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Privacy Policy

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Note: This document is a draft prepared by the FamilyCart team. It is honest and accurate to how the app works today, but it is not a substitute for review by counsel. Independent legal review is recommended before relying on this document for any compliance regime beyond App Store submission.

Effective: April 28, 2026.

FamilyCart is a shared grocery-list app for families and households. We built it to be useful with the smallest reasonable amount of personal data, and to be honest about what we do and don’t collect. This page explains both.

What data we collect

When you use FamilyCart, the following information is associated with your device or family workspace:

  • Anonymous device ID. A random identifier generated the first time you open the app, stored locally on your device using iOS SecureStore. It identifies your device within a family — not you as a person.
  • Family membership. Which families your device belongs to, the name you provided when you joined or created a family, and your role (admin or member).
  • Grocery list content. The stores, items, and favorites you and your family add to your shared list.
  • Optional email address. If you choose to enable cross-device sign-in via a magic link, FamilyCart stores the email address you provide so we can deliver future sign-in links. Sign-in by email is optional — the app works without it.

By default, FamilyCart does not require any personally identifying information. You don’t need to give us your name, email, phone number, or location to use the app.

What we do not collect

  • No advertising identifiers and no advertising tracking.
  • No third-party analytics in the app — no Google Analytics, no Mixpanel, no equivalent service.
  • No tracking pixels, no cross-site tracking, and no behavioral profiles.
  • No location data.
  • No access to your contacts.
  • No photos or camera access beyond the optional in-app QR scanner used to join a family. The scanner reads a code and discards the camera frame; we don’t store images.

Where your data is stored

Your family’s data is stored in a managed PostgreSQL database operated by the FamilyCart team and hosted on Fly.io. Each family’s data is logically isolated to that family’s workspace; data belonging to one family is never returned to a device that isn’t a member of that family.

A small number of families that were created with earlier versions of FamilyCart still have data stored in Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore). We are migrating that data to the new database, and once the migration is complete, Firebase will no longer be used. While the migration is in progress, the same isolation rules apply: a family’s data is only accessible to members of that family.

If you enable email-based sign-in, the email address you provide is also stored in the database. Magic-link emails are delivered via Resend, our transactional email provider, which receives only the email address and the link to send. Resend does not use the address for any other purpose.

Third parties

FamilyCart relies on a small number of service providers to operate the app. None of them sells your data, runs ads against it, or builds profiles from it.

Data retention and deletion

We keep your data for as long as your device is part of a family and the family exists. The following deletions happen automatically:

  • When a member is removed from a family (by an admin or by leaving voluntarily), that member’s membership record is deleted.
  • When you delete the FamilyCart app from your device, the local copies of your device ID and family information are removed from the device. The shared family list itself remains for the rest of your household.

For deletion of all data associated with your device, your email address (if you enabled sign-in), or an entire family, email contact@optiwise.us with the request. We action deletion requests as quickly as we can, and we will confirm in writing once the deletion is complete.

Children’s data

FamilyCart is rated 4+ and is designed for general family use. The app collects no information that would identify a child specifically — children using FamilyCart inside a family workspace are subject to the same minimal-data practices as any other member.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information to FamilyCart (for example, by enabling email sign-in with their own address), please contact us at contact@optiwise.us and we will delete it.

International users

FamilyCart is built and operated from the United States. The app collects minimal data, sets no cookies, and runs no third-party trackers.

If you live in a jurisdiction with stronger privacy regulations — for example the European Union’s GDPR or California’s CCPA — you keep all rights granted to you by your local law, including the rights to access, correct, and delete personal data we hold about you. Requests under those regimes can be sent to contact@optiwise.us.

This draft does not yet contain the formal disclosures, request forms, and process language required by GDPR or CCPA in full. Counsel review is recommended before publishing FamilyCart in markets where those regimes apply in full force.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the app evolves or as legal requirements change. The Effective date at the top of the page will change when the document is updated, and substantive changes will be summarised at the top of the new version. Continued use of FamilyCart after a change indicates acceptance of the updated Policy.

Contact

For privacy questions, data-deletion requests, or anything covered by this Policy, email contact@optiwise.us.

For general support questions about FamilyCart that aren’t about privacy, email support@familycart.app.