters an error, we collect: the anonymous device ID, app version, error type, first line of the error message, a truncated stack trace (max 8 KB), and whether the error was fatal. This is sent automatically to help us fix bugs. No personally identifiable text is included.

2. How AI Translation Works

When you tap the Translate button, the text in the keyboard input field is sent over HTTPS to our backend server (typeaurabackend.vercel.app), which forwards it to Groq (our AI provider) for processing. The result is returned immediately. This text is never stored on our servers.

When you use the Clipboard Translate feature, only the text you explicitly choose to translate is sent — it is processed and discarded, not stored.

When the Floating Lens feature is active and you tap to translate selected on-screen text, that text (up to 600 characters) is sent to the same backend endpoint and is not stored.

If you tap the Reply button in the Floating Lens translation popup, the original on-screen text is also sent to our backend to generate 3 short AI reply suggestions. This text is processed in real-time and is never stored. The reply suggestions are returned immediately and displayed in the popup for you to choose from.

3. Crash Reporting

TypeAura includes an automatic crash reporter that captures unhandled errors so we can identify and fix bugs. When a crash or error occurs, the following is collected and sent to our backend (typeaurabackend.vercel.app/api/crash):

Anonymous device ID — same UUID used for analytics
App version — version number and build number (e.g. 2.0.4+5)
App mode — whether the error occurred in the keyboard or the main app
Error type — category: flutter_error, platform_error, or zone_error
Error message — first line of the exception only
Stack trace — truncated to 8 KB; contains code file paths and line numbers, not user data
Timestamp — UTC time of the crash
Fatal flag — whether the error caused the app to stop

Crash reports are queued locally and sent when internet is available. Up to 50 reports are kept locally at a time. No user text, keystrokes, clipboard contents, or personal information is ever included in crash reports.

4. Accessibility Service (Floating Lens)

TypeAura includes an optional Floating Lens feature — a draggable overlay that lets you translate on-screen text in any app. When you enable this feature, the app registers an Android Accessibility Service (BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE) for two purposes:

Reading text: When you tap the lens over text, the Accessibility Service reads the on-screen text at that position and sends it for translation. This text is never stored.
Inserting text: When you select a reply suggestion from the Floating Lens popup, the Accessibility Service inserts the chosen reply directly into the currently focused input field of the active app (e.g. WhatsApp, Gmail). If no input field is focused, the reply is copied to your clipboard instead. The reply text is not sent to our servers during insertion.

Strict privacy safeguards built into the code:

Password fields are explicitly skipped. Our text-extraction code checks node.isPassword on every UI element and immediately returns null for any password input. Passwords are never read, even if the lens overlaps them.
Editable input fields (EditText) are explicitly skipped. The lens never reads text you are actively typing into — including banking fields, search bars, OTP boxes, or chat composers. Only displayed/static message text is eligible for translation.
No event-driven monitoring. Although the service technically receives Android accessibility events (required by the OS to maintain window-content access), our onAccessibilityEvent() implementation is intentionally empty — every event is discarded immediately. We never listen to typing, focus changes, scrolls, or notifications in the background.
On-demand only. Window content is queried only when you explicitly tap the Floating Lens — never automatically, never on a timer, never in response to any system event.
No keystroke logging. The service does not, and cannot, capture what you type — including in our own keyboard.
No data collection without your action. Disabling the lens stops the service entirely. No background process, no scheduled tasks.

This feature is entirely optional. If you do not enable the Floating Lens, the Accessibility Service is never activated.

Compliance: This use of the Android Accessibility API is disclosed prominently to users during onboarding and requires explicit opt-in via Android Settings. It is used solely to deliver the on-demand text translation and reply features described above, in accordance with Google Play's Accessibility API policy. You can disable the service anytime from Android Settings → Accessibility → TypeAura.

5. Microphone / Voice AI

Voice input works in two steps:

Audio → Text (on device): While you hold the mic button, Android's built-in SpeechRecognizer API listens and converts your speech into multiple text alternatives ranked by confidence. We never receive, record, or store your audio.
Text → Translation (via Groq AI): The transcribed text alternatives are sent over HTTPS to our backend (typeaurabackend.vercel.app/api/ai), which forwards them to Groq. The AI picks the best alternative, fixes errors (homophones, filler words), and translates the result into the language you selected (Hinglish, English, Hindi, or Mixed). The translated text is returned and inserted into the text field. This transcribed text is never stored on our servers.

The microphone is only active while you physically hold the mic button. No background audio recording occurs.

6. Clipboard Access

TypeAura reads your clipboard to display recent clips in the Clipboard panel and to offer translation of copied text. Clipboard contents are stored locally on your device only (in app storage via SharedPreferences and in-memory) and are never automatically uploaded. They are only sent to our backend if you explicitly tap the Translate Clipboard button.

7. Data Storage & Retention

Analytics data (device ID, events, daily counters) is stored locally in your device's app storage (SharedPreferences).
Pending analytics events are periodically synced to our backend. We retain analytics data for a maximum of 12 months, after which it is deleted.
Crash reports are queued locally (max 50) and sent to our backend. They are retained for a limited period for debugging purposes only.
You can clear all pending analytics data at any time from within the app: Settings → Privacy & Security → Clear Analytics Data.
To request full deletion of all data associated with your anonymous device ID, email us at the address below.

8. Third-Party Services

Groq (AI Provider) — receives translation text over HTTPS and returns a result. Text is not stored by Groq. Groq's Privacy Policy →
Vercel (Backend Hosting) — our API backend is hosted on Vercel. Vercel may log standard server-access data (IP address, timestamp) per their policy. All communication is HTTPS.
Google Speech Recognition — handles voice input via Android's built-in SpeechRecognizer API. On most devices this is processed by Google's cloud speech service (audio is transmitted to Google for transcription) unless the user has installed an offline language pack on their device. TypeAura itself never receives, records, or stores your audio — the transcribed text is returned to us by Android's API. Google's Privacy Policy →

We do not sell, trade, or share your data with any third party for advertising or marketing purposes.

9. Security

All data transmitted between the app and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS (TLS). No personal data is transmitted in plain text. Our backend is hosted on Vercel, which enforces HTTPS on all endpoints by default.

No API keys are bundled inside the app. All AI provider credentials (Groq) are stored exclusively as server-side environment variables on our backend. Even if the TypeAura APK were reverse-engineered, no third-party service credentials, database URIs, or admin tokens could be extracted — they simply do not exist in the client code.

10. Permissions Explained

INTERNET — to call the AI translation and crash reporting backend.
RECORD_AUDIO — for the voice/speech-to-text feature. Active only while you hold the mic button.
VIBRATE — for key-press haptic feedback.
SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW — to display the Floating Lens translation bubble above other apps.
BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE — used by the Floating Lens feature to (1) read on-screen text you select for translation, and (2) insert a chosen reply suggestion directly into the focused input field of the active app.
FOREGROUND_SERVICE / FOREGROUND_SERVICE_SPECIAL_USE — to keep the Floating Lens active in the background.
POST_NOTIFICATIONS — to show the Floating Lens persistent notification (required by Android 13+ for foreground services).
REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS — used only to ask Android to keep TypeAura out of restricted battery standby buckets, so the Floating Lens can reliably start when you tap it days after opening the app. See section 11 below for full details. This permission does not grant any additional data access and is requested only if you enable the Floating Lens.

11. Battery Optimization Exemption (Floating Lens Reliability)

When you enable the Floating Lens, TypeAura asks Android to add it to the "ignore battery optimizations" list. This is a one-time system dialog you must explicitly approve — we cannot grant it ourselves.

Why this is needed: Starting on Android 12, Android places apps into rotating "standby buckets" (active → working set → frequent → rare → restricted) based on how often you open the app itself. Using TypeAura only as your keyboard does not count as opening the app. After roughly 24–48 hours of light use, Android demotes TypeAura into a restricted bucket and begins blocking the IME from starting the Floating Lens foreground service. The result, without this exemption, is that the lens silently stops working after a day or two and the user has no way to know why.

The exemption keeps TypeAura in the "exempt" bucket so the Floating Lens can be launched reliably from the keyboard toolbar whenever you tap it.

What this permission does NOT do:

No background data access. The exemption only relaxes battery/standby restrictions for the Floating Lens foreground service. It does not give TypeAura any new permission to read text, screen content, location, network state, or any other data.
No background tracking, polling, or networking. TypeAura runs zero background jobs, alarms, or sync tasks. The Floating Lens only does work when you tap it. There is no scheduled "phone home", no periodic analytics upload from the lens, and no idle network usage.
No measurable battery impact when idle. The exemption only affects what Android allows us to do — not what we actually do. Because TypeAura performs no background work, the only battery cost is the on-demand AI translation calls you trigger yourself.
No persistence beyond your control. You can revoke this exemption at any time: Android Settings → Apps → TypeAura → Battery → "Optimized". The Floating Lens will then degrade gracefully (it may stop working after a day or two), but the rest of the keyboard is unaffected.
Strictly optional. The exemption is only requested if you choose to enable the Floating Lens. If you skip the lens (or never grant overlay/accessibility), TypeAura will never ask for this permission.

This usage is consistent with Google Play's "Use of high-impact permissions" policy: the exemption is requested only for a core, user-facing feature (the Floating Lens overlay) whose primary function genuinely depends on it being able to start on demand, and the user is given a clear, on-screen explanation of what the permission is for before being routed to the system dialog.

12. Children's Privacy

TypeAura is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, requests, or data deletion inquiries regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact:

Himanshu Kashyap
Email: himanshu.codeyogi@gmail.com
App: TypeAura — AI Keyboard