Privacy Policy & Terms
The same text you see in the app under Me → Privacy and legal.
Privacy Policy
- We only ask for a nickname and an animal. No email, real name, phone number or birthday, and no ID. You just confirm you’re 15 or older.
- We never sell your data.
- A lot stays only on your phone: your own tasks, notes and sticky notes, your memory book, what you’re into, your weather suburb, your pet and your step count. Your phone’s own security (passcode, Face ID or fingerprint) protects them.
- With your partner, we share only your nickname, animal, look, status and the tasks you mark “Both of us”. Your own tasks are never sent anywhere.
- Circles see only what you post in them (plans, lists, polls, costs and kids’ chores), plus your nickname and animal. Members can see who invited each person.
- Games: moves in online games are saved so you can play over time. Wins and crowns are counted and shown to your partner and circles. Faces in games are sent live and never saved. “Show when I’m in the app” shows a green dot only while you have the app open, with no “last seen”. Switch it off any time in Me.
- Location is only read when you tap “Share where I am”. It goes to your partner only, shows a badge on both phones, and is deleted after 1 hour. Choose “Suburb only” to send just the place name. There is no tracking and no history.
- Weather: when you add a suburb, its name is looked up once with OpenStreetMap and the forecast comes from MET Norway. They only receive a rough spot (about 1 km), never who you are.
- Words you share with others go through a safety filter to help keep everyone safe.
- Notifications: if you allow them, your phone is told when your partner sends a hug, someone invites you to play, someone joins a circle with your invite, or it’s your turn in a game. We keep a push address for your phone (not your number) and delete it after 120 days without use. Switch it off any time in Me.
- If the app hits an error, it sends a short crash report (the error, which screen, phone type and app version) so we can fix it. Crash reports never include your tasks, messages or nickname, and are deleted after 30 days.
- Feedback you send goes to the Circlings team without your nickname or tasks.
- Reports: if you report someone, the Circlings team sees the report, that person’s nickname and their recent posts in that place, so we can act on it. Reports are deleted after a year.
- Ads: Circlings may show ads inside the game section only, never anywhere else, and they never interrupt your play. They are provided by Google AdMob. When ads are on, Google may use your phone’s advertising ID to choose ads; on iPhone this only happens if you allow tracking when asked, otherwise you see general ads. Kid accounts never see ads. Ads may not be switched on yet.
- Our helpers: shared data is stored securely with Supabase, our database provider, and notifications are delivered through Expo, Apple and Google. They only use it to run Circlings. It may be stored on servers outside your country.
- You can export your data or delete your account any time in Me → Privacy & safety → Your data.
- Questions, complaints or privacy requests? Email Sammi2022mel@gmail.com. We aim to reply within 30 days.
Terms of Use
- Circlings is free to use. You must be 15 or older for your own account.
- Under 15s don’t have their own account. They join through a parent’s family circle, and the parent is responsible for the kid codes they share.
- Never use Circlings to track, monitor, pressure or control anyone, or share someone’s location or details without their clear agreement.
- Be kind. Don’t post anything harmful, hateful, sexual, threatening or illegal, don’t pretend to be someone else, and don’t spam or harass people.
- Don’t misuse the app: no cheating or exploiting bugs in games, no automated or bulk use, no copying or reverse-engineering the app, and no selling or sharing accounts.
- You’re responsible for what you post and for who you give your invite codes to. Anyone with your code can join that space or circle.
- Keep your recovery key safe. We can’t see your account details, so without your key or backup we may not be able to restore a lost account.
- Reminders, alarms and notifications are helpful extras, not guaranteed. Phones, batteries, settings and networks can stop them arriving, so don’t rely on Circlings for medicine, safety or anything critical.
- Circlings is not an emergency or safety service, and location sharing isn’t a way to keep someone safe. In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency services.
- Daily questions, tips and games are for fun. They aren’t medical, legal, money or relationship advice.
- Crowns, points, levels, badges and looks have no money value and can’t be swapped or sold. We may reset them if someone cheats.
- You own what you create. You let us store it and show it to the people you choose to share it with, only to run Circlings.
- Partner offers, sponsors, charities and other websites are run by others under their own terms. We aren’t responsible for what they sell or do.
- We may remove content, or pause or close accounts, that break these rules or put others at risk.
- Circlings is provided as it is. We work hard to keep it running and safe, but we can’t promise it will always be available or free of mistakes, and to the extent the law allows we aren’t liable for indirect losses. Your rights under your local consumer law always apply.
- If you give a wrong age, or let someone under 15 use your account, you are responsible for that, not Circlings.
- We don’t check everything people post. What others share is their own responsibility, but we act on reports and safety problems.
- If you break these terms or the law, or use Circlings to harm someone, you agree to cover the claims, losses and reasonable legal costs that come from it, to the extent the law allows.
- These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia, and courts in Victoria can hear any dispute. Your rights under your own local consumer law still apply.
- Questions or complaints? Email Sammi2022mel@gmail.com.
- We may change features and these terms. For important changes we’ll let you know in the app before they apply. If you keep using Circlings after that, the new terms apply.
Safety rules
- Sharing is always your choice. You can pause all sharing or leave a space at any time, and your partner only sees "Sharing paused".
- If something in your relationship doesn’t feel right, you can find a free, confidential helpline in your country at findahelpline.com, any time. In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency services.
Reporting and blocking
- You can report or block anyone you share a space or circle with: tap their name, then Report or block.
- Blocking stops their hearts and notifications reaching you, ends your couple space if they are your partner, and hides what they add in circles. They aren’t told.
- We aim to review every report within 24 hours, and can remove content or accounts that break the rules.
- Unblock someone any time in Me → Blocked people.
Kids under 15
- Kids under 15 don’t get their own account. A parent adds a nickname, an animal and chores in a family circle, and only the adults in that circle see it.
- Kids never see partner offers or the shop.
- Kids can’t buy anything, can’t see the shop and can’t be contacted by people outside the family.
Purchases, partners and sponsors
- Right now there’s nothing to buy. Looks unlock as Biscuit levels up, and festive looks are free to wear during their season.
- We may add new extras in future, such as 3D characters. Any paid extras will only be sold through the App Store or Google Play, you’ll never need them to use Circlings, and looks you’ve already unlocked stay yours.
- Partner offers appear only in trip, event and friends circles, are always labelled Partner, and open only when you tap them. They never show in kids’ views.
- Some partner offers may be for our other products, and they’re labelled the same way. We may earn a commission when you book through a partner. The partner pays it, and we never add a fee.
- If a business sponsors Circlings, its card is clearly labelled Sponsored, never shows in kids’ views, and never uses your personal information.
Kindness
- Donations happen on the charity’s own website. Circlings never sees your payment details and doesn’t take a cut.
- Kindness points celebrate kind acts. They have no money value and can’t be exchanged.
- Partners and sponsors never see your circles, plans or anything about you. We only count how many times an offer is tapped.
Questions or requests
To ask about your data, or to ask us to delete it, use the contact form or see how to delete your account.