Kindred Beacon Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 24, 2026

Kindred Beacon ("Kindred Beacon," "we," "us," or "our") is a personal safety and location-sharing app developed by Raul Sanchez, an individual doing business as Kindred Beacon. This Privacy Policy explains what information Kindred Beacon collects, how it's used, who it's shared with, and the choices you have.

1. Information we collect

We only collect what Kindred Beacon's safety features actually need to function. We do not use Kindred Beacon for advertising, and we do not sell your data.

Category	What it is	Why we collect it
Precise or approximate location	Your device's coordinates while a trip is active; approximate sharing is rounded before upload	Powers active-trip tracking and secure viewer links you choose to share
Trusted contact info	Name and phone number of people you explicitly add	Organizes people with whom you may choose to share a secure trip link; this version does not automatically send SMS
Account identifiers	Your Firebase user ID, and an email if you sign in with Apple or use Family Circles	Keeps your account, trips, and contacts tied together and syncable across devices
Device push token	An Apple Push Notification token	Supports notifications associated with your account; current check-in reminders are scheduled on-device
Trip content	Trip chat messages, and Date Mode notes/photo attachments you choose to add	Lets you communicate with a trusted contact during a trip and share context you've chosen to provide
Purchase history	Subscription transaction records from Apple's StoreKit	Determines which paid features (Plus, Family) your account is entitled to
Crash diagnostics	Automated crash reports (Firebase Crashlytics)	Helps us find and fix bugs — not linked to your identity

We do not integrate advertising or cross-app tracking SDKs. Approximate sharing rounds a coordinate before upload.

2. How your information is used

To provide Kindred Beacon's core features: active-trip tracking, check-ins, help-request state, secure-link messaging, SafeWord handling, Ride Mode, Date Mode, and Family Circles; and to operate your account and subscription. We never use your location, contacts, or message content to build an advertising profile, and we never sell or rent your personal information.

3. Who your information is shared with

People who receive a viewer link from you — through a secure, expiring link you choose to share. Adding a contact does not send a link automatically. Link recipients never get access to your other trips, your full contact list, or anything beyond a specific shared trip.
Family Circle members — only if you create or join a Family Circle.
Service providers — Google Firebase and Apple, processing data on our behalf; they do not use your data for their own purposes.
Legal requirements — if required by law or to protect safety.

We do not share your information with data brokers, advertisers, or analytics companies.

4. Data retention

Completed, cancelled, or distress-flagged trips: retained 30 days after the trip ends, then automatically deleted.
Trusted-contact viewer links: expire 24 hours after creation, or sooner if revoked.
Date Mode attachments: deleted automatically once your selected expiration window passes.
Crash diagnostics: retained per Firebase Crashlytics' standard retention; not linked to your identity.

You can request deletion of your account and associated data at any time — see Section 6.

5. Trip links shown to trusted contacts

Trip links use a high-entropy token that is never stored in plain text (only a cryptographic hash is stored), expire automatically after 24 hours, can be manually revoked at any time, and are marked noindex, nofollow so they are never indexed by search engines. They show only that trip's destination, status, check-in state, expected arrival, latest shared location, and chat thread — not your full trip history or account information.

6. Your choices and rights

Location permission: revoke at any time in iOS Settings.
Trusted contacts: add, disable, or remove at any time.
Viewer links: revoke individually or all at once from the app.
Account deletion: delete your account and associated data from within the app.
Data access/export: create a JSON export in Safety Settings.

7. Children's privacy

Kindred Beacon is not directed at, and is not intended for use by, children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Kindred Beacon's features change. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above.

9. Contact us

Questions about this Privacy Policy or your data: support.kindredbeacon@gmail.com

Kindred Beacon is a personal safety and location-sharing tool. It cannot guarantee your safety, prevent emergencies, ensure that alerts will be delivered, or ensure that trusted contacts or emergency services will respond. In an emergency, contact local emergency services when it is safe to do so.