PlacePal Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

• Email address: used to create and manage your account via secure authentication (Supabase Auth with PKCE flow)
• First name (optional): used for personalized greetings within the App
• Voice preference: your selected text-to-speech voice setting
• Support and communication submissions (optional): text or category you submit via in-app support (currently: Send Feedback in Settings), plus device info, user ID, and any files you attach (such as screenshots).

Information Created Through Use

• Items and locations: when you tell PlacePal where you put something, we store the item name, location description, and category in our database so you can retrieve it later
• Voice recordings: your voice is processed entirely on your device using WhisperKit, an on-device speech recognition model. Audio is converted to text on your iPhone and is never sent to our servers or any third party. The raw audio is not stored after transcription.
• Voice command history: we keep the text of your voice commands (never audio) for up to 90 days. We use this history to find and fix cases where PlacePal misunderstood you. It is deleted automatically after 90 days, and immediately if you delete your account.

Information Collected Automatically

• Authentication events: we track authentication funnel stages (requested, delivered, clicked, verified) using a SHA256 hash of your email address. We do not store your raw email in analytics.
• App usage events: we record feature usage events (e.g., voice processing, container creation, export actions) tied to your user ID. These help us understand how the App is used and improve the experience.
• API usage: we track your daily voice-command count to apply fair-use limits and prevent abuse.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide the service: store your items and locations, process your voice queries, and return spoken responses
• Process your voice input: your transcribed text (not audio) is sent to our server, where it is processed by Claude (Anthropic's AI) to understand your intent (e.g., storing an item, searching for an item). Claude does not retain your data after processing.
• Generate spoken responses: your response text is sent to Cartesia for text-to-speech audio generation
• Authenticate your account: verify your identity and maintain your session
• Improve the App: analyze aggregated, non-identifying usage patterns
• Communicate with you: respond to support requests sent to privacy@heyplacepal.com
• Handle support and communication: when you submit feedback or reach out for support, your message is delivered to our team inbox via our email provider (see §3)

We do not use your information for advertising, sell it to third parties, or build marketing profiles.

Our lawful basis for each purpose (for readers in the EU, EEA and UK): we rely on performance of our contract with you to provide the service, authenticate your account, generate spoken responses, and handle support and communication. We rely on your consent to send your transcribed text to Anthropic and your response text to Cartesia; you give this consent with the Voice assistant toggle in the App, and you can withdraw it there at any time. We rely on our legitimate interests to improve the App from usage patterns, to apply fair-use limits and security monitoring, and to keep records of our communications. We rely on a legal obligation where a law requires us to keep or disclose information.

3. Third-Party Services

PlacePal uses the following third-party services to operate:

Each service operates under its own privacy policy. We select services that align with our commitment to data minimization.

International transfers (for readers in the EU, EEA and UK): Supabase, Resend, Anthropic, Cartesia and RevenueCat are based in the United States, so your information leaves the EU, EEA or UK when they process it. Where a provider is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and its UK Extension, we rely on that certification. Otherwise we rely on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, together with the UK International Data Transfer Addendum for readers in the UK. You can ask for a copy of these safeguards by emailing privacy@heyplacepal.com.

Our Website (heyplacepal.com): the Website is hosted by Netlify (United States), which may keep standard server logs, including your IP address, for a limited time. Its typefaces load from Google Fonts (Google LLC, United States), so your browser sends your IP address to Google when a page loads. Both are certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and its UK Extension. If you join the waitlist or subscribe to Notes from PlacePal, we collect your email address and the date you signed up, and for the waitlist a short tag naming the post or video that brought you (for example "tiktok_v1") when you arrive from a tagged link. These emails are handled by Resend. We send them because you asked for them (your consent), and you can stop at any time with the unsubscribe link in every email or by writing to privacy@heyplacepal.com. Your Website subscription is independent of any App account. The Website sets no analytics cookies and does not use PostHog.

4. Data Storage and Security

• Database hosting: Supabase (United States)
• Authentication tokens: Stored in iOS Keychain with device-only access. Encrypted, not backed up to iCloud.
• Row-Level Security: Every database table uses Supabase Row-Level Security (RLS), meaning you can only access your own data
• Email privacy: Authentication analytics use SHA256-hashed email addresses. Your raw email is not stored in analytics tables.
• Encryption: Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (Supabase infrastructure encryption)
• Authentication flow: PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange), an industry-standard secure authentication pattern for native apps
• Breach notification: if a personal data breach is likely to put your rights at risk, we will notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of it and tell you without undue delay.

5. Data Retention and Deletion

• Items: When you delete an item, it is soft-deleted (marked with a deletion timestamp). Soft-deleted items are excluded from all queries and responses. Permanent deletion from the database occurs within 30 days.
• Voice command history: retained for up to 90 days, then automatically deleted. Deleted immediately upon account deletion via database cascade.
• Account deletion: You can delete your account at any time in the App, under Settings. Deletion is immediate and permanent. You can also email privacy@heyplacepal.com and we will delete your account and all associated data within 30 days of a verified request.
• Authentication events: Retained for up to 90 days for security monitoring, then automatically purged.
• App usage events: kept for as long as your account exists, so we can see how features perform over time. Upon account deletion, all associated events are deleted via database cascade.

6. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your data: view all items, locations, and profile information within the App
• Correct your data: edit item names, locations, and profile details within the App
• Delete your data: delete individual items within the App, or delete your whole account at any time under Settings
• Export your data (portability): export your items in CSV, JSON, or PDF format from within the App
• Withdraw consent: turn off the Voice assistant toggle in Settings inside the App at any time. This stops your transcribed text going to Anthropic and Cartesia; browsing your saved items keeps working. To remove all stored data, delete your account.
• Restrict processing: ask us to pause the use of your data while we resolve a question about it (restriction)
• Object: you have the right to object to processing we base on our legitimate interests, such as usage analytics, and we will stop unless we have compelling grounds to continue
• No automated decisions: we do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects

Readers in the EU, EEA and UK: to exercise any of these rights, email privacy@heyplacepal.com; we respond within one month. If you believe we have handled your information unlawfully, you have the right to complain to a supervisory authority: in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO, ico.org.uk); in the EU or EEA, the data protection authority of the country where you live.

California residents (CCPA): We do not sell personal information. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may request disclosure of the categories of personal information collected by contacting privacy@heyplacepal.com.

7. Children's Privacy

PlacePal is not intended for children. If you live in the EU or EEA, you must be at least 16 to use PlacePal, unless the law of your country sets a lower age for agreeing to online services (never lower than 13). Everywhere else, including the UK and the United States, you must be at least 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16 in the EU or EEA, or under 13 elsewhere. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact privacy@heyplacepal.com and we will delete it promptly.

8. Permissions

PlacePal requests the following device permissions:

• Microphone: required for voice input. Audio is processed on-device by WhisperKit and is never transmitted. You can revoke microphone access in iOS Settings at any time; the App will continue to work for browsing stored items but voice input will be unavailable.

PlacePal does not access your camera, photos, contacts, location, calendar, or health data.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the App or via email before the changes take effect. The "Last Updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

10. Contact

For privacy questions, data requests, or concerns:

Email: privacy@heyplacepal.com