Privacy Policy

Herde Care helps a community gather around someone going through a life event and turn care into concrete help. To do that, we hold a small amount of your information. This page explains what we keep, why we keep it, who can see it, and how to take it all back.

Information we collect

We only ask for what a care group needs to run. Here is everything we collect, and the feature each piece is there to support.

  • Account and sign-in details. Your email address and a password, handled through our authentication provider, so you can create and secure an account. Your session tokens are encrypted at rest on your own device (AES, backed by the device’s secure storage) rather than stored in plain text.

  • Profile details. Optional information you choose to add so other members can recognize and reach you within a Herde: username, full name, gender, date of birth, city, state, country, time zone, a short bio, and a phone number. Most of these are optional — you are not asked to fill them all in to sign up.

  • Profile photo. If you add an avatar, the image is uploaded to our file storage and served from a public URL so it can appear next to your name.

  • Push notification token. If you allow notifications, we store your device’s push token so we can let a Herde organizer know when someone volunteers or withdraws and remind volunteers of upcoming commitments. This token is removed when you sign out.

  • Location permission. The app may ask for foreground-only device location (never background tracking) for Herde-discovery features. This is not required to use the app, and no live feature currently relies on it.

  • Address text you type. Where address autocomplete is enabled, the address text you type is sent to Google Maps Platform to offer suggestions. This is the text you enter, not your device’s GPS location, and it is turned off entirely when address autocomplete is not configured.

  • Herde content. The Herde names and descriptions, service and time-slot details, and volunteer sign-ups that you and other members create. This is stored so the group can coordinate and is visible only to the members of that specific Herde.

How we use your information

We use your information to run Herde Care and nothing more surprising than that. In practice, that means we use it to:

  • create your account and keep it secure;

  • show your name and avatar to other members of a Herde you belong to;

  • coordinate services and volunteer sign-ups within a Herde;

  • send the notifications that keep organizers and volunteers in sync; and

  • offer address suggestions when you type one in.

We do not use analytics, advertising, or third-party tracking software in the app, and we do not sell your information.

Who can see your information

Herdes are closed groups, joined by invite code — they are not open to everyone using Herde Care. The profile details you add and the sign-ups you make are visible to the other members of that specific Herde, so the group can coordinate. They are not shown to the wider Herde Care community.

Beyond your Herde, the only others who handle your information are the service providers we rely on to run the app, described next. We share your information with them only so those services can work, and we do not sell it to anyone.

Third-party services we rely on

We work with a small number of trusted providers who process information on our behalf so the app can function:

  • Supabase — our database, authentication, and file storage.

  • Expo (Expo Application Services) — delivery of push notifications through the Expo Push service.

  • Google Maps Platform — address autocomplete only, and only when that feature is enabled.

How long we keep it

We keep your information for as long as you have an account, and until you ask us to delete it or delete your account yourself. We do not hold it longer than we need to.

Your choices and deleting your account

You can delete your account and everything in it at any time from Profile → Delete Account in the app. This is immediate and self-service — you do not need to email us to do it.

Please note that deleting your account also deletes any Herde that account owns, along with everything inside them. If you are the owner of a Herde that others still rely on, you may want to arrange that before you delete your account.

You can also update or clear most of your profile details directly in the app at any time, and you can turn notifications on or off through your device settings.

Children's privacy

Herde Care is not directed at children. It is not intended for anyone under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with information, please reach out and we will remove it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time as the app grows or the law requires. When we make a material change, we will reflect it here and update the date at the top of the page. Please check back now and then.

How to reach us

If you have a question about this policy or about your information, we would genuinely like to hear from you. Write to us at Hello@joinherde.com.

Herde Care is operated by Herde LLC, Colorado, USA.