Privacy policy

Effective October 3, 2026

Information you choose to enter

The app stores the information you provide: shopping items and quantities, note titles and details, appointment descriptions, dates, times and locations, your circle name, and your display name and avatar. An appointment location is text you enter. Version 1.0.4 does not request your device's location; the optional map described below is being tested in version 1.1.0.

If you choose a profile photo, Circle Post uses the selected image to create a small JPEG profile copy. It does not upload your entire photo library or preserve the original photo's location metadata. You can choose initials or an emoji instead.

The app also stores technical information needed for reliable syncing, including record identifiers, modification times, circle membership references, pending edits, and removal markers.

Optional circle map — version 1.1.0 beta

Location sharing is off by default and starts off again after a new app launch. If you turn on “Share my location” and allow system location access, Circle Post shares this device's latest approximate coordinates, accuracy estimate, update time, display name, and avatar with invited members of your selected circle through private/shared iCloud. Coordinates are rounded to three decimal places before storage. Apple provides the map and location services under its privacy policy. The developer does not receive these location records.

Location updates run only while Circle Post is active in the foreground. The app does not request Always location access or collect a route history. Each device overwrites its latest point. Pins are labeled with their update age and hidden after 15 minutes without an update. Switching circles or Apple Accounts stops sharing; each person chooses whether to share.

Turning sharing off, or moving the app into the background, stops location updates and queues a record without coordinates for iCloud. Clearing a point requires a successful sync. If the app is force-closed or offline, its last point can remain stored in iCloud until the device next opens and syncs, even after the point has disappeared from the map. Previously received offline copies and screenshots may remain. If you enabled another device, turn sharing off on that device separately.

Where information is stored and who can see it

Circle Post keeps an offline copy in the app's storage on your device. If iCloud is available, the app uses Apple CloudKit private and shared databases under your Apple Account and the circle owner's account. Apple processes this information to provide iCloud under Apple's privacy policy and applicable iCloud terms.

The circle owner controls invitations and participant permissions using Apple's sharing controls. Invited members can see your shared posts, display name, and avatar, and can edit posts when given permission. There is no public circle directory. Using the same circle name does not connect separate families.

The developer cannot browse your private family records through a developer dashboard and does not sell your information, share it with advertisers, or use it to track you across apps or websites.

Offline copies, retention, and removing content

You can edit or remove posts inside Circle Post. Removing a post hides it from the app's lists and syncs a removal marker. Removal is not a promise of immediate permanent erasure: the current app retains underlying record fields and removal markers in its local and iCloud storage to coordinate offline changes and prevent removed posts from reappearing.

Apple Account settings provide controls for iCloud app data and device backups; the controls available depend on your device and Apple's services. Uninstalling the app alone should not be treated as deleting all iCloud data. The developer cannot erase private iCloud records on your behalf. Contact support for help finding the appropriate controls.

The owner can revoke future shared access through the app's sharing controls. This does not recall screenshots, exports, or information another member already received. An offline copy may remain on a previously authorized device, including after sharing access is removed. Share only with people you trust.

You can change your display name, switch to initials or an emoji, or replace your profile photo in profile settings. Posts can retain the author information originally attached to them. Circle Post does not create a separate developer account; iCloud account management remains with Apple.

Support messages

If you email steven@trakautomations.com, your email provider and our email provider process your address and the content you send. We use support correspondence to answer your request and troubleshoot the app. Please do not send passwords, private invitation links, or sensitive family content. You can request deletion of support correspondence by contacting the same address; limited records may be retained where necessary to resolve an ongoing issue or meet legal obligations.

This support website

This site does not use advertising, analytics scripts, or tracking cookies. It is hosted by Cloudflare, which may process standard request information, such as IP address and browser details, to deliver and secure the website. This website hosting is separate from the app's iCloud storage. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.

Family use

Circle Post is a general-purpose family organization app. A parent or guardian should manage invitations for children and follow Apple's requirements for child Apple Accounts. The developer does not knowingly solicit children's personal information through the app or support website.

Changes and contact

This policy may be updated as Circle Post changes. The effective date above identifies the current policy.

Circle Post is provided by Steven LaBelle. For privacy questions, support, or a request concerning a support message, email steven@trakautomations.com.