Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to VoiceBond. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our location-based voice chat application.

By using VoiceBond, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not use the application.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you register for VoiceBond, we collect:

• Username
• Email address
• Phone number
• Full name
• Password (stored securely using encryption)
• Date of birth, to confirm you are 13 or older and to match you with rooms of your age group
• Profile picture and bio (optional)
• Preferred language

Location Data

VoiceBond is a location-based service. To provide our core functionality, we collect:

• GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude)
• Location accuracy
• Altitude (when available)
• Movement speed and heading (when available)
• Approximate location name

Communication Data

• Direct messages between users
• Voice chat participation (room joins, duration, role as talker or listener)
• Online status and last seen timestamps

User-Generated Content

• Ratings and feedback you provide to other users
• Descriptive words selected during ratings
• Reports submitted about other users, including the room you were in when you reported from a room
• Room titles and descriptions you create

Usage & Analytics Data

• App usage patterns and session duration
• Feature interactions
• Device type and operating system
• Registration platform (iOS, Android, Web)

Network & Safety Data

• Your network (IP) address is used at the moment of a request to limit abuse, such as repeated sign-in attempts, and to check that a claimed location is plausible. We do not store your IP address in our database; our hosting provider may keep short-lived technical logs.
• When you join a room we store a scrambled, one-way code derived from your network address, not the address itself. It lets us notice many accounts arriving from one place, a common sign of automated abuse.
• Activity signals used to detect automated accounts and synthetic voices: how many rooms an account joins and how quickly, how long it talks, whether it is in more than one room at once, and reports from other people in the room. We never record or analyse the audio of your conversations.
• Push notification tokens, if you turn notifications on.

Diagnostic Data

If the app hits an error, we receive a short technical report: the error message, the page it happened on (without any link parameters), the type of browser or device, and your account ID if you were signed in. Reports are used only to find and fix faults. They do not include your messages, your location or the content of any conversation.

Payment Information

If you subscribe, payment is handled by Apple (App Store), Google (Play Store), or Stripe when you subscribe on the website. We receive transaction IDs and subscription status but never see or store your payment card details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information to:

• Provide Core Services: Enable location-based discovery of nearby voice chat rooms and users
• Facilitate Communication: Allow you to participate in voice chats and send direct messages
• Build Trust: Calculate trust scores and display ratings to help users make informed connection decisions
• Ensure Safety: Monitor for violations of community guidelines and take moderation actions when necessary. Some safety actions are automatic: for example, a talker may be removed from a room when several people in that room report them. You can appeal a moderation action from your account status page
• Verify Accounts: Confirm your phone number by text message and your email address by link
• Fix Problems: Use diagnostic reports to find and repair faults
• Improve the App: Analyze usage patterns to enhance features and user experience
• Send Notifications: Deliver important updates, messages, and relevant alerts based on your preferences
• Process Payments: Manage subscriptions and premium features
• Provide Support: Respond to your inquiries and resolve issues

4. Data Sharing & Disclosure

With Other Users

Depending on your privacy settings, other users may see:

• Your username and profile information
• Your approximate location (for room discovery)
• Your online status
• Ratings and feedback you've received

Your exact location, phone number and email address are never shown to other users. Your real name is used in two places only: to sign an invitation you choose to send to a friend, and, if you signed up with someone's invitation code, to tell that person you have joined. They are told your first name and last initial, or your full name only if they sent the invitation directly to your own email address or phone number. Your username is never given to them; they would have to ask you for it. Internal safety and trust scores are used only by our systems and staff and are not shown to anyone, including you.

With Service Providers

We share only what each provider needs to do its job, with the companies that help us run the app:

• Vercel (website hosting) and Supabase (database and photo storage)
• LiveKit (carries live voice between people in a room; conversations are not recorded)
• Twilio (sends verification codes by text to your phone number)
• Resend (sends email, such as confirmation links, to your email address)
• Apple, Google and Stripe (payments and subscriptions)
• Apple and Google (delivery of push notifications)
• Google Maps (displays the map; map requests are made from your device)

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your information:

• Passwords are encrypted using industry-standard hashing algorithms
• Data transmission is protected using HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Access to user data is restricted to authorized personnel only
• Regular security audits and updates

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services:

• Account Data: Retained until you delete your account, then permanently deleted within 30 days
• Messages: Retained until deleted by users or account deletion; permanently removed within 30 days of account deletion
• Location Data: Current location is updated periodically and retained for up to 90 days; cleared immediately upon account deletion
• Voice Chat Data: Voice conversations are transmitted in real-time and not recorded or stored by VoiceBond
• Analytics: Anonymized and aggregated analytics may be retained indefinitely; personally identifiable analytics data is deleted within 90 days
• Moderation Records: Kept while your account exists, to keep rooms safe; deleted with your account
• Network Codes: The scrambled code derived from your network address is kept with your room history and deleted with your account
• Diagnostic Reports: Kept only as long as needed to fix the fault
• Payment Records: Subscriptions are processed by Apple, Google or Stripe, which keep their own transaction records under their policies; our record of your subscription is deleted with your account

You can request deletion of your account and data at any time through the app settings or by contacting privacy@voicebond.app. Upon account deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law. How to delete your account: voicebond.app/account-deletion.

7. Your Rights & Choices

You have the following rights regarding your data:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information via your profile settings
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Portability: Request your data in a portable format
• Opt-Out: Disable notifications, location services, or direct messages in settings
• Privacy Settings: Set your account to private to limit visibility

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@voicebond.app or use the in-app settings.

8. Children's Privacy

VoiceBond is intended for users aged 13 and older. Users between 13 and 18 years old must have parental or guardian consent to use the Service.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information without verified parental consent, we will delete it immediately.

If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with their information, please contact us at privacy@voicebond.app.

9. International Users

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. By using VoiceBond, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries where we operate. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international data transfers.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy in the app and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of VoiceBond after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: