Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 29, 2026
Porchlight is a private home for family memories, made by Wave Agency. This page says plainly what we collect, why, and what we will never do with it.
What we collect
- Your name and cell number, when you join — the number is how you sign in, proven by a one-time texted code.
- An email address, if you add one — an optional backup way to sign in.
- What your family shares — photos, stories, voice notes, answers, capsules, and calendar entries. This content belongs to your family, not to us.
- Basic operational records — sign-in sessions and the minimum needed to run the service safely (like rate-limiting counters).
- A notification address for each device where you turn notifications on — created only when you say yes on that device, deleted the moment you turn them off. Every notification is encrypted to your device; Apple's and Google's delivery services relay it without being able to read it.
- An approximate location, only if you turn on Nearby. Nothing is collected until you choose to share. Your device's location is rounded to about 100 meters before it is stored, and only the most recent one is kept.
How we use it
- To run Porchlight: signing you in, showing your family its own memories, and nothing beyond that.
- To send one-time sign-in codes by text or email when you ask for them.
- To send optional Flash alert texts — only if you opted in, at signup or in your profile. A few texts a month at most. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to any text to stop them, or flip the toggle in your profile; reply HELP for help.
- To show Nearby, if you turned it on: your approximate location is used only to tell members of your own family, who are also sharing, how far apart you are, rounded to half a mile. Nobody is ever shown your location as a place or on a map, and it is never shared outside your family or used for advertising.
What we never do
- No trackers and no analytics brokers. Advertising, where it appears, is an image we host and a tap we count; no advertiser is given anything about you or your family.
- We never sell, rent, or share your information.
- What your family shares is visible only inside your family.
Text messaging (SMS)
Porchlight sends two kinds of text messages: one-time sign-in codes when you request them, and optional Flash alerts if you have opted in — by checking the box at signup or turning on the toggle in your profile. Flash alerts arrive at most a few times per month. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to cancel at any time, or turn texts off in your profile; reply HELP for help, or write to [email protected].
No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
Who touches the data to make the service work
Porchlight runs on Cloudflare (hosting, storage). Texts are delivered by Twilio, and sign-in emails through Cloudflare's email service. Each receives only what delivery requires — a phone number and the message itself — and nothing more.
Children
Porchlight is built for families, and younger members join only by an invite from their own family. Accounts for children should be created and overseen by a parent or guardian.
Your choices
- Change or remove your email and cell number in your profile, and turn Flash texts on or off there anytime.
- Turn Nearby off whenever you like. Your stored location is deleted the moment you do.
- Leave a family whenever you wish; what you shared stays with the family, and only your access ends.
- To have your information deleted entirely, ask us: [email protected].
Changes
If this policy changes in a way that matters, we will say so in the app before it takes effect.