Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy describes how Decoded Lemon ("we," "us," or "our") handles information in connection with Family Equity Kids (the "Kids App"), the children's companion app to Family Equity (the "Main App"). The Kids App is designed for children and is built around a simple principle: collect as little as possible. It has no user accounts, no advertising, no analytics or tracking SDKs, and no way for a child to enter personal information beyond short chore-request messages that are only visible to their own family.
Because the Kids App is used by children, it can only function after a parent or legal guardian deliberately sets it up. A parent must pair each device from their own Family Equity account, and this pairing constitutes the parent's consent to the limited data processing described below.
1. No Accounts, No Registration
The Kids App has no sign-up, login, email, password, or profile creation of any kind. A child cannot create an account or share personal details with us through the Kids App. All account-level information (the household, the parent's account, and each child's display name and avatar) is created and managed by a parent inside the Main App and is governed by the Main App's Terms and privacy practices.
2. Information the Kids App Processes
To show a child their chores, the Kids App accesses a narrow slice of the household data that a parent has already created in the Main App:
- Pairing code: a short, single-use code generated by a parent in the Main App. It expires after one hour and is exchanged for a device token.
- Device token: a random credential stored only on the paired device (in the operating system's secure storage). It identifies the device to our servers and is scoped to a single child in a single household. It is not an advertising identifier and is not shared with anyone.
- Child display info: the first name or nickname and avatar that the parent chose for the child in the Main App.
- Chore data: the chores assigned to that child, their schedules, and completion marks the child makes in the Kids App.
- Chore requests: short messages a child sends to ask a parent to add a chore. These are visible only to the child's own household.
The Kids App does not collect or access: precise or approximate location, contacts, photos, camera, microphone, browsing history, advertising identifiers, or any behavioural analytics. It requests no sensitive device permissions.
3. How Information Is Used
The information above is used solely to operate the app: to display the child's chores, record completions, deliver chore requests to the parent, and verify (on every request) that the device is still paired and the household's subscription is active. We do not use any of this data for advertising, profiling, or marketing, and we never sell or share it with third parties for their own purposes.
4. Children's Privacy and Parental Control
The Kids App is intended for children under parental supervision, and parents remain in control at all times:
- Only a parent or legal guardian with a Family Equity account can pair a device — a child cannot connect the app on their own.
- Parents can see every paired device in the Main App and can revoke access instantly at any time, which immediately cuts the device off from all household data.
- All of the child's data is created, viewed, and deleted by the parent through the Main App.
We design our children's data practices to align with applicable children's privacy laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) in South Africa, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the GDPR's provisions on children's data, in each case where applicable. If you believe a device has been paired without appropriate parental consent, contact us and we will revoke it and delete the associated device record.
5. Data Stored on the Device
The only data the Kids App persists on the device is the device token (kept in the operating system's secure storage) and a temporary cache of the chore list for offline viewing. Uninstalling the app removes both. Revoking the device from the Main App invalidates the token server-side even if the app remains installed.
6. Third-Party Services
The Kids App relies on a small set of infrastructure providers to function:
- Supabase — cloud database and API hosting for the household's chore data (the same backend used by the Main App).
- Expo / EAS — the framework and build service used to develop and ship the app.
These providers process data only on our behalf to deliver the service. The Kids App contains no advertising networks, no social media SDKs, and no third-party analytics.
7. Data Security
All communication between the Kids App and our servers is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). The Kids App has no direct database access: every request goes through narrowly-scoped server functions that validate the device token and return only the data belonging to that one child. Device tokens are stored in the platform's secure keystore, not in plain storage.
8. Data Retention and Deletion
Chore data belongs to the parent's household account and is retained as part of that account. Parents can delete individual chores, unpair devices, or delete the entire household account (including all children's data) through the Main App at any time. Revoked device tokens are invalidated immediately. Expired pairing codes are unusable after one hour.
9. Your Rights
Rights over a child's data — access, correction, deletion, and objection — are exercised by the child's parent or legal guardian, either directly through the Main App or by contacting us at the address below. We will respond to verified requests within a reasonable period as required by applicable law.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by the "Last Updated" date above, and where the change meaningfully affects children's data we will notify parents through the Main App.
11. Contact Us
Questions about this Privacy Policy or your child's data can be sent to:
Email: chore-equity@decoded.ltd
Terms & Conditions
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern the use of the Family Equity Kids app. The Kids App is a companion to the Main App and cannot be used independently: it only works once a parent or legal guardian with an active Family Equity household has paired the device.
1. Relationship to Family Equity
The Kids App is an extension of a household created in the Main App. The parent's agreement to the Family Equity Terms of Service — including its provisions on data, subscriptions, and liability — applies to all use of the Kids App within that household. Where these Terms and the Main App Terms overlap, the Main App Terms govern the household account and these Terms govern the paired device.
2. Parental Consent and Responsibility
2.1. The Kids App is intended for use by children. By pairing a device, the parent or legal guardian accepts these Terms on the child's behalf and consents to the child's use of the app.
2.2. The parent is responsible for supervising the child's use of the app and the device it is installed on, and for deciding which chores and information are appropriate to assign to the child.
2.3. Only a parent or guardian who controls the household in the Main App may generate pairing codes. Pairing a device you are not authorised to pair is prohibited.
3. Pairing and Device Tokens
3.1. Pairing codes are single-use and expire after one hour. A successful pairing issues a device token that identifies the device to our servers.
3.2. Parents may revoke any paired device at any time from the Main App. Revocation takes effect immediately.
3.3. You must not attempt to extract, copy, or reuse a device token, or to use it to access data belonging to another child or household.
4. Free App — No Purchases, No Ads
The Kids App is free to download and contains no in-app purchases and no advertising. Its features depend on the household's Family Equity Pro subscription, which is purchased and managed by the parent in the Main App. If the household's Pro subscription lapses, the Kids App displays a locked screen until it is restored; the pairing itself is preserved. All billing matters are governed by the Main App Terms and the policies of the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
5. Acceptable Use
You (and the child, under your supervision) agree not to:
- Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the app.
- Access or attempt to access our servers other than through the app's intended interfaces, including via automated scripts, bots, or scrapers.
- Use chore-request messages to transmit abusive, unlawful, or harmful content.
- Circumvent, or attempt to circumvent, device revocation or subscription enforcement.
6. Service Availability and "As-Is" Disclaimer
The Kids App is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. We do not warrant that syncing will be uninterrupted or error-free; network drops or cloud provider maintenance (Supabase or Expo) may temporarily affect the app, in which case it shows a friendly offline screen. We may modify or discontinue features at any time.
7. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Decoded Lemon shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from use of the Kids App, including loss of data, missed or duplicated chore completions, or disputes over household chores. Nothing in these Terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, including under consumer protection laws applicable to you.
8. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any legal action arising under these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the courts of South Africa.
9. Changes to These Terms
We may modify these Terms from time to time. If a revision is material, we will provide at least 14 days' notice to parents via the Main App before the new terms take effect. Continued use of the Kids App after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, bug reports, or legal inquiries regarding these Terms, please contact us at:
Email: chore-equity@decoded.ltd