Privacy Policy

HabitHops ("we", "us", "the app") is a habit-tracking app that parents and guardians use to help their children build routines. Protecting your family's privacy is central to how the app is built: it is local-first, shows no behavioral advertising, uses no third-party tracking SDKs, and never sells your data.

This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and the choices and rights you have — including specific protections for children under 13 (COPPA).

1. Who this app is for

HabitHops is operated by a parent or guardian (18+), who creates the account and sets up profiles for their child(ren). A parent account is required to use the app, so the parent always sets it up first. Children do not create accounts or provide information directly to us; a parent enters and controls all data.

2. Information we collect

We collect the minimum needed to run the app:

• Parent account contact — the email address or phone number you use to sign in (verified by a one-time code).
• Child profile data you enter — a first name or nickname, the habits and routines you set up, completion records, and points/rewards. (Optional completion "proof" photos and voice input stay on your device — see §6.)
• Diagnostics — crash reports (via Google Firebase Crashlytics) to help us fix stability problems. These contain device/app technical data, not the content of your habits.

We do not collect location, contacts, advertising identifiers, photos, audio, or behavioral analytics about children.

3. How we use information

• To provide the core experience (track habits, award points, show progress).
• To authenticate the parent account and, if enabled, sync data across devices.
• To diagnose and fix crashes.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it for behavioral advertising.

4. Children's privacy (COPPA)

HabitHops is intended to be set up and managed by a parent or guardian. Because the app is used in family settings:

• Verifiable parental consent. Before any account is created or personal information is collected, we present a parental gate (an adult-only challenge) and obtain the parent's informed consent to this policy. Combined with the parent's verified email/phone, this is the COPPA "email-plus" consent method, used because we do not disclose children's personal information to third parties for advertising.
• We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 outside of what a parent enters and controls.
• Parental rights. At any time you may:
  • Review the personal information associated with your account/children;
  • Delete your account and all associated data (in-app: Parent settings → delete account, which removes synced records from our servers); and
  • Refuse further collection or use by deleting the app and/or account.
  To exercise these rights, use the in-app controls or contact us at privacy@habithops.com.

If you believe a child has provided us information without parental consent, contact us and we will delete it.

5. Service providers

We use Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Crashlytics) as a processor to provide sign-in, optional sync, and crash reporting. They process data on our behalf under their terms and do not receive it for their own advertising. We use no other third-party data processors.

6. Photos & voice

Completion "proof" photos are stored only on your device — they are never uploaded to our servers, never analyzed, and never shared. Optional voice input is processed by your device's built-in speech recognition to enter text; we do not record, store, or transmit audio.

7. Cloud sync & your account

HabitHops requires a parent account to use. Your progress data (kid profiles, habits, routines, completion records, points/rewards, reminders, and settings) is synced to your private Firebase account so it can be restored if you switch or replace a device. This sync excludes photos and voice, which stay on your device (see §6). No personal information is collected until a parent has created the account and given the consent described in §4.

8. Data retention & deletion

We keep data only while your account is active. Deleting your account removes the associated synced records from our servers. Locally stored data is removed when you delete the app.

9. Security

We use industry-standard measures (encrypted transport, access controls via Firebase). No system is perfectly secure, but we limit collection to reduce risk.

10. Data location

Data processed by Firebase may be stored on Google's infrastructure in India. By using the app you consent to this processing.

11. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes we will update the version above and prompt parents to review and re-consent on next use.

12. Contact

Questions or privacy/COPPA requests: privacy@habithops.com
Data controller: HabitHops.