Kin Circles Privacy Policy
Kin Circles is operated by NSO Concept Development Ltd (“we”, “us”), a company registered in England and Wales (company number 13502875).
Registered office: Lytchett House, Unit 13, Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Lytchett Matravers, Poole, Dorset, BH16 6FA
App: app.getkincircles.com · Emails sent from: noreply@getkincircles.com
Contact: hello@getkincircles.com
Data protection registration: NSO Concept Development Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a data controller. Registration number: ZC276202
Last updated: 20 October 2026
1. Who this applies to
This policy covers how Kin Circles collects, stores, and uses information about (a) people who create an account ("users"), (b) people whose information a user adds to the app as a friend ("friend profiles"), who may not be Kin Circles users themselves, and (c) people who visit our website, getkincircles.com.
2. Information we collect from users
- Account details: name, email, password (securely hashed)
- Profile: location, interests
- Usage data: check-in history, app interactions
- Subscription and payment status: whether you have a paid Plus subscription, its plan and renewal date. Card payments on the web are taken by Stripe and we never see or store your full card details. Purchases made in the app stores (when available) are handled by Apple or Google.
- Settings and preferences: for example, your reminder times, Replies Slots, and whether email reminders are switched on
3. Information users add about friends
Users can create a profile for a friend, which may include a photo, bio, special occasions, interests, and home and/or current location. This information is provided and controlled by the user, not the friend. By adding a friend's information, the user confirms they have that person's permission to do so and will remove it if asked.
4. How we use this information
- To provide the core app functionality (reminders, circle visualisation, meet-in-the-middle suggestions)
- To send push notifications for check-ins, special occasions, and Replies Slot alerts
- To send essential account emails and, if you switch them on, reminder emails (see section 5)
- To enforce subscription tier limits
- To take payment for subscriptions, manage them, and keep the financial records we are legally required to keep
Our legal bases. Under UK GDPR we use your information because it is necessary to provide the app and any subscription you have signed up for (your account, circles, reminders, meet-in-the-middle and payments); because you have given consent (for optional reminder emails, push notifications, and location details you choose to enter); because it is in our legitimate interests to keep the service secure, prevent misuse and keep short-term backups, which we balance against your rights; and because the law requires us to keep certain payment and accounting records.
5. Emails we send
Account emails. We send the emails you need to use your account: confirming your email address when you sign up, password resets, confirming account deletion, receipts for any subscription payment, and a reminder before your free trial ends. We send these because they are necessary to provide the service you have signed up for, and you will receive them for as long as you have an account.
Reminder emails (optional). If you switch on “Email reminders” in Settings, we will send:
- a daily email, only on days when something is due, listing friends due a check-in and upcoming special occasions; and
- an email at the start of each Replies Slot you have set, which contains no information about your friends.
Email reminders are off by default. You can switch them off at any time in Settings, or by using the “Unsubscribe from reminder emails” link at the bottom of any reminder email. Switching them off does not affect account emails.
What reminder emails contain about your friends. Reminder emails include your friends’ first names and the type and date of any special occasion, such as a birthday. They never include friends’ bios, notes, photos, or locations.
Our email service’s own unsubscribe link. Our email delivery service may also add its own unsubscribe link to the bottom of emails we send. If you use that link instead of ours, we may no longer be able to email you non-essential account notices, such as the reminder before your trial ends or confirmation of account deletion. Sign-in, email confirmation, and password reset emails will keep working. If this happens and you want these emails again, contact us at hello@getkincircles.com.
Once an email reaches your inbox. Emails we send are stored by your own email provider under its own privacy policy. If you delete your Kin Circles account, we cannot delete emails that have already been delivered to your inbox.
Marketing. We do not send marketing emails. If that ever changes, we will ask for your permission first.
6. What we do not do
- We do not read, access, or store the content of any messages sent outside the app
- We do not sell user or friend data to third parties
- We do not use friend profile data for advertising
- We do not use analytics, advertising or tracking tools in the website or the app
7. Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to access, correct or delete your information, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive a copy of it. You can use these rights at any time through Settings (including Delete my account and the data export) or by contacting hello@getkincircles.com. Anyone whose information has been added as a friend profile by a user — even though they are not a Kin Circles user themselves — can also ask for their data to be removed by contacting hello@getkincircles.com. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).
8. Data retention
Account and friend profile data is retained until the user deletes their account or the specific friend profile. Once deleted, data is removed from our live systems immediately; copies may remain in automatic backups for up to 14 days before being permanently removed. When someone requests account deletion, we keep a record of the request (email address, date, and status) for up to 12 months after deletion is completed, as evidence the request was carried out. Requests that don't match an account, or where the confirmation link expires, are removed after 30 days. Payment and invoicing records (such as dates, amounts and subscription status) are kept for up to six years after the end of the relevant accounting period, as required for tax and accounting purposes, even if you delete your account.
9. Data security
Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Passwords are never stored in plain text.
10. Third-party services
We use Stripe to take card payments for web subscriptions; RevenueCat to manage subscriptions and record what each account has access to; Apple In-App Purchase and Google Play Billing for purchases made in the app stores (when available); OpenStreetMap-based mapping services (OpenFreeMap) for meet-in-the-middle location features; and Lovable Cloud, our app platform provider, for hosting, database storage, and sending emails. Lovable uses its own sub-processors to provide these services, including an email delivery provider. Lovable’s current sub-processor list is available at trust.lovable.dev.
When you pay by card on the web, Stripe processes your card details under its own privacy policy, and we never receive or store your full card number. RevenueCat receives an identifier for your account and your subscription status so it can record what you have paid for.
When you view a map in the app, your device loads map images directly from OpenFreeMap’s servers, so OpenFreeMap receives your device’s IP address as part of that request. We do not send OpenFreeMap your name, your email address, or any friend information.
Email delivery records (recipient address, date, and status) are kept by our email service for up to 14 days.
Where your data is processed. Your account and friend data is stored in the European Union by Lovable (Lovable Labs Sweden AB, Stockholm, Sweden) and its hosting providers. The UK recognises the EU as giving personal data an adequate level of protection.
Some of our providers process data in the United States: Stripe, RevenueCat, and the email delivery provider Lovable uses to send our emails. Where your data goes to the United States, it is protected by the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (the “UK–US data bridge”) or by the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, depending on the provider. You can ask us for more information about these safeguards at hello@getkincircles.com.
11. Our website, cookies and similar technologies
Our website, getkincircles.com, does not use cookies, analytics or tracking, and does not load anything from other companies’ servers. Our hosting provider processes your device’s IP address in order to deliver the page to you and keep the site secure.
The Kin Circles app only stores information on your device where this is strictly necessary to keep you signed in, remember your settings, and deliver the push notifications you choose to switch on. Because this storage is strictly necessary to provide the service you have asked for, we do not ask for cookie consent. We do not use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies.
12. Children
Kin Circles is not intended for anyone under the age of 18.
13. Changes to this policy
We will notify users of material changes to this policy via the app or email.