BrushPath
Privacy policy
Last updated 6 November 2026 · Terms of use
The short version. Your writing stays on your phone. We never see the strokes you draw, the photos you take or the text you paste. There is no account. The only data about you that leaves the phone is optional, anonymous usage data, which you can turn off in Settings.
Who we are
BrushPath is made by Colon Slash (colonslash.app). For anything about your privacy, write to [email protected].
What stays on your phone
Everything you do in BrushPath is kept on your phone, in the app's own storage:
- the strokes you draw, how each character was graded, and your review history;
- your settings, your streak, your starred words, your decks and the words you add or import;
- backups, exports and share cards, which are files you choose to save (share cards go to your photos) or share through your phone's own share sheet.
We hold no copy of any of it. If you delete the app, this data goes with it. Settings › Reset all progress clears it while keeping the app.
Camera and photos. When you point the camera at a menu or a sign to find words, or choose a photo already on your phone, the photo is read on your phone by text recognition built into the app. It never leaves the phone, and the copy the app reads is deleted when you leave the camera. A photo you chose stays in your own photos, untouched.
Reminders. Study reminders are scheduled on the phone itself. No notification service of ours is involved.
Feedback. Help & feedback opens your own mail app with your message. By default it adds the grades of your last five attempts (the character, how many strokes slipped, whether you needed a hint, the time), never the drawing itself; untick Attach my last 5 attempts to leave them out. Nothing is sent until you send the mail.
Usage data, which you can turn off
To see which parts of the app are used and where learners get stuck, BrushPath sends anonymous usage events to PostHog, an analytics service hosted in the European Union. An event is the name of something that happened (a review session finished, a word was graded) with small numbers (how many words were in the session, which grade), plus the app version and whether the phone runs Android or iOS. Counts that could single someone out, such as the size of a deck, are sent as ranges. Each install gets a random identifier made by the app; it is not linked to you, your phone's identifiers or any account.
Usage data never includes what you write, the words you type or paste, your photos, your decks or anything you add.
It is on by default. Settings › Privacy › Share anonymous usage data turns it off at once and stops every event. We rely on our legitimate interest in understanding how the app is used as the basis for this, and the switch is how you object. We ask PostHog not to store your IP address, and we keep usage data for no longer than two years.
Downloads
Some content is fetched as ordinary web downloads:
- Level packs for HSK 5 and above download from GitHub when you choose that level.
- Stroke shapes for characters the app does not carry download from jsDelivr, a public content network, when you add a word that uses them.
- A small settings file is checked on GitHub once a day when the app opens, so the free words allowance can be raised without an app update.
Like any web server, these providers see your phone's IP address and which file was asked for. Nothing about you or your learning is sent with the request. Lessons and reviews work offline; nothing is fetched during a study session.
BrushPath Plus
If you subscribe to BrushPath Plus, the payment is handled by Google Play or the App Store under their own terms and privacy policies. We receive confirmation that a subscription exists so the app can unlock Plus; we never see your card or bank details.
Children
BrushPath is for people aged 13 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone, children included.
Your rights
Under UK and EU data protection law you can ask what personal data we hold about you, have it corrected or deleted, and object to its use. Because BrushPath holds nothing that identifies you, usage data cannot be matched to a person, so the practical answer to most requests is the switch in Settings, which stops collection at once. Write to [email protected] with any question and we will answer within a month. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Changes
When this policy changes, the date at the top changes with it, and the app says so for anything that matters to you.