Privacy Policy

HopCircle (“we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and website.

We comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

• Account information: Phone number (used for verification), your name, and your child’s school and year group.
• Profile information: Optional details like interests and suburb to help you connect with other families.
• Children’s information: First name, age or year group, and school, used solely to facilitate playdate matching.
• Messages: Content you send through in-app chat to coordinate playdates with other families.
• Usage data: How you interact with the app (e.g. screens visited, features used) to help us improve it.
• Device information: Device type and operating system version for crash reporting and compatibility.

• To verify your identity and connect you with other parents at your child’s school
• To match families for playdates based on availability and preferences
• To facilitate in-app messaging between connected families
• To send you relevant push notifications about playdates, matches, and messages
• To improve and maintain our service
• To respond to support requests

Only verified parents at your child’s school can see your profile. Your information is never sold to third parties or used for advertising.

We may share limited data with:

• Firebase (Google Cloud): Our infrastructure provider for authentication, data storage, and push notifications. Data is stored in Australian data centres.
• Apple: For App Store distribution and crash reporting.

We use industry-standard security measures including encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest. Your data is stored securely on Firebase (Google Cloud) infrastructure with data residency in Australia.

Access to user data is restricted to authorised personnel only and protected by multi-factor authentication.

HopCircle is designed for parents, not children. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 16. Children’s first names and year groups are provided by their parents and are only visible to connected families at the same school.

Under the Australian Privacy Act, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct any inaccurate or outdated information
• Delete your account and all associated data. You can do this directly within the app under Settings
• Complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) if you believe your privacy has been breached

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, all personal data (profile, children, messages, matches, and playdates) is permanently removed within 30 days.

We may update this policy from time to time. We’ll notify you of significant changes through the app or by email. Your continued use of HopCircle after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Questions about this policy? Email us at support@hopcircle.app.