Privacy Policy

Effective date: May 9, 2026 · Last updated: May 9, 2026

Ketch ("we", "our", "the app") is a personal network reminder app that helps you stay in touch with the people who matter most. Your trust is important to us. This policy explains what data we collect, why, and how we protect it.

1. Information We Collect

• Account data — email address and display name when you sign up.
• Phone hashes — one-way SHA-256 hashes of your phone contacts' numbers, used only to identify mutual app users. We never store raw phone numbers from your contacts.
• Call log data — recent call history is read on-device only to show you which contacts you've recently called, helping you track who you've already reached out to. This data is never uploaded to our servers.
• Phone state — basic phone state is accessed to support call log reading on Android. No call content or personal identifiers are transmitted.
• FCM token — a Firebase Cloud Messaging token to deliver push notifications.
• Ping data — records of pings you send or receive (sender name, timestamp).

All contact names, reminder schedules, and notes you enter are stored only on your device using local encrypted storage. We never upload your personal contact list to our servers.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To authenticate you securely via Firebase Authentication.
• To detect mutual app users by comparing hashed phone numbers.
• To deliver ping notifications between consenting users.
• To enforce ping rate limits (maximum 5 pings per hour per recipient).
• To display recent call history so you can see who you've already contacted — processed entirely on-device.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for advertising.

3. Data Storage & Security

Your account data is stored in Google Firebase (Firestore) with industry-standard encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest. Contact data, levels, and reminders are stored locally on your device using Hive encrypted storage and never transmitted to our servers.

4. Third-Party Services

• Google Firebase — authentication, database, and push notifications.
• Google Sign-In — optional sign-in method.

5. Data Retention

Your data is retained for as long as your account is active. You can delete your account at any time from Settings → Delete Account. This permanently removes your Firestore data, phone hashes, and Firebase Auth credentials. Local device data is cleared immediately.

6. Children's Privacy

Ketch is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

7. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.