NihongoHover — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 3 September 2026

NihongoHover is an offline macOS app for reading Japanese: a hover dictionary, drag-to-OCR and flashcards. It is designed to work without an account, without tracking, and without sending your data to any server.

Data we collect

None. NihongoHover does not collect, transmit, or share any personal data.

• No account is required.
• No analytics SDKs, ad networks, or third-party trackers are embedded.
• No usage data, device identifiers, or crash reports are sent to us.
• The app makes no network requests in normal operation.

Data stored on your device

All study data — saved words, flashcards, spaced-repetition state, custom dictionary entries, and settings — is stored locally on your Mac in the app's Application Support directory. It never leaves the device. Deleting the app and its support directory erases it completely.

Screen recording and OCR

The hover dictionary is sandboxed and works without Accessibility or input-monitoring permissions. When you turn on hover mode via hotkey, the app takes small screenshots (~320×120 pixels) around the cursor to recognize the Japanese word underneath; when you use drag-to-OCR, the selected screen region is captured once. macOS asks for Screen Recording permission once for this. All recognition happens on-device using Apple's Vision framework. Images are never uploaded, stored, or sent to the developer and are discarded immediately after the recognized text is returned.

Purchases

NihongoHover is a one-time paid purchase on the Mac App Store. Payment is handled entirely by Apple; the signed receipt is read locally on your Mac to confirm the purchase and is not uploaded. There are no in-app purchases, subscriptions, or advertisements. Please refer to Apple's privacy policy for how Apple processes purchases.

Text-to-speech audio

Japanese audio is generated on-device by Apple's built-in speech synthesizer. No audio request is sent to any server.

Children's privacy

Because NihongoHover collects no personal data of any kind, it is safe for users of all ages. The app does not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a new "Last updated" date.

Contact

Questions about this policy or about how NihongoHover handles data? Email Zhongwen-Hover@pm.me.

NihongoHover is developed by Matthias Holl.