Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

BetweenUs (“we”, “us”) is a private journaling and self-reflection companion for iOS. You can reach us at [email protected].

2. What this policy covers

This policy describes how we handle personal information in the BetweenUs iOS app and on the marketing website at betweenus.pages.dev. It does not cover third-party services you reach through links.

3. Information we collect

Account information

When you create an account we collect your first name, last name, email address, an authentication identifier, and the timestamp your account was created.

Journal content

The core of BetweenUs is your journal. We store the text you write, plus any optional stress level you attach to an entry. Entries are stored in our secure cloud database, encrypted in transit and at rest, and are readable only by you.

AI-derived reflections

When you ask for a reflection, we save the resulting analysis (attachment-style cues, emotional-intensity score, highlighted themes, growth suggestions) alongside the entry that produced it.

Partner pairing metadata (Bridge, opt-in)

If you enable Bridge mode and pair with a partner, we store the pairing relationship, climate snapshots, daily sync scores, and a rolling 30-day climate history. Raw journal entries are never shared with a paired partner.

The Lake (anonymous community)

If you post a thought to the Lake, the text you choose to share is stored anonymously, tagged with your attachment style, and made visible to other users. Posts are not linked to your name, email, or journal. You can delete your own posts at any time.

Usage counters

We track daily counts of AI analyses, Lake posts, and healing exercises you use, so we can enforce free-tier limits and show you your remaining allowance.

Subscription state

Your subscription tier, expiration date, active product identifier, and grace period are stored via our subscription-management provider. We do not see or store your payment information — that is handled entirely by Apple.

Biometric preference

We store a single flag: whether you have enabled biometric unlock (Face ID or Touch ID). Biometric data itself never leaves your device. We use Apple’s on-device authentication, which keeps your face or fingerprint templates in the Secure Enclave on your iPhone.

4. How we use information

• To provide the core journaling, reflection, Lake, and Bridge features you’ve opted into.
• To enforce free-tier usage limits and manage subscriptions.
• To respond to support requests you send us.
• To maintain the security and integrity of the service.

We do not use your journal entries for advertising, analytics profiling, or any training purpose.

5. AI processing

When you request a reflection on a journal entry, the text of that entry is sent over an encrypted connection from the app to our secure backend, which forwards it to a large-language-model provider for analysis. The provider returns a structured response containing attachment-style cues, emotional tone, highlighted themes, and growth suggestions, which we store alongside your entry.

Under our agreement with our AI provider, your inputs and outputs are not used to train foundation models. Your journal content is used only to generate the reflection you asked for.

6. Sharing & disclosure

We share data only with the processors needed to run the service:

• Authentication & cloud storage — account sign-in and encrypted database
• AI analysis provider — for generating reflections on the entries you choose to analyze
• Subscription management — for mirroring entitlement state across devices
• Apple App Store — for payment processing

Bridge mode. Only derived insights — climate snapshots, sync scores, and 30-day climate history — are shared with a paired partner. Raw journal entries are never shared, under any circumstances.

The Lake. Posts you publish to the Lake are visible to other BetweenUs users as anonymous thoughts tagged with your attachment style. Your name, email, and journal entries are never attached to Lake posts.

We do not sell your data. We do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.

7. Your rights

You can export, correct, or delete your data at any time from inside the app. Deleting your account permanently removes your journal entries, Lake posts, Bridge data, invites, climate history, and authentication record.

If you are in the EEA, UK, or California, you have additional rights under GDPR and CCPA respectively, including the right to know what we collect, the right to data portability, and the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. Email [email protected] to exercise any of these rights.

8. Data retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, your journal content and associated data are removed from our active systems. Backups age out on a 30-day rolling cycle.

9. Children’s privacy

BetweenUs is not intended for children under 16. If we learn we have collected personal information from a child under this age, we will delete it.

10. Security

We use TLS in transit and encryption at rest. Biometric unlock, if enabled, adds a device-level gate. No system is perfectly secure, but we treat your journal with the care it deserves.

11. International transfers

Our processors are based in the United States. Your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States under standard contractual clauses where required.

12. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we’ll notify you in the app before they take effect. The “Last updated” date at the top always reflects the current version.

13. Contact us

Questions about this policy? Email [email protected] — we aim to respond within two business days.