HomeCircle Privacy Policy

Last updated: 4 November 2026 · Applies to HomeCircle 1.3.0 and later, and to HomeCircle 1.2.16 and earlier 1.2.x

This policy explains how the HomeCircle app for iPhone (bundle ID au.endrody.homecircle) handles your information. HomeCircle is a free app made by Luke Endrody, a sole trader in Queensland, Australia (ABN 53 687 374 897) ("we", "us"). HomeCircle is the app's name, not a separate company. Questions? Email support@homecircle.au.

This policy sits alongside our Terms of Use.

Part A. HomeCircle 1.3.0 and later

A1. What HomeCircle stores on your phone

The following are stored only on your phone, in HomeCircle's own app storage:

• your optional display name and the programs you turn on (AA, NA, GA or PA)
• your sober date, badges and day count
• your sponsor's name and phone number, if you add them
• your home meeting, saved meetings and meeting reminders
• your journal, goals and Circle notes (private notes for you; they aren't shared with anyone)
• your health safety answers (for example, a heart or lung condition or pregnancy), which the app uses to show safety notes on breathing and meditation practices
• your chats with Kai
• your Library progress, practice check-ins, meditation reminders and app preferences
• a copy of the most recent meeting lists the app downloaded, so meetings still show when you're offline

If you add the HomeCircle widget, your sober-day count is also saved in a small file the widget can read, on the same phone.

Some of this, such as your health answers, your sober date and the programs you use, may be sensitive information under Australian privacy law, because it can reveal health information. That's one reason it stays on your phone and we never collect it.

A2. Not included in iCloud or computer backups

HomeCircle marks its data folder and the widget file so they aren't included in iCloud backup or backups to your computer. HomeCircle doesn't use iCloud. This means that if you lose or replace your phone, your HomeCircle data won't come back from a backup. Use Export my data (see A7) to keep a copy.

A3. Kai, your recovery buddy

• Kai offers reflection prompts and encouragement. It is not AI, and it's never a counsellor, doctor or sponsor.
• Kai puts its replies together on your phone from built-in templates. It makes no network calls, and no AI service or other third party is involved. Nothing you type to Kai is sent to us or anyone else.
• Kai can use details stored on your phone, such as your day count, the programs you've turned on and your health answers, to choose a reply.
• If something you type sounds like a crisis, Kai shows buttons to call 000 and Lifeline 13 11 14. This check happens on your phone and nobody is alerted.

A4. What the app downloads

To show meetings, HomeCircle downloads public files from our website, which is hosted on GitHub Pages (GitHub is a US company):

• an index of the available meeting lists
• the meeting list for the state you choose, and the list of online meetings
• a short list of approved information cards for the Home screen

The app refreshes these about twice a day at most, or when you pull to refresh. The requests don't include any ID, account details, your location or anything you've typed. Like any website, GitHub receives a standard web request, which includes your device's IP address, a basic app label ("HomeCircle/1.3.0") and which state's list was requested. GitHub handles this under its own privacy policy. We don't receive or keep it.

Meeting details come from public listings, including the AA Australia meeting list and other public AA and NA listings. Times and locations can change, so check with the group if you're unsure.

A5. The map and your location

• The meetings map is provided by Apple Maps. Apple sees your IP address and the area of the map you're viewing, under Apple's own privacy policy.
• Sharing your location is optional. HomeCircle asks for it only when you tap Near me, and it asks for approximate location by default.
• If you allow it, your location is used only on your phone, to sort and centre meetings near you. HomeCircle doesn't store it and never sends it to us or adds it to a download.
• You can find meetings without sharing your location, and you can turn location access off at any time in your iPhone's Settings app.
• If you tap Directions, the meeting's location opens in Apple Maps. If you tap a call, message, join or website button, your phone, Messages, Mail, browser or the meeting service handles it under its own policy.

A6. Notifications

Reminders are off until you set one. They're scheduled on your phone by iOS. Nothing is sent from a server.

A7. Your choices: export, import and delete (in Profile)

Your data lives on your phone, so you're in control. Open Profile and scroll to Your data & account:

• Export my data makes a file of your HomeCircle data. It stays on your phone until you choose where to save or share it. Keep it somewhere safe, because it can contain private and health details. If you save it to iCloud Drive, email or another app, that copy is kept by that service.
• Import replaces the HomeCircle data on your phone with an exported file.
• Delete data on this phone erases the HomeCircle data stored by this version on your phone, including the meeting cache, any export file still in the app, the widget file and HomeCircle's reminders. It can't be undone. We don't hold a copy, so nothing is left on our side. It doesn't delete copies you've already exported and saved elsewhere. It doesn't yet remove files left by 1.2.16 (see A8).
• Deleting the HomeCircle app removes all of its data from your phone, including anything an older version left behind (see A8).

A8. Upgrading from 1.2.16

When you first open 1.3.0 after updating from 1.2.16, HomeCircle looks for your earlier HomeCircle data on your phone (for example, your journal, display name and sober date) and copies it into the new version. This happens only on your phone, and nothing is sent anywhere. HomeCircle asks you to confirm a sober date before using it, and Profile shows a short upgrade summary.

The upgrade doesn't yet delete the files 1.2.16 saved. They stay on your phone, and they may still be included in your iCloud or computer backups, until you delete the app. Delete data on this phone doesn't remove them either. To remove them fully now: export your data if you want to keep it, delete HomeCircle from your phone, then reinstall it and import your file. A later update will remove these files automatically.

Part B. HomeCircle 1.2.16 and earlier 1.2.x

HomeCircle 1.2.16 and earlier 1.2.x versions work differently from 1.3.0. If you haven't updated yet, this is how they handle your information. We recommend updating to the latest version from the App Store.

• No accounts. There's no sign-up, no email or phone number to give, no password and no verification code. HomeCircle has no server that holds your data.
• Profile. Your display name, recovery fellowship (for example AA or NA), optional sober date and badges (hidden by default), and optional Faith / beliefs and Culture (set to "Don't share" by default) are stored only on your phone. Some of this may be sensitive information under Australian privacy law. It's optional and you can change or remove it in the app.
• Community feed. Your journal, check-ins, posts, follows, messages and support signals are stored on your phone. They aren't uploaded to us, and in 1.2.16 they aren't sent to other people's phones.
• Reporting, blocking and muting. These work on your phone to hide content. Reports are saved on your phone only. Nothing is sent to us and nobody at HomeCircle reviews reports. Some earlier 1.2.x versions may have let you email a report to us. If you did, we received it by email, and C3 applies. If someone may be in danger, call 000.
• Recovery Coach (Kai). Its replies are put together on your phone from built-in templates. It is not an AI service, makes no network calls and no third party is involved. It can use the preferences stored on your phone (such as your fellowship) to tailor its replies. It is not a counsellor, doctor or sponsor.
• Meeting list. The app downloads a public list of AA and NA meetings from our website on GitHub Pages. The request doesn't include any of your details. GitHub receives a standard web request, including your IP address. We don't receive or keep it. Meeting information comes from public sources, including BMLT (Basic Meeting List Toolbox), Meeting Guide and public AA and NA listings.
• Location. Used only when you tap Near me, and only if you allow it, to sort meetings by distance on your phone. It's never sent to us. Directions open in your maps app under its own policy.
• Notifications. Off by default. Reminders you turn on are scheduled on your phone.
• Backups. In 1.2.16, HomeCircle data may be included in your phone's normal iCloud or computer backup if you have backup turned on. Those backups are handled by Apple under your account, and we can't access them.
• Your data controls. In 1.2.16, open Settings and go to Your data. Export my data makes a file of your data. Import from file replaces your data with an exported file after you confirm. Delete account erases the HomeCircle data stored on your phone; there's no online account, so this only clears your phone. Deleting the app also removes its data from your phone.
• HomeCircle Plus mentioned in 1.2.16 isn't on sale. Nothing is charged.

In 1.3.0 and later, the community feed, posts, follows and messages, and reporting, blocking and muting are not part of the app. The data controls moved to Profile, and Delete account is now called Delete data on this phone.

Part C. Things that apply to every version

C1. What we don't do

• We don't show ads.
• We don't track you across other companies' apps or websites.
• We don't build analytics, advertising or crash-reporting tools into HomeCircle, and no AI service receives your data.
• We don't sell, rent or trade your information.
• We don't use your personal information to make automated decisions that significantly affect you. Kai and the safety notes choose their wording on your phone, and we never see it.

C2. Crash reports from Apple

If you've chosen to share analytics with app developers in your iPhone's settings, Apple may give us crash reports that don't include your name or contact details under Apple's own policies. If you haven't opted in, we don't receive them.

C3. Emailing us or reporting a concern

If you'd like to report a concern, such as a wrong or unsafe meeting listing, or ask a question, email support@homecircle.au. You send it yourself from your own mail app, so nothing is sent unless you press send. We receive only what you put in your email, along with your email address and name as your mail app shows them. In 1.3.0, Contact us fills in the subject "HomeCircle" and the app version, which you can change or remove before sending.

• We aim to reply within 24 hours. This is a goal, not a guarantee. HomeCircle is run by one person, and this inbox isn't a crisis line.
• We use your email only to look into the issue, keep people safe and reply to you.
• We'd only share it if required by law, or where we reasonably believe it's necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety.
• Our email is provided by Gmail (Google), which may store emails on servers outside Australia, including in the United States.
• We keep emails only as long as we need them, and delete them 12 months after we last hear from you, unless you ask us to keep them longer or the law requires us to. You can ask us to delete your email sooner.

C4. Library and other links

HomeCircle links to other websites, including those of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Gamblers Anonymous (GA), Porn Addicts Anonymous (PA), Healthdirect, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation and helplines. When you tap a link, that site opens in your browser and handles your visit under its own privacy policy. We don't control those sites and don't receive anything from them.

C5. Keeping your information secure

Your HomeCircle data is protected by your phone's own security, such as your passcode, Face ID and device encryption. Please keep your phone locked and up to date, and look after any exported files. We take reasonable steps to protect emails you send us from misuse, loss and unauthorised access.

C6. 18+ only

HomeCircle is for adults aged 18 and over. In 1.3.0 and later, you confirm “I’m 18 or older and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy” on the 18+ screen when you first set up the app. HomeCircle doesn't check ID or use an age-verification service. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. Because the app's data stays on the phone, we don't receive it. If you think someone under 18 has emailed us, let us know and we'll delete it.

Website (homecircle.au)

Website (homecircle.au). The website has no accounts, cookies, ads, analytics, trackers, or third-party scripts or fonts. Your sober date, journal, health answers, Kai chat and other settings are saved only in your browser's local storage on that device. They are never sent to us, and the app can't see them. Health and recovery information is sensitive. On a shared or public computer, anyone using the same browser could read it, so use private browsing or clear it when you finish. To delete it, use “Clear everything on this browser” on Your circle, or clear this site's data in your browser settings. The site is hosted on GitHub Pages. GitHub receives normal web request data such as your IP address and keeps its own logs under GitHub's privacy statement. We don't receive or use those logs.

Part D. Your rights under Australian privacy law

We handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). In plain terms:

• Collection (APPs 3 and 5). We only collect what you choose to send us by email. We don't collect the data you put in the app.
• Use and disclosure (APP 6). We use emails only for the reason you sent them, and share them only as set out in C3.
• Overseas disclosure (APP 8). Emails you send us are stored by Google, which may hold them outside Australia, including in the United States. Meeting list downloads and the map are handled by GitHub and Apple, which are US companies, under their own policies.
• Security (APP 11). See C5.
• Access and correction (APPs 12 and 13). You can view, change or delete your HomeCircle data yourself at any time in the app. The only personal information we might hold is in emails you've sent us. Email support@homecircle.au to ask for a copy, a correction or deletion. We may need to check the request comes from you, usually by replying to the same email address.

Questions and complaints. Please email us first at support@homecircle.au. We'll look into it and respond within a reasonable time, usually within 30 days. If you're not happy with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as HomeCircle changes. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date and app version at the top of this page, and let you know in the next app update. If you keep using HomeCircle after a change, the updated policy applies. If a change is significant, we'll tell you in the app before it applies, and you can stop using HomeCircle and delete your data.

Not affiliated with any fellowship

HomeCircle is independent. It isn't affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or connected to Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous or Porn Addicts Anonymous.

Contact us

Luke Endrody (sole trader), Queensland, Australia
ABN: 53 687 374 897
Email: support@homecircle.au