BusyHive

Our Commitment

BusyHive is designed with privacy as a core principle. We believe your family's data belongs to you and only you. This isn't just a policy—it's how we built the app.

What We DON'T Do

• No cloud storage: Your data is never sent to us or to any server
• No accounts: No email addresses, usernames, or passwords
• No tracking: No analytics, no cookies, no third-party SDKs
• No ads: We don't collect or sell your data to advertisers
• No cloud sync: Your data exists only on your own devices. If you choose to pair a kid's iPhone, the two devices talk directly to each other when they are near each other, with no server in between

What Data is Stored Locally

All data is stored on your own devices only, using iOS's secure local storage. By default that is one device; if you pair a kid's phone (see below), it is your device and that phone:

• Child names and profiles
• Chore lists and completion history
• Allowance balances and transaction history
• Photos taken as proof of completed chores
• Parent PIN (encrypted using iOS security features)

This data remains on your devices and can be deleted at any time by uninstalling the app or using the "Clear All Data" option in settings.

Syncing with a Kid's Phone

Sync is optional and does nothing until you pair a kid's iPhone with the parent's device. Once paired, the two devices keep each other up to date whenever both apps are open and near each other:

• Direct, device to device: Data travels over an encrypted local connection (Apple's MultipeerConnectivity) between the two phones. It needs no internet, no account and no server, and nothing is sent to us.
• From the parent's device to the kid's phone: that kid's name, emoji and balance, the chore list (with any before-photos), and that kid's chore and payout history. A kid's phone never receives another kid's data.
• From the kid's phone to the parent's device: the chores the kid completed, with any after-photo. Photos are shrunk before they are sent.
• Pairing: the parent's device shows a QR code (with the same 6-digit code underneath) that expires after 5 minutes, and the kid's phone scans it with its camera or the code is typed in. Each device then keeps a random secret in the iOS Keychain and uses it to check that it is talking to the right device every time. Only paired devices can sync.
• Local Network permission: iOS asks whether BusyHive may find devices on your local network. This is only used to find your paired devices nearby. If you say no, the app keeps working; it just can't sync.
• Unpairing: unpairing a kid's phone from the parent's device removes the synced data from that phone. "Clear All Data" also removes the pairing secrets from the device.

Photo Privacy

When kids take photos to prove chore completion:

• Photos are stored locally on your own devices only
• Photos are not uploaded to any server or cloud service
• Photos can be deleted individually or all at once
• The app only uses your camera when you tap "Take Photo" or scan a pairing code. Photos you take are kept inside BusyHive, not added to your Photos library, and scanning a code does not save or send any picture

Data Export

You can export your data at any time through the app's settings. Exported data is a JSON file that you control—share it, back it up, or delete it as you wish. Exports do not include your PIN or the secrets used to pair kid phones.

Children's Privacy

BusyHive is designed for families with children. We take children's privacy seriously and comply with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act):

• No personal information is collected from children
• No accounts or online profiles are created
• Parents have full control over all data through the PIN-protected settings
• All data remains on the family's own devices; nothing is sent to us, including when a kid's phone is paired

App Store Data

When you download BusyHive from the App Store, Apple collects basic information about the download. We do not have access to this information. Please see Apple's Privacy Policy for details on their data practices.

Changes to This Policy

If we make changes to this privacy policy, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Since the app doesn't send your data over the internet, we may also include a notice in app updates.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how BusyHive handles data, please contact us at: privacy@busyhive.caritos.com