Table of Contents
1. Overview
Clubchat ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have regarding your data when you use the Clubchat mobile application ("App") and related services.
By using Clubchat, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
Information you provide directly
| Data | Details |
|---|---|
| Phone number | Collected during sign-up via SMS verification. Used solely for authentication. |
| Username | 3-20 characters, unique identifier visible to other users. |
| Date of birth | Used to verify you are at least 13 years old. Not displayed publicly. |
| Gender | Selected during onboarding. Visible on your profile. |
| Interests / tags | Up to 20 tags describing your interests. Used for matching and club discovery. |
| Profile photo | Optional. Stored in Firebase Storage and visible to other users. |
| School | Optional. Used to connect you with school community clubs. |
Information collected automatically
| Data | Details |
|---|---|
| FCM token | Firebase Cloud Messaging token registered on your device for push notifications. |
| Match history | Records of who you've been matched with, when, and in which club. |
| Exclusion list | A list of user IDs you have skipped, so they are not shown to you again. |
| Club memberships | Which clubs you have joined and when. |
| Daily match usage | A count of matches used today (for free-tier limit enforcement). Resets daily. |
| Club activity | When you are actively using a club for matching. Expires automatically after 5 minutes. |
| Random bucket | A randomly assigned number (0-999) used to power the matching algorithm. Not personally identifiable. |
| Subscription status | Your current subscription tier, product ID, and expiration date. Synced from Apple. |
| Block records | Users you have blocked or who have blocked you. |
| Report records | Reports you have submitted against other users. |
| Messages | Private one-on-one messages sent between matched users. |
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Create and manage your account.
- Verify your identity and age through phone authentication.
- Match you with other users based on shared interests and club memberships.
- Deliver push notifications about matches and messages.
- Enforce subscription tier limits (clubs, daily matches).
- Enforce community safety measures (blocking, reporting).
- Provide school-based community features.
- Improve and maintain the Service.
- Prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms of Service.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising purposes.
4. Data Storage & Infrastructure
Clubchat is built on Google Firebase and Google Cloud Platform. Your data is stored and processed on the following services:
- Firebase Authentication - stores your phone number and authentication credentials.
- Cloud Firestore - stores your profile, clubs, messages, matches, and all app data. Primary region: us-central1.
- Firebase Storage - stores your profile images. Primary region: us-central1.
- Firebase Cloud Functions - processes all backend operations. Primary region: us-central1.
- Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) - delivers push notifications to your device.
All data is stored in the United States. By using Clubchat, you consent to the transfer and storage of your data in the US.
5. Data Retention
We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service.
- Profile data - retained until you delete your account.
- Messages - retained until deleted by you or through account deletion.
- Club activity - automatically expires 5 minutes after your last activity in a club.
- Daily match counts - reset daily at midnight UTC.
- Match history - retained for the lifetime of your account.
When you delete your account, we permanently delete your profile, username, club memberships, FCM tokens, block records, report records, and profile images. See Section 8 for full details.
6. Third-Party Services
Clubchat integrates the following third-party services:
| Service | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase / GCP | Authentication, database, storage, functions | All app data |
| Apple App Store | Subscription billing and verification | Transaction receipts, product IDs |
| Apple DeviceCheck / App Attest | App integrity verification (production only) | Device attestation tokens |
| Apple Push Notification Service (via FCM) | Delivery of push notifications on iOS | Device push tokens |
Each third party is governed by their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review Google's and Apple's privacy policies.
7. Push Notifications
Clubchat may send push notifications to inform you of:
- New matches.
- New messages from other users.
- Join request updates (approvals or denials).
Push notifications require your consent, which is requested when you first open the app. You can disable notifications at any time from your device settings or from within the Clubchat app. Disabling notifications will unregister your FCM token from our servers.
8. Your Rights & Controls
Access & Update
You can view and update your profile information (username, interests, photo, school, notification preferences) at any time within the app.
Delete Your Account
You can permanently delete your account from within the app. This will delete:
- Your user profile and public username.
- Your club memberships.
- Your FCM push tokens.
- Your block and report records.
- Your profile image from storage.
- Your Firebase Authentication record.
Note: conversations may remain visible to other participants. Match history records referencing your user ID are also deleted. Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.
Block Users
You can block any user to prevent them from appearing in your matches and to stop receiving messages from them.
Notification Preferences
You can opt out of push notifications from the app settings or your device's notification settings at any time.
Data Requests
If you wish to request a copy of your personal data or have specific questions about your data, contact us at support@clubchat.app.
9. Children's Privacy
Clubchat is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from users under 13. Date of birth is required during registration and accounts belonging to users under 13 are not permitted.
If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, please contact us at support@clubchat.app and we will delete the account promptly.
10. Data Security
We take the security of your data seriously and implement the following measures:
- All data is stored on Google Firebase, which provides encryption at rest and in transit.
- Firebase Security Rules restrict Firestore and Storage access.
- All API endpoints require Firebase Authentication. Unauthenticated requests are rejected.
- App Check (Apple DeviceCheck / App Attest) is enforced in production to verify requests originate from the legitimate Clubchat app.
- Rate limiting is applied to all endpoints to prevent abuse.
While we take reasonable precautions, no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will provide notice through the app. Continued use of Clubchat after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
12. Contact
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at:
support@clubchat.app