Privacy Policy
Parent Trap reads the WhatsApp group chats you choose (and, if you turn it on, notifications from school apps you pick) and turns them into events, to-dos and notes. This policy says what we collect to do that, where it goes, and how you delete it.
What we collect
- Account details. Your email address and, if you choose Google sign-in, the name and email Google shares with us. Your password is stored by our authentication provider in hashed form; we never see it.
- WhatsApp link. When you link WhatsApp, we store the session keys WhatsApp issues to a linked device (the same mechanism as WhatsApp Web) and your phone number. They let our server receive messages for your account; they do not give us your WhatsApp password.
- Messages from the groups you pick. Text messages from the group chats you turn on in Settings, including the sender name, group name and time sent. Images are read only to extract text, such as a photographed flyer. We do not receive messages from chats you have not turned on.
- Notifications from apps you pick (optional). If you enable “Other apps” and grant Android notification access, Parent Trap reads the title and text of notifications from the apps you tick, and nothing from any other app. You can revoke this in Android settings at any time.
- What the app produces. The events, to-dos and notes created from those messages, your edits, your kids’ names and avatars, your language and reminder preferences.
- Weather location (optional). If you turn on weather for the Home screen, the app uses either your phone’s approximate location or a city you type. It is rounded to about 10 km and sent straight from your phone to Open-Meteo to fetch the forecast. It is kept only on your phone; our server never receives it. You can turn it off in Settings → Preferences.
- Device token. A push-notification token for your phone, so we can send reminders.
- Family sharing. If you invite a partner, they see the same items as you; we store the link between your accounts.
- Technical logs. Short-lived server logs (request paths, errors, timestamps) to keep the service running. Not used for profiling.
How we use it
Every message from a selected source is sent to an AI model, which decides whether it describes an event, a to-do, useful information, or nothing worth keeping. The result becomes a tile in your app; chit-chat is discarded. We also use your data to send the notifications you turned on, show the same items to a family member you invited, translate items into your chosen language, and fix problems you report. We do not use your messages or data to train AI models, build advertising profiles, or for any purpose other than running Parent Trap for you.
Who processes it on our behalf
| Provider | What it receives | Why |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | The text of each message from your selected sources, plus a few neighbouring messages for context | Classifying messages into events, to-dos and notes. OpenAI’s API terms exclude using this data to train its models. |
| Supabase | Your account, WhatsApp session keys (encrypted at rest), events, to-dos, notes, kids and settings | Sign-in and database hosting (EU region) |
| DigitalOcean | Messages in transit and short-lived logs | Hosting our server (London) |
| Google Firebase | Your device token and the title and text of each notification we send | Delivering push notifications |
| Open-Meteo | Your rounded location or chosen city, only if you turn on weather (sent directly from your phone) | Today’s forecast for the Home screen |
| Your Google account email and name, only if you choose Google sign-in | Sign-in |
We do not sell or rent your data, and we do not share it with anyone else, except where the law requires us to.
What we never do
- We never send messages, read receipts or any other activity on your WhatsApp account. The link is read-only, and our software blocks sending by design.
- We never read chats or apps you have not turned on. Un-tick one and it stops immediately.
- We never show ads, and we never sell, rent or share your data for marketing.
- We never use your messages to train AI models.
Storage and retention
Your data is stored on servers in the European Union (Supabase) and the United Kingdom (DigitalOcean, London). Message text sent to OpenAI for classification is processed in the United States and not kept by us beyond the result.
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Events, to-dos and notes | Until you delete them or delete your account |
| Raw messages from selected sources | A rolling window of the last 14 days (configurable up to 60); older messages are dropped |
| WhatsApp session keys | Until you unlink WhatsApp or delete your account |
| Device token | Until you turn off notifications, sign out or delete your account |
| Server logs | 7 days |
| Everything, after account deletion | Removed from live systems immediately and from backups within 30 days |
Your choices and deleting your data
- Choose which sources we read. Settings → Group chats and Settings → Other apps. Un-ticking stops it immediately.
- Unlink WhatsApp. Settings → About → Re-link WhatsApp, or remove the Parent Trap device from WhatsApp → Linked devices.
- Notifications. Settings → Notifications, per type.
- Edit or delete any item. Open it and change or delete it.
- Delete your account. Settings → About → Delete account removes your account, WhatsApp link, messages, items, kids and family links. You can also email stephan.aina@gmail.com and we will delete it within 7 days.
- See or export your data. Email us and we will send you a copy.
If you are in the EU or UK, you have the rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or port your data, and to object to processing, under the GDPR. Our legal basis is the contract with you (running the app you asked for) and, for optional features such as notifications, your consent. You can complain to your local data-protection authority.
Children, security and WhatsApp
Children. Parent Trap is for parents and carers and is not directed at children; you must be 18 or older to create an account. Messages in your groups may mention children by name; we treat that content like any other message and never use it to profile a child.
Security. All traffic is encrypted (HTTPS). WhatsApp session keys and your data are encrypted at rest. Access to the server is limited to the people who run Parent Trap, by key only. If we learn of a breach affecting your data, we will tell you without undue delay.
WhatsApp. Parent Trap is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by WhatsApp or Meta. It connects to your account as a linked device, like WhatsApp Web, and only reads. Linking third-party software may not be permitted by WhatsApp’s terms of service; you use this feature at your own discretion.
Changes and contact
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will tell you in the app before it takes effect. Questions, data requests or deletion requests: stephan.aina@gmail.com.