Privacy Policy

CloudEx Inc. ("we", "us", or "our") operates the "Plain Language Reader" app (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains what information the Service handles, what we collect, how we use it, and the choices available to you. By using the Service, you are deemed to have agreed to the practices described in this Policy.

1. Our Core Principle

Plain Language Reader rewrites hard texts — such as official letters, hospital instructions, and contracts — into short sentences and plain words, and shows them side by side with the original. It works with Japanese and English texts, and it also explains difficult terms, adds furigana, and reads texts aloud. Rewriting, term explanations, furigana, and readability scores are all produced on your device, using rules and dictionaries built into the app. No AI service and no server is involved, and these features work without an internet connection. The texts you read are never sent to us, and we never view, collect, or store them. There is no account and no sign-up. Specifically, we do not have access to any of the following:

  • The texts you read, type, paste, select, or share into the app, and their rewritten versions
  • The photos and PDFs you read in the app, and the text recognized from them
  • Your list of saved texts, and the words in "My dictionary"
  • The words you look up (they go only to the app or website you choose; see Section 5)

Your texts leave the app only through actions you take yourself — reading aloud, looking up a word, copying, sharing, printing, or backing up (Sections 4 and 5) — and through Android's own backup if you have turned it on (Section 4).

2. How Texts Get Into the App

The app reads only the text you choose to give it:

  • Text selection menu and sharing: When you select text in another app and tap "Read in plain words", or share text or a text file to the app, the app receives only that text. The name of the app you selected it in, or the title or file name that came with the share, is kept with the text to show where it came from. If you share only a web link, the app does not open the page.
  • Copied text: The app reads your clipboard only when you tap "Read copied text" (on the Home screen, in the + menu, or on the Quick Settings tile) or "Paste". To decide whether to show "Read copied text" in the + menu, the app checks only whether the clipboard holds text, without reading it.
  • Typing and pasting: Text you type or paste on the input screen.
  • Files: When you open a file, the app can read only the file you choose in the system file picker. It reads the text in that file and cannot see your other files.
  • Photos (Premium): The app has no camera permission. "Take a photo" opens your camera app, which saves the photo to a temporary folder inside the app; the photo is deleted once its text has been read. "Choose a photo" uses the system photo picker, so the app can read only the photo you pick, and it does not keep a copy. Images you share to the app are handled the same way.
  • PDFs (Premium): The pages of the PDF you choose (up to the first 40) are turned into images in memory so that their text can be read. The app does not keep the PDF or the page images.
  • Text recognition: Text in photos and PDFs is recognized on your device by Google ML Kit, which is provided through Google Play services. Google Play services downloads the recognition component from Google when the app is installed or the first time it is needed. The images and the recognized text are processed on your device and are never sent to us. Google states that ML Kit may send Google technical information, such as the device model, Android version, app name and version, and performance and error metrics of the recognition, to maintain and improve the service. The recognized text is placed in the input box so that you can check it before reading.

3. Information Stored Only on Your Device

The following is stored only in the app's private storage on your device, which other apps cannot access:

  • Texts you read: When "Keep texts you read" is on (it is on by default), each text you open is added to the Saved list together with its title, its language setting, where it came from (see Section 2), whether it is a favorite, when it was added and last opened, and the changes you have undone. Rewritten versions are not stored; they are created again each time you open a text. When this setting is off, new texts are not saved.
  • My dictionary (Premium): The words you add, with your own plain wording and notes.
  • Settings: Rewriting strength, display and furigana settings, reading speed, color theme, app lock and screen privacy settings, and whether Premium is unlocked.
  • Small records used only inside the app: For example, how many texts you have read (used only to decide when to ask you for a rating), the sort order of your lists, the folder chosen for automatic backup, and a copy of the list of our other apps.
  • Copies kept before a restore: When you restore from a backup, the app first keeps a copy of its current contents (the three most recent copies are kept) so that you can use "Undo the last restore".

Photos, PDFs, and page images are not kept (Section 2).

Deleting your data: You can delete a text from the Saved list (long-press it) or from the menu of the reading screen, and delete words in My dictionary. "Delete all texts" (Settings → Backup) deletes all saved texts, My dictionary, and the copies kept before a restore; your settings and your purchase remain. Uninstalling the app or clearing its data deletes everything stored in the app's storage. Backup files you have saved outside the app (Section 4) remain until you delete them.

4. Backup and Restore

  • Android backup: If backup is turned on in your device settings, Android may include your saved texts, My dictionary, the copies kept before a restore, and the app's settings (including whether Premium is unlocked) in the backup it saves to your own Google account, and may copy them to a new phone when you transfer your data. Records that only make sense on one device — such as list sort order, the automatic backup folder, and rating-request records — are excluded. This is handled by Android and Google; we have no access to it. You can turn it off in your device settings.
  • Back up to a file: "Back up" saves your saved texts, My dictionary, and your rewriting and display preferences as a single file in the place you choose, such as your device or a cloud storage service. "Restore from a backup" reads such a file back and replaces what is in the app.
  • Automatic backup: If you choose a folder, the app saves a backup file there once a day when you open the app, and keeps the seven most recent files. You can stop it at any time.

Backup files are not encrypted, so please keep them somewhere you trust. If you save them to a cloud storage service, that service's terms and privacy policy apply. We never receive your backup files.

5. When Text Goes to Other Apps or Services

Text leaves the app only when you use one of the following features, and only to the destination you choose:

  • Read aloud: Reading aloud uses the text-to-speech engine installed on your device, and the text being read is passed to that engine. How the engine handles it is determined by the engine's provider and its privacy policy. You can choose the engine and voices in your device's settings.
  • Look it up: When you tap "Look it up" for a word and then choose an app or website, only that word is passed to it. The choices are apps on your phone that accept selected text (such as dictionary and translation apps) and the following websites, which open in your browser: Google Translate, Google web search and image search, Wiktionary, Jisho, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, Weblio, Eijiro on the Web (ALC), NAVER English Dictionary, and Youdao Dictionary. Which ones appear depends on the language of the word and of your phone. Each app's and website's own privacy policy applies.
  • Copy, Share, Print / save as PDF: Copy puts the text on your clipboard. Share passes it to the app you choose. Printing (Premium) uses Android's print system, which can also save the text as a PDF in the place you choose.
  • Contacting us: "Contact us" in Settings, and the feedback you can send from the "Rate this app" screen, open your email app with a message to us that already includes the app version, Android version, and device model. You can review or change it before sending. We receive only what you send, including your email address.

6. Information Collected Automatically, and Third-Party Services

Plain Language Reader connects to the internet only for the following. Each service has its own privacy policy.

  • Crash reports — Firebase Crashlytics (Google LLC): When the app crashes, Crashlytics collects the error details (stack trace), the device model, Android version, app version, the technical state of the device at that moment (such as free memory and storage), and a random identifier for this installation of the app. The Crashlytics SDK also sends a short record when the app is started (a random session identifier, the installation identifier, app version, device model, and Android version) so that Firebase can calculate how many sessions end without a crash. The app does not add your texts, My dictionary, or anything you type to these reports. Google Analytics for Firebase is not included in the app.
  • Purchases — Google Play Billing (Google LLC): When you buy Premium, and when the app checks whether Premium is unlocked, the app asks Google Play whether your Google account owns Premium. Payment is completed on Google Play, and we never receive your card number or other payment details. Google Play provides us with the order information we need to manage purchases and refunds.
  • Ratings and updates — Google Play In-App Review and In-App Updates (Google LLC): Let you rate the app and install updates without leaving it. These are handled by Google Play.
  • Text recognition — Google ML Kit through Google Play services (Google LLC): See Section 2.
  • List of our other apps — Cloudflare Pages (Cloudflare, Inc.): To show our other apps, the app downloads their names, descriptions, and images from our content server (static files hosted on Cloudflare Pages). The request contains no personal data from the app. As with any request to a web server, the server receives your device's IP address as part of the connection. The list is tailored on your device using your language settings and the country of your SIM card or mobile network, and the app checks on your device which of our apps you already have; none of this is sent. Tapping an app opens its page on Google Play with a tag showing that the visit came from this app.
  • This privacy policy: Opening the privacy policy in the app loads this page from our website. As with any website, our web server receives your IP address and browser information as part of the connection.

The app does not collect your device's advertising ID, contains no analytics or advertising SDK, and does not sell your information or share it with advertisers or advertising networks.

7. Permissions

Plain Language Reader does not ask for any permission that needs your approval. It does not request the camera, microphone, location, contacts, storage, or notification permissions. The permissions it holds are granted at installation:

  • Internet (INTERNET) and network state (ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE) — For the connections described in Section 6. Rewriting, term explanations, furigana, readability scores, and your saved texts work without a connection.
  • Google Play billing (com.android.vending.BILLING) — For the one-time Premium purchase.
  • Biometrics (USE_BIOMETRIC / USE_FINGERPRINT) — For app lock (Premium). The fingerprint, face, or screen-lock check is performed by Android; the app receives only whether it succeeded, never your biometric data.

The app can also see which apps are installed on your device. It uses this only on your device — to find text-to-speech engines, apps for "Look it up", and your camera app, and to mark which of our other apps you already have — and never sends it anywhere.

8. How We Use Information

The limited information we receive is used only for the following purposes:

  • Diagnosing and fixing crashes
  • Verifying and managing your Premium purchase, including refunds
  • Showing the list of our other apps
  • Responding to your inquiries
  • Complying with applicable laws

9. Security

  • Your texts, My dictionary, and settings are kept in the app's private storage, which other apps cannot read.
  • App lock (Premium): Asks for your fingerprint, face, or screen lock when you open the app, and again after the app has been in the background for about a minute.
  • "Hide from screenshots and recents": Keeps the app's screens out of screenshots, screen recordings, and the recent-apps screen.
  • The connections described in Section 6 use HTTPS.

10. Data Retention

  • Crash reports: retained by Firebase Crashlytics for 90 days, then deleted.
  • Emails you send us: kept as long as needed to answer you and to handle any follow-up, such as a refund.
  • Data on your device: kept until you delete it, uninstall the app, or clear the app's data. Automatic backup keeps the seven most recent files in the folder you chose, and the app keeps the three most recent copies made before a restore.

11. International Data Transfers

We are based in Japan. The services described in Section 6 (Google and Cloudflare) may process the limited information described above in various countries. When you use the Service, that information may be processed outside your country of residence under standard contractual safeguards.

12. Your Rights

Depending on where you reside (e.g., the EEA, UK, California, Japan), you may have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of the limited information we hold. You can:

  • Delete texts and My dictionary words in the app at any time, use "Delete all texts", or uninstall the app or clear its data to erase everything stored in the app
  • Turn off "Keep texts you read" so that new texts are not saved
  • Turn off Android backup in your device settings, stop automatic backup, and delete backup files you have saved
  • Contact us at the address below to make a request regarding the information we hold

13. Children's Privacy

Plain Language Reader has no account and does not ask anyone, including children, for personal information such as a name, age, or email address. The technical information described in Section 6 is handled in the same way for every user. If you believe that your child has sent us personal information, for example by email, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

14. Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. The latest version is always published at this URL together with its effective date. We will also notify you within the app of significant changes as appropriate.

15. Contact

For questions about privacy, data requests, or to report concerns, please email us at .

CloudEx Inc. (Japan)

Effective Date: November 4, 2026