Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 15, 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how Circles ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, and shares your information when you use the Circles mobile and web applications (the "Service"). By using Circles, you agree to the practices described here.
Plain-English summary: We collect only what we need to make Circles work. We never sell your data. Contacts and calendar access are optional. You can delete your account and all your data at any time from inside the app.
1. Information we collect
You give us
- Account info — your email address, name, and (optionally) profile photo when you sign up.
- Mobile phone number (optional) — if you choose to add one, we collect and verify your mobile number by texting you a one-time code. Only verified numbers are stored on your account, and you can remove your number at any time in Settings.
- Invitation recipient details — when you ask Circles to send an invitation or eCard by text, the name and phone number of the person you choose. See "Phone numbers and text messaging" below for exactly how recipient details are handled.
- Authentication identifiers — when you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive your email and a stable user ID from the provider. We do not receive your password.
- Dates and household info — birthdays, anniversaries, custom dates, and household member names you choose to add.
- Circle membership — the Circles you belong to and the people in them.
- eCard content — messages you write, optional video messages you record, and the recipient you choose.
- Gift card purchases — when you send a gift card, the brand, amount, and recipient delivery method (email or in-app).
- Support messages — anything you tell us when contacting support.
You grant us permission to access (optional)
- Contacts — only if you grant permission, and only to make it easier to invite friends. We do not upload your contact list to our servers.
- Calendar — only if you opt into device calendar sync. Circles writes Circle dates to your local device calendar; we do not read your existing calendar entries.
- Camera and photo library — only when you choose to record a video message or pick a photo for your profile.
We collect automatically
- Device and usage data — device type, operating system version, app version, crash logs, and product interaction events (which screens you visit, which buttons you tap). Used to fix bugs and improve features.
- Approximate location — derived from IP address (country-level only) for analytics. We do not collect precise GPS location.
- Install attribution — when you install via a deep link, we record which link you came from so we can credit invites correctly.
2. How we use your information
- Operate the Service — sign you in, sync your dates, deliver eCards and gift cards, send reminders.
- Personalize the experience — show you relevant Circles, dates, and eCard categories.
- Process payments for gift cards via Stripe.
- Communicate with you — verification codes (by email or text), gift delivery confirmations, important account updates.
- Deliver messages you ask us to send — invitations and eCards you address to people you know, including a limited number of follow-up reminders for invitations.
- Diagnose crashes and improve performance.
- Comply with legal obligations and prevent fraud or abuse.
3. Third-party processors
We share data with the following service providers strictly to operate the Service. Each is bound by data-processing obligations.
| Provider | Purpose | Data shared |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Payment processing for gift cards | Email, name, payment info (card data goes directly to Stripe — we never see it) |
| Tango Card (RaaS) | Gift card fulfillment + brand catalog | Recipient name, recipient email, gift amount, brand |
| SendGrid | Transactional email (verification codes, gift delivery) | Email address, message contents |
| Twilio | Phone verification codes and delivery of user-requested text messages | Phone number, message contents |
| PostHog | Product analytics | Pseudonymous user ID, device info, in-app events, IP-based country |
| Branch.io | Deep links and install attribution | Device fingerprint, install source, link click data |
| Google Cloud Storage | Image and video asset hosting | Profile photos, eCard video messages |
| OpenAI | eCard message helper | Message prompts you type into the AI helper. Per OpenAI's API data policy, this content is not used to train their models. |
| Apple / Google | Sign-In identity providers | Email, name, stable user ID |
4. What we do NOT do
- We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
- We do not share your phone number, text-messaging originator opt-in data, or SMS consent with any third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes. Phone numbers are shared only with Twilio, our text-messaging delivery provider, solely to send the messages described in this policy.
- We do not share your contacts list with anyone.
- We do not run cross-app advertising trackers.
- We do not read your existing device calendar entries.
- We do not store your payment card numbers — Stripe handles all card data.
5. Phone numbers and text messaging
If you add a mobile number to your account, we use it to (a) send you a one-time verification code to confirm the number is yours, and (b) send invitations and eCards you ask us to deliver by text. We never use your number for marketing texts, and consent to receive texts is never a condition of purchase. Message frequency varies and message & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to any Circles text to stop all further texts, or HELP for help. Full program details are in our Terms and SMS opt-in policy.
People you invite (non-user recipients)
When a member asks Circles to send an invitation or eCard to someone who is not yet a Circles user, the member provides that person's name and phone number. We use those details solely to deliver that invitation and its capped follow-up reminders (at most two), and to honor opt-outs. We never use non-user recipient details for marketing, never sell or share them, and never build profiles from them. Recipients can stop all messages by replying STOP. If someone invited you and you'd like your details removed, email support@joinmycircles.com and we will delete them.
6. Your choices and controls
- Permissions — you can revoke contacts, calendar, camera, and photo library access at any time from your device's Settings app.
- Privacy per date — you can mark any date as private so it is not shared with your Circles.
- Leave a Circle — at any time from inside the app.
- Delete your account — Settings → Account → Delete Account inside the app. We delete your profile, dates, gifts, and Circle memberships within 30 days. Circles you owned are transferred to another member or deleted if you are the only member.
- Export — email support@joinmycircles.com to request a copy of your data.
7. Data retention
We keep your account data while your account is active. After deletion, we remove your personal data within 30 days, except for records we are required to retain for legal, tax, or fraud-prevention reasons (for example, gift card transaction records retained for up to 7 years per IRS / financial-services rules).
8. Children
Circles is not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA / UK). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has signed up, contact us and we will delete the account.
9. International data transfers
We are based in the United States. If you use the Service from outside the U.S., your data is transferred to and processed in the U.S. and other countries where our processors operate. By using the Service you consent to that transfer.
10. Your regional rights
EEA / UK (GDPR): you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, port, or object to processing of your personal data. To exercise these rights, email support@joinmycircles.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
California (CCPA / CPRA): you have the right to know, delete, correct, and opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
11. Security
We use industry-standard safeguards including TLS encryption in transit, encrypted database storage, and access controls. No system is perfectly secure; if you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately.
12. Changes to this policy
If we make material changes we will notify you by email or in-app notification before the change takes effect. The "Last updated" date above always reflects the current version.
13. Contact
Questions, requests, or complaints: support@joinmycircles.com.