Privacy policy
Last updated: October 21, 2026
circle is a private place to share photos and everyday moments with the people you invite. This page explains what we keep about you, who is allowed to see it, and how to have it removed. We wrote it in plain language on purpose — if anything here is unclear, email us and we'll explain it.
Who runs circle
circle is operated by the circle team, an independent developer. This policy covers the circle website and the circle iPhone app. It does not cover other services you reach through a link, or what other people do with content they are allowed to see.
What we collect
- Account details. Your email address, a password (stored only as an unreadable hash), your display name and your username. If you sign in with Apple, we receive the name and email address you chose to share with Apple.
- Photos you upload. Pictures for posts, 24-hour stories and your profile picture. Photos keep the details your camera embeds in the file — the date, and sometimes the location, where it was taken. We do not strip those details.
- Words you write. Captions on photos and comments on photos and stories.
- Circle connections. The list of people you invited and the people who accepted, so we know who is allowed to see what.
- Notification settings. If you switch on story notifications, we keep a device registration token for your phone so we can tell Apple and Google where to send the alert. The alert itself says only that someone commented — never what they said.
- Basic server records. Like most websites, our hosting provider records technical details about requests, such as the time a request was made and the type of device used.
What we do not do
We do not sell your personal information. We do not show advertising in circle, and we do not run an advertising network. We do not track you across other companies' apps or websites. We do not have a public feed, a follower count, or a like button — nothing here is designed to measure your popularity.
Who can see your photos
Your posts, stories and profile picture are visible only to people who have accepted your invitation and whose invitations you have accepted. Nobody else — not other circle users, not search engines — can browse your content. When a page shows one of your photos, it uses a temporary link that stops working after a few minutes, so photos are not served from a public folder.
One honest limitation: once a person in your circle can see a photo, they can screenshot or save it. Short-lived links make casual sharing harder; they are not a lock.
One honest limitation: once a person in your circle can see a photo, they can screenshot or save it. Short-lived links make casual sharing harder; they are not a lock.
Who helps us run circle
- Lovable Cloud — provides the account system, the database and the private photo storage that hold circle's data.
- Apple and Google Firebase — deliver optional push notifications to your phone, if you switch them on.
- Apple — confirms your identity when you sign in with Apple.
How long we keep things
Posts, captions, comments and your profile live until you delete them or delete your account. Stories disappear from everyone's view 24 hours after you post them. If you delete your account, your profile, photos, stories, comments, connections and notification registrations are removed as part of that process. Automated backups and server records are not something we can promise are erased on a fixed schedule — ask us and we'll tell you what applies to you.
Your choices
- Edit your profile any time from Profile → settings: your name and username can be changed.
- Turn notifications off in Profile → settings. Your phone stops receiving story alerts.
- Delete your account from Profile → settings → Delete my account. Type DELETE to confirm. This removes your private photos and your account, and it cannot be undone.
- Ask for a copy of your data, or ask us to correct or remove something we hold about you, by emailing us. We handle these requests by hand, so please give us a few days.
How we protect things
Everything between your phone and circle travels over an encrypted connection. Your photo storage is private, not a public folder, and the rules about who can read it are enforced by the database itself rather than by the app. Passwords are stored as one-way hashes, so nobody can read them back. We do not claim your photos are end-to-end encrypted — our hosting provider can access storage in order to keep the service running.
Children
circle is for people 13 and older. We do not knowingly accept anyone younger. If you are a parent who believes a child under 13 has an account, email us and we will remove it.
If this policy changes
When we change it, we update the date at the top of this page. If a change matters a lot — for example, a new way your data would be shared — we'll tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect.
Talk to us
One address, read by a person on the circle team: support@yourcircle.life