SignalDeck Circle

Privacy Policy

Effective September 10, 2026

What Circle collects

Circle collects account information such as your email address, display name, authentication identifiers, circle memberships, invitations, and profile or device images. When you use an optional identity provider such as Google, Circle may copy the display name and profile picture included in that provider's verified sign-in data to personalize your Circle profile. You can replace that picture in Circle settings.

When you enable tracking, Circle collects precise location in the foreground and background, including when the app is closed. Location records can include time, accuracy, speed, heading, battery and charging status, device identifiers, motion signals, and road context returned by SignalDeck RoadContextService.

If you enable the related Android permissions, Circle can record whether the device was in use while driving and Bluetooth connection, disconnection, or nearby-device observations. Circle does not read message content, calls, typed text, or the content displayed by other apps.

How Circle uses information

Circle uses this information to share location with circles you choose, show current device locations, create arrival and leave alerts, build location and drive history, detect driving events, remember where Bluetooth devices disconnected, send notifications, secure accounts, and operate the service.

Circle does not sell personal information and does not use precise location for advertising. Circle currently contains no advertising SDK.

Who can see information

Members can see information shared into circles they belong to according to Circle's sharing controls. Extra devices and Bluetooth records remain private to their owner unless the owner deliberately exposes a device location through the map controls.

Circle uses infrastructure providers necessary to operate the service, including Firebase Cloud Messaging for notifications, Google identity services for optional Google sign-in, Google Workspace for account and service email, and SignalDeck map services. Those providers receive only the information needed to provide their service.

If you choose Search address or place on Android, the text you submit is sent to the geocoding service configured on your device. Circle does not log that search text. You can position a place manually on the map instead. A search result is not saved as a shared Circle place until you select it and save the place.

Retention and security

Raw location samples are retained for 30 days by default. Current location and device status are stored separately so the map can show the latest state. Operational, account, invite, geofence, drive, and audit records can be retained longer where needed to operate and secure Circle.

Circle transmits data over HTTPS. On Android, Circle encrypts authentication tokens and queued location payloads with an app key held by Android Keystore, and excludes private app data from Android backup. On iOS, Circle stores the signed-in session credential, including access and refresh tokens and cached account and circle details, as one device-only Keychain item available after first unlock. The iOS installation identifier is stored in a separate Keychain item with the same protection. Circle replaces the iOS session credential as one value during token refresh and clears it when you sign out or the server rejects an expired session.

On iOS, location samples awaiting upload are kept in an app-private SQLite queue that uses file protection, is excluded from backup, and is limited to 10,000 samples. A sample is removed after the server acknowledges it. Circle securely erases this queue during sign-out; if storage interrupts that cleanup, the app reports the failure and retries when it next opens without a signed-in credential. Circle keeps uploaded media outside the public web directory. Email verification and password-reset messages are queued reliably; their message bodies are removed from the queue after delivery, suppression, or permanent failure.

Your controls

Pausing sharing hides your location and shared history from other members, globally or in the circle you choose. Resuming starts a fresh location-sharing window; it does not reveal the raw location trail from the paused interval. Your own retained history remains available, and previously shared circle visit and drive summaries remain part of that circle's history while sharing is active. Notifications already delivered to another device cannot be recalled.

After account deletion, private image cleanup is queued for retry if storage is temporarily unavailable. Notification delivery records contain event and device references, not notification bodies or coordinates, and expire after a short recovery period. Choosing to pause sharing is separate from choosing whether to receive notifications about other members.

You can pause sharing, control circle visibility, manage place alerts, choose a primary shared device, replace your profile picture, remove uploaded device images, sign out a device, and request permanent account deletion. Deleting an account removes its location history, current location, devices, Bluetooth records, refresh tokens, memberships, profile media, and other account-linked data. Shared circles remain available to their remaining members.

Use Delete account if you no longer have the app. Signed-in Android and iOS users can delete their account directly from Circle settings.

Children and changes

Circle's private beta is intended for adults managing invited family and friend circles. It is not directed to children as an independently marketed service. A parent or guardian should manage any minor's participation and device permissions.

This policy will be updated when Circle's data practices or public availability change. The effective date above identifies the current version.

Contact

For privacy questions, account help, or data requests, contact support@signaldeck.net.