Effective date: 20 May 2026
This Policy explains what personal information Huddle collects, why it is used, when it is shared, how long it is kept, and what rights and choices you have.
1. Scope
This Policy applies to Huddle's app, websites, support channels, and all features including messaging, social feed, map, care marketplace, subscriptions, and identity verification.
2. What Huddle collects
Huddle may collect the following categories of information:
- Account information: email address, password credentials, date of birth, and phone number.
- Sign-in information: where you use Apple Sign-In, the Apple subject identifier and any email Apple provides. Huddle receives only what Apple shares, which may be a private relay address.
- Profile and pet information: display name, photos, social handle, bio, location name, pet name, species, date of birth, weight, photos, and publicly shared pet details.
- Identity verification data: legal name, government-issued ID or passport document data, payment method confirmation through our payment partner, and liveness or human-presence data captured via the device camera to confirm a real person is present and to prevent fraud. Document data is processed for verification only. Huddle does not store raw facial templates or biometric identifiers after verification completes.
- Security credentials: two-factor authentication (TOTP) enrolment status. Biometric credentials (Face ID, Touch ID) are stored on your device only and are never transmitted to Huddle.
- Content and communications: messages, social posts, comments, media uploads, care booking details, handoff records, Start PIN events, mid-care photos, check-in submissions, emergency contact, care instructions, and medication, allergy, and behaviour notes submitted in bookings.
- Payment and subscription data: subscription tier and billing status, billing events, refund and dispute records, and limited payment metadata. Raw card numbers are not stored by Huddle.
- Device and app data: device type, operating system, app version, push notification token, IP address, and crash data.
- Location data: coordinates and timestamps where you enable location or pin your location on the map, including pin expiry information.
- Trust and safety data: phone-verification status, identity-verification status, fraud signals, moderation records, and complaint records.
- Support information: messages and correspondence sent through support channels.
- Third-party data from app stores, payment partners, analytics providers, and other users where relevant.
3. How Huddle uses information
Huddle uses information to:
- Authenticate accounts and support sign-in methods including email/password, Apple Sign-In, biometric login, and two-factor authentication.
- Provide messaging, discovery, social feed, map, care marketplace, subscription, and identity-verification features.
- Process care bookings, payments via Stripe, and provider payouts via Stripe Connect.
- Deliver push notifications via Expo.
- Personalise content, recommendations, and in-app experience.
- Detect and prevent fraud, enforce policies, and protect platform safety.
- Resolve disputes, process refunds, and maintain booking and payment records.
- Comply with law, respond to legal process, and protect the rights and safety of users, pets, and the public.
- Improve, analyse, and develop the service.
4. When Huddle shares information
Huddle may share information with:
- Supabase — database, authentication, real-time messaging, and storage infrastructure.
- Stripe — payment processing and provider payout services via Stripe Connect.
- Mapbox — map tile rendering and address lookup.
- Expo — push notification delivery.
- Apple and Google — app distribution, in-app purchase processing, and Apple Sign-In.
- Other users — profile information, map pins, social posts, and booking details shared with your counterpart as required to provide the feature you are using.
- Analytics, measurement, or advertising partners — subject to applicable law and any required consent or opt-out.
- Legal authorities — where required by law, court order, or to protect safety.
- Parties in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
5. Location and map data
If you pin your location on the map, your approximate location is visible to other users for the duration of your pin. You can remove your pin at any time through the map. Location data may also be used for nearby discovery, care matching, alert features, fraud prevention, and analytics. You can manage location access in your device settings.
6. Retention and security
Huddle retains information for as long as needed for service operation, legal compliance, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, and safety. Huddle uses technical and organisational controls to protect information. No system is completely secure. Where required by law, Huddle will notify affected users or authorities of data breaches.
7. Age rules
Huddle is for users aged 13 and above. Discover, stranger chat, and certain social features are limited to users aged 16 and above. Identity verification and care marketplace access require users to be at least 18. Huddle uses age data, feature gating, and enforcement to apply these limits.
8. International transfers
Information may be processed outside your country. Where required by law, Huddle applies appropriate transfer safeguards.
9. Your rights and choices
Depending on applicable law, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or receive a copy of your personal information, to withdraw consent where processing is consent-based, and to opt out of certain marketing or advertising uses. To exercise these rights, see Privacy Choices.
10. Deleting your account
You can delete your Huddle account at any time from Account → Delete Account in the app. When you delete your account, your profile, photos, posts, pets, chats, and uploaded content are permanently removed, and your email is removed from Huddle's mailing lists. Huddle may retain a minimal record — such as hashed identifiers, moderation history for banned accounts, and transaction records — where required by law, to prevent abuse, or to resolve disputes.
If you would like a copy of your data before deleting, email support@huddle.pet and Huddle will respond within 30 days where required by applicable law.