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Qiao
Qiao
Legal

Privacy policy

Last updated: 30 April 2026. This policy applies to qiaoguide.com and the Qiao mobile app for iOS and Android.

Qiao (“we”, “our”, “us”) is the AI relocation and adaptation platform for international students coming to China — also useful for tourists, business travellers and new residents. We take privacy seriously and aim to process the minimum data needed to make Qiao genuinely useful. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over your data.

1. Who we are

Qiao is operated by an independent founder. For any privacy or data-protection question — including subject access, export and deletion requests — contact us at support@qiaoguide.com. We aim to reply within 7 days.

2. Data we collect

We collect only what is necessary to deliver the service:

  • Account data — your email address, a hashed password (or, for social sign-in, an opaque provider ID), display name, preferred language, profile picture if you upload one.
  • Onboarding answers — role (Student / Tourist / Business / Resident), destination city and university, arrival date, Chinese level, and the priorities you select.
  • Checklist and progress data — task completions, streak, XP, level, achievements unlocked.
  • AI chat history — questions you send to the AI helper and the replies generated. Used to maintain conversation context and to debug quality issues.
  • Personalised plan — the city guide, checklist and reminders the AI generates for you, stored so you can return to them across devices.
  • Device and diagnostic data — device model, OS version, app version, language, anonymous crash and performance reports. We do not collect IDFA / GAID for advertising.
  • Push token — if you opt in to notifications, we store the device push token to send reminders for police registration, residence permit renewal, etc.
  • Support correspondence — if you email us, we keep the message and our reply.

We do not collect: precise GPS location in the background, contact lists, photos library content, advertising identifiers, or biometric data. We do not run third-party advertising or behavioural-tracking SDKs.

3. Why we collect it (legal basis)

Under GDPR we rely on the following legal bases:

  • Performance of a contract — to create your account, generate your personal plan, run the checklist, and answer your AI questions.
  • Legitimate interest — anonymous crash and performance diagnostics so the app is reliable; abuse and fraud prevention.
  • Consent — push notifications and optional analytics. You can withdraw consent at any time from your device settings or the Profile screen.
  • Legal obligation — when we have to keep records (e.g. tax, accounting) or respond to a lawful request.

4. Where your data is stored

All personal data is stored on our servers in the European Union. Backups are encrypted at rest. Connections to the app and to our API are protected with TLS 1.2+. Passwords are hashed with a modern salted algorithm — we cannot read them. Access to production data is limited to the founder and is logged.

5. Third parties we share data with

We share data only with vendors strictly required to provide the service. Each is bound by a Data Processing Agreement (DPA):

  • Cloud hosting — to run our API and database (EU region).
  • AI provider (OpenAI) — your onboarding answers and AI chat messages are sent to generate replies. We do not allow training on your data.
  • Transactional email — to deliver verification and support emails.
  • Push notification gateways — Apple Push Notification Service and Firebase Cloud Messaging deliver reminders to your device.
  • Error monitoring — anonymous crash and performance reports so we can fix bugs.
  • App stores — Apple App Store and Google Play handle download, purchase and review data under their own privacy policies.

We never sell your personal data, and we do not use it for cross-context behavioural advertising.

6. How long we keep your data

  • Active account — for as long as you keep the account.
  • AI chat history — kept until you delete it or your account.
  • After account deletion — your profile, onboarding, plan and chat history are removed within 30 days; encrypted backups roll off within 90 days.
  • Diagnostic logs — typically 30 days.
  • Support emails — up to 24 months for service quality.

7. Your rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to do the following — in most cases free of charge:

  • Access — get a copy of the data we hold about you.
  • Rectification — correct inaccurate data.
  • Deletion — delete your account and personal data (Profile → Delete account, or email us).
  • Portability — export your profile, plan, checklist and chat history in a machine-readable format.
  • Objection / restriction — object to or limit processing based on legitimate interest.
  • Withdraw consent — for push notifications, optional analytics, marketing emails.
  • Complain — to your local data-protection authority (e.g. your EU country’s DPA) if you believe we have mishandled your data.

Send any request to support@qiaoguide.com. We may ask for proof of identity before acting on a request.

8. Children

Qiao is intended for users aged 16 and over. If you believe a child under 16 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Cookies and similar technologies

The website uses essential cookies to remember your theme preference and to keep you signed in to secure staff tools. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. The mobile app uses local storage to cache your profile, plan and the phrasebook for offline use.

10. International transfers

Some of our processors (e.g. the AI model provider) may process data in the United States. Where this happens we rely on the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses and equivalent safeguards.

11. Changes to this policy

When we make material changes we update the “Last updated” date at the top and, if the change is significant, notify you by email or in-app banner. The latest version is always at qiaoguide.com/privacy.

12. Contact

For privacy questions, subject-access requests, deletion requests or anything else, email support@qiaoguide.com. We reply within 7 days.