Privacy Policy
Effective date: [launch date]
Who we are: Textbound is made by [developer name] ("we", "us"). Contact: support@textbound.app.
Where it's available: Textbound is offered only in the United States, only to adults 18 and older.
The short version
- Textbound is an interactive story. Your character, Vantar, is AI, not a person.
- To write his replies, we send your story messages and the facts he remembers to our AI provider, [AI provider]. We use a paid plan whose terms say your data isn't used to train its models.
- We don't sell your personal information, and we don't use your chats for advertising.
- You can see and edit what Vantar remembers. You can delete your chats, his memory, or your whole account in the app at any time.
- Chats are kept for 180 days. After that, the full text is deleted and only a short story summary stays. Deletions are completed within 30 days.
1. What we collect
| What | Examples | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | that you confirmed you're 18+, and when | you (date of birth is checked on your device; we don't store it) |
| Profile | first name or nickname, pronouns, time zone, preferred story time ("your evening") | you |
| Story messages | what you write to Vantar, your story choices, his replies | you and the AI |
| Memory | facts Vantar picks up from your messages (e.g. "your sister is Maya") | generated from your messages; editable in "What he knows" |
| Account and purchase info | an app account ID, subscription status, trial dates. We never see your card or Apple Account password. | Apple, via RevenueCat |
| App activity | screens viewed, buttons tapped, notification opened, message counts, how long a session lasts | the app |
| Safety records | that a safety check fired (category and time), without your message text; reports you submit, including the reported message | the app, you |
| Device and diagnostics | device model, iOS version, crash logs | the app |
| Advertising attribution | which ad led to your install or trial; an advertising identifier only if you allow tracking in the iOS prompt | Meta SDK, Apple AdServices |
| Waitlist | your email address, if you sign up on this website | you |
| Support messages | emails you send us | you |
Story messages can include personal things you choose to share, such as feelings, health or relationships. Please share only what you're comfortable with. You can delete any of it at any time.
We don't collect your contacts, photos, precise location, or microphone audio.
2. Why we use it
| Purpose | Data used |
|---|---|
| Run the story: write Vantar's replies, remember things, send texts at your chosen times | profile, story messages, memory |
| Keep you safe: detect possible crisis messages and show crisis resources; block content that breaks our rules; review reports | story messages (checked automatically), safety records, reports |
| Keep it adults-only | eligibility |
| Process subscriptions and free trials | account and purchase info |
| Understand what works and fix bugs | app activity, diagnostics |
| Measure our ads (which ads lead to installs and trials) | advertising attribution, purchase events |
| Tell you when Textbound launches | waitlist email (one launch email; unsubscribe any time) |
| Meet legal duties, for example annual reports of how many crisis referrals we showed (no personal information is included) | safety records (counts only) |
We don't use your story messages or memory to target ads, and we don't send them to advertising partners.
3. Who we share it with
We share data only with service providers that work for us under contract, and only what each one needs:
| Provider | What they get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| [AI provider] (AI model) | your recent story messages, the facts Vantar remembers, your first name, pronouns and story time | to write Vantar's replies and check messages for safety, under a paid tier whose terms say inputs and outputs aren't used for training |
| [backup AI provider] | the same, only when the main provider is unavailable | same, under the same no-training terms |
| RevenueCat | app account ID, purchase and trial status | to manage subscriptions |
| Apple | purchases and payments (Apple processes payment, not us); push notification delivery | App Store and notifications |
| Cloudflare (hosting) | this website and waitlist emails[; app data if hosted there] | to run the service |
| [email provider] | report notifications, including the reported message, and support emails | so we can review reports within 48 hours and answer you |
| Meta (Facebook SDK) | app install, trial-start and purchase events; device information; your advertising identifier only if you allow tracking | to measure and improve our ads. No story messages, memory, or safety events are ever sent to Meta. |
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect someone's safety, or as part of a sale or merger of our business. A buyer would have to keep the protections in this policy.
We don't sell or rent your personal information. We don't "share" it for cross-context behavioral advertising, except the Meta ad-measurement events above when you allow tracking.
4. How long we keep it
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Full story messages | 180 days. After that they're deleted and replaced by a short story summary so Vantar keeps continuity. |
| Story summary and memory | until you delete them or your account |
| Safety records (no message text) | [3 years], needed for annual reports |
| Reported messages | [180 days after the report is resolved] |
| Purchase records | as long as tax and accounting law requires |
| App activity and diagnostics | [13 months] |
| Waitlist email | until launch plus 90 days, or until you unsubscribe |
| Data with our AI providers | per their paid-tier terms, never used for training |
5. Your choices and controls
- See and edit memory: "What he knows" lists everything Vantar remembers. Edit or delete any item, or tap Forget everything.
- Delete chats: Settings > Your data > Delete all chats.
- Delete your account: Settings > Delete account. This deletes your account, chats, memory and settings.
- Timing: everything you delete disappears from the app right away and from our systems (including backups) within 30 days.
- Subscription: deleting your account doesn't cancel an Apple subscription. Cancel in iPhone Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions.
- AI provider consent: you can withdraw it in Settings > AI provider. Vantar then can't reply.
- Tracking: if you decline the iOS "Allow tracking" prompt, Meta gets no advertising identifier. You can change this any time in iPhone Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
- Notifications: optional. The app works without them. Turn them off in Settings, or use Discreet mode to hide names in notifications.
- Requests: to ask for a copy of your data, a correction, or a deletion, or with any other privacy question, email support@textbound.app. We'll respond within [30/45] days. Some US states give you extra rights, and we honor those requests where the law applies.
- Do Not Track: our app doesn't respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals. We do honor the iOS tracking setting.
6. Adults only
Textbound is for adults 18 and older. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn that a user is under 18, we lock the account and delete its data. If you think a minor is using Textbound, email support@textbound.app. AI companion chatbots may not be suitable for some minors.
7. Security
We encrypt data in transit and at rest, limit staff access, and keep message text out of our safety and analytics logs. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your personal information, we'll notify you as the law requires.
8. United States only
Textbound is offered only in the US, and your data is stored and processed in the US.
9. Changes
If we make a material change, especially to who receives your data or which AI provider we use, we'll tell you in the app and ask for your consent again where needed.
10. Contact
[developer name] · support@textbound.app · [postal address]