Privacy Policy — FirstText

This Privacy Policy explains how FirstText ("we," "us," "our," or "FirstText") collects, uses, stores, and protects information when you use our website (firstxt.com), our waitlist and referral program, and our mobile application (the "App"), collectively referred to as the "Services."

We built FirstText to help people reconnect with the ones they love — not to collect their data. This policy reflects that. Please read it carefully. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use our Services.

1. Who We Are

FirstText is a mobile application and associated website that helps users stay connected with people they care about by locking selected social media applications until the user sends a message to a chosen contact. This policy covers both the FirstText mobile app and the FirstText prelaunch/waitlist website.

For questions about this policy, contact us at: privacy@firstxt.com

2. Information We Collect

We collect the minimum information necessary to operate the Services. We separate this into two categories: information collected through the website (waitlist, referrals, account creation) and information collected through the mobile app.

2.1 Information Collected Through the Website

When you join the FirstText waitlist or create an account, we may collect:

Email address — required to create your waitlist account and to contact you about launch updates.
Name — if provided during sign-up, used to personalise your experience.
Google account information — if you choose to sign up using "Continue with Google," we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google, in accordance with Google's own privacy practices and the permissions you grant during that sign-in.
Referral code information — if you arrive at our website via a referral link, we store the referral code associated with that link (via a cookie or local storage) so that signups can be correctly attributed to the person who referred you.
Referral activity — including how many people you have referred, your waitlist position, and which referral reward tiers you have unlocked.
Device and usage data — standard web analytics such as browser type, approximate location (city/region level, derived from IP address), pages visited, and referral source. This is collected automatically by standard web analytics tools and is not used to identify you personally.

We do not require a password to create a waitlist account. Email-based accounts use passwordless "magic link" authentication, meaning a one-time secure link is sent to your email address each time you wish to log in.

2.2 Information Collected Through the Mobile App

The FirstText mobile app is built around a core principle: we do not read, store, or transmit the content of your messages. With that principle in mind, here is exactly what the app does and does not collect:

Information stored locally on your device (never transmitted to our servers):

Names and profile photos of contacts you choose to add to FirstText (sourced from your device's contact list, with your permission)
The frequency settings you choose for each contact (e.g. "every 3 days," "weekly")
Pre-written messages and any messages you write during the app's 60-second reflection window
Your message history within the app (i.e., which contacts you have texted and when, as tracked by the app itself — not the content of what was sent through third-party messaging apps)
Your settings, including reset time, unlock window duration, and which apps you have chosen to lock
Your connection streak and weekly activity tracker data

Information we explicitly do not collect, access, or store:

The content of any message you send via WhatsApp, iMessage, or any other third-party messaging application
Confirmation or verification of whether a message was actually delivered or read by the recipient
Your contacts' phone numbers, messages, or any other personal data belonging to the people in your contact list, beyond the name and photo you choose to add within the app
Any content from the social media applications you choose to lock (e.g. we do not see your Instagram or TikTok activity)

Permissions the App requests, and why:

Contacts access — to allow you to select people from your existing contact list to add to FirstText. We only access and store the name and photo of contacts you explicitly choose to add.
Screen Time API access (iOS) — to allow the App to lock and unlock the specific applications you have chosen, based on your settings. This permission allows the App to detect when you attempt to open a locked application, but does not allow us to see your activity within that application.
Notification permissions — to send you a notification when your unlock window is ready, or when someone in your queue is overdue. We do not send promotional notifications without your consent.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information described above for the following purposes:

To create and manage your waitlist account and, later, your FirstText app account
To operate the referral program, including tracking referral counts, unlocking reward tiers, and updating your waitlist position
To send you essential communications, such as confirmation of signup, updates about launch timing, and reminders related to your free trial (once the app is available)
To operate the core functionality of the App locally on your device, including the lock screen mechanic, message queue, and message library
To improve and maintain the Services, including basic, aggregated, non-identifying analytics about website usage
To respond to support requests or inquiries you send to us directly

We do not use your information for targeted advertising, and we do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service providers — we may use third-party services to operate parts of our Services, such as email delivery providers (to send magic links and waitlist updates), authentication providers (such as Google, for OAuth sign-in), and cloud hosting providers (to store website and waitlist account data). These providers are contractually obligated to handle your information securely and only for the purposes we specify.
Legal requirements — we may disclose information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of FirstText, our users, or the public.
Business transfers — if FirstText is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and any choices you may have regarding your information.

We never share the contents of messages sent through the App, because we never have access to them in the first place.

5. Data Storage and Security

Website and waitlist data (email, referral activity, waitlist position) is stored securely on cloud infrastructure provided by reputable third-party hosting providers, using industry-standard encryption in transit and at rest.
App data (contacts, messages, settings, history) is stored locally on your device. It is not transmitted to or stored on FirstText servers, except where explicitly noted in this policy (currently, no app usage data of this kind is transmitted).
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

Waitlist and account data is retained for as long as your account remains active, or until you request deletion (see Section 8, Your Rights and Choices).
Referral and waitlist position data is retained to preserve the integrity of the referral program until the program concludes or your account is deleted.
App data stored locally on your device is retained for as long as the App remains installed, and is deleted automatically if you uninstall the App, as it is never backed up to our servers.

7. Children's Privacy

FirstText is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or the relevant minimum age in your jurisdiction), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under that age. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under the applicable age, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@firstxt.com.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access — you may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction — you may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
Deletion — you may request that we delete your waitlist account, referral data, and associated personal information. Note that App data stored locally on your device can be deleted at any time by uninstalling the App or clearing data within the App's settings.
Opt-out of communications — you may unsubscribe from non-essential email communications (such as waitlist updates) at any time using the unsubscribe link provided in those emails. You may still receive essential communications related to your account or any active subscription.
Withdraw consent — where our processing of your information is based on consent (such as Google OAuth sign-in), you may withdraw that consent at any time, which may limit your ability to use certain features of the Services.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@firstxt.com. We will respond to verified requests within a reasonable timeframe, and in accordance with applicable law.

8.1 Additional Rights for Residents of Certain Jurisdictions

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or California, you may have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), UK GDPR, or California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to data portability, the right to object to certain processing, and the right to lodge a complaint with a relevant supervisory authority. Nothing in this policy is intended to limit any rights you may have under applicable law.

9. Third-Party Services and Links

Our website and app may contain links to or integrations with third-party services, including but not limited to:

Google (for OAuth sign-in)
WhatsApp and Apple's iMessage (for sending messages via deep links)
Apple's Screen Time API (for app locking functionality)

These third parties have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them. FirstText is not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services. When you send a message via WhatsApp or iMessage through FirstText's deep-link feature, that message is sent and handled entirely within that third-party application, governed by that application's own privacy policy — not ours.

10. International Data Transfers

If you access our Services from outside the country in which our servers or service providers are located, your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in a country with different data protection laws than your own. By using our Services, you consent to such transfers, where permitted by applicable law.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. If we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy, and where appropriate, through additional notice such as an email or in-app notification. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: privacy@firstxt.com
Website: firstxt.com

By using FirstText's website, waitlist, referral program, or mobile application, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.