Privacy policy
Last updated 19 October 2026
Abishek Raj Ayingaran ("we", "Kettle") runs the Kettle app and this website. This explains what we collect, why, who can see it and the choices you have. We are the controller of your personal data under UK GDPR.
What we collect
- Your name or nickname. Neighbours in your building see this.
- Your date of birth. Used to check you are 16 or over and to apply extra safeguards if you are 16 or 17. Never shown to anyone.
- Your sign-in. If you sign in with Apple, Google or an email code, the email address (which may be a private relay address from Apple) is held by our sign-in provider, Supabase Auth. We keep only an internal reference to it. It is never shown to neighbours or stewards.
- Recovery details, if you add them. An optional recovery email, stored encrypted and separate from your posts, and a hash of a printed recovery code.
- Your building membership. Which building you joined, your floor (never your flat number), how you were verified, and your role (resident or steward).
- Location check. Your phone location is used once, on your device and our server, to confirm you are at your building. We store only whether you passed, not where you were.
- What you post. Posts, replies, RSVPs, issue reports and their photos, notices you write, and reports and blocks you make. Photos on issues are private to you and your stewards.
- Your phone. A public key that identifies this device (the private key never leaves your phone), the phone model, and a push notification token if you allow notifications.
- Subscriptions. If a building buys Kettle Plus, Apple or Google and RevenueCat tell us that the subscription is active. We never see payment card details.
- Safety and security records. A log of moderation actions and account events such as restoring an account.
We do not collect phone numbers, contacts, advertising identifiers or your precise location history, and we do not use your data for advertising.
Why we use it
- To run the service you asked for: signing you in, verifying you live in the building, showing posts to your neighbours (contract).
- To keep the community safe: checking age, holding or removing harmful posts, handling reports, preventing account takeovers (legitimate interests, and legal obligations around children's safety).
- To send notifications you have switched on, with quiet hours you set (consent, which you can withdraw in Settings).
- To take payment for Kettle Plus through the app stores (contract).
Who can see it
- Neighbours in your building see your name or nickname, your posts and replies, and the floor you gave if you share it. They never see your date of birth, email or flat number.
- Stewards in your building see join requests (name, floor, how you are verifying), reports, held posts and the issues you report.
- Our service providers, below, process data only to provide their service to us.
- We do not sell your data and we do not share it with advertisers.
| Provider | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database, sign-in (Apple, Google and email codes) and private photo storage | UK / EU |
| Railway | Runs Kettle's servers | EU (Amsterdam) |
| Resend | Sends recovery emails and sign-in codes | Outside the UK / EU, under standard contractual clauses |
| Expo | Delivers push notifications | Outside the UK / EU, under standard contractual clauses |
| RevenueCat, Apple and Google | Handle Kettle Plus subscriptions and payments. Kettle never sees card details | Outside the UK / EU, under standard contractual clauses |
| Vercel | Hosts this website | Outside the UK / EU, under standard contractual clauses |
Where data goes outside the UK and EU, we rely on safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or standard contractual clauses.
How long we keep it
- Posts expire after 48 hours by default and 7 days at most, and are then no longer shown.
- When you leave a building, your access ends and your live posts come down. Your replies stay but no longer carry your name.
- When you delete your account we delete your devices, sessions, recovery details, notification settings, private issues and photos, blocks and postcard requests, and your sign-in with our provider. Your name and date of birth are erased. What stays is anonymous: replies without a name, and moderation records that protect other residents.
- Security logs are kept only as long as needed to keep the service safe.
Your choices and rights
You can ask us to access, correct or delete your data, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to give you a copy. You can delete your account in the app under Profile at any time. If we use your data on the basis of consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Children
Kettle is for people aged 16 and over. If you are 16 or 17, a steward checks your posts before neighbours see them, and some features such as plans and events and photos are not available to you. We ask for your date of birth once so we can apply this. If we learn that someone under 16 has an account, we remove it.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit. Recovery emails are encrypted at rest. Each building's data is separated in the database so that people outside the building cannot read it. Sessions can be revoked, and restoring your account on a new phone signs the old one out.
Changes and contact
If we make a significant change we will tell you in the app before it takes effect.
To use your rights or ask a question, write to hello@kettleapp.life.