Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Stylist on Standby, Inc., d/b/a Phero (“Phero,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares information about you when you use our mobile application and related services (collectively, the “Service”).

By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

We collect information you provide directly to us, including:

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, and authentication identifiers (for Apple Sign In, Google Sign In, or phone number verification). If you sign in with Apple and choose to hide your email, we receive an Apple relay email address.
• Profile Information: Profile photos, style preferences, style notes, location (city and state), and other information you choose to include in your profile. Some of this information — such as style preferences and dating-related details — may be considered sensitive personal information under certain state privacy laws.
• User Content: Photos, videos, messages, and other content you submit, including during consultations with stylists or conversations with our AI assistant.
• Payment Information: We do not store full payment card numbers. Payment processing is handled by our third-party payment processors (Stripe and Apple App Store). We may receive limited payment-related information (such as transaction date, amount, and last 4 digits of a card) for record-keeping and support.
• Communications: Your communications with us (e.g., support requests, feedback), with stylists, and with our AI assistant (Kate).

1.2 Information We Collect Automatically

When you use the Service, we automatically collect:

• Device and Usage Information: IP address, device identifiers, device type, operating system, app version, and usage data.
• Location Information: With your permission, we collect your device's precise location (GPS) to help you discover nearby venues and services. We do not track your location when the app is not in use, do not use location data for advertising purposes, and do not share location data with third parties for cross-app tracking. You can disable location access in your device settings at any time.
• Log and Diagnostic Data: App performance, crash reports, error logs, and diagnostic data collected through Firebase Crashlytics to help improve stability and performance.
• Push Notification Tokens: If you enable push notifications, we store a device token to deliver notifications about bookings, messages, and other service updates.

1.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from:

• Authentication Providers: Apple, Google, or Firebase may share identifiers and basic profile information when you sign in through their services.
• Payment Processors: Stripe, Apple App Store, and RevenueCat may share limited transaction and subscription data for billing, fraud prevention, and support.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To provide, maintain, and improve the Service, including enabling styling consultations, AI-powered date planning, venue discovery, and outfit advice.
• To create and manage your account and profile.
• To process transactions, manage subscriptions, and facilitate payments through our payment processors.
• To provide AI-powered features, including generating personalized recommendations, date ideas, and style advice through our AI assistant (Kate). Your messages and uploaded photos are processed by third-party AI services to generate responses (see Section 3.2).
• To personalize your experience, such as recommending stylists or venues aligned with your preferences.
• To communicate with you, including sending service-related notices, updates, push notifications, and security alerts.
• To provide customer support and respond to your requests.
• To monitor and analyze usage and trends and to develop new features.
• To detect, investigate, and prevent security incidents, fraud, and other malicious activities.
• To enforce our Terms of Service and other policies.
• To comply with legal obligations and law enforcement requests.

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 With Other Users and Stylists

Certain profile information (such as your name, profile photo, and style preferences) may be visible to stylists. Content you voluntarily share (e.g., photos for styling) may be visible to the stylist(s) you engage.

3.2 With Service Providers

We use third-party service providers to support our operations, including:

• Cloud Infrastructure: Firebase by Google (hosting, database, authentication, cloud storage, analytics, crash reporting).
• AI Processing: Anthropic (Claude) processes your AI assistant conversations and uploaded images to generate responses. Google (Gemini and Vision API) may process photos for image analysis. Your data sent to these providers is subject to our data processing agreements, which restrict the use of your data for training their AI models.
• Authentication Providers: Apple, Google, and Firebase for sign-in services.
• Payment and Subscription Processing: Stripe for payment processing; Apple App Store for in-app purchases; RevenueCat for subscription management and entitlement verification. RevenueCat receives your anonymous app user ID and purchase transaction data to verify subscription status.
• Video Calling: Agora provides the infrastructure for real-time video consultations between you and stylists. Audio and video streams are processed in real time for transmission. We do not record video or audio from these calls.
• Venue Discovery: Google Places API to search for and retrieve information about venues and businesses.
• Push Notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging to deliver notifications to your device.
• Analytics and Diagnostics: Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics for usage analytics and crash reporting.

These providers may access your information only to perform services on our behalf and are subject to their respective privacy policies and our data processing agreements.

3.3 For Legal and Safety Reasons

We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that it is reasonably necessary to:

• Comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of Phero, our users, stylists, or the public.
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, security, or technical issues.

3.4 No Sale of Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes.

3.5 Text Messaging (SMS) Opt-In Data

If you opt in to receive text messages from Phero (for example, by texting our number), we use your phone number and message history solely to provide the conversation you requested. No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties, excluding service providers acting on our behalf solely to deliver those messages. You can opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP, or reply HELP for assistance.

4. Your Choices and Rights

4.1 Account Information

You may update certain account and profile information in the app settings. You may request deletion of your account through the app's Settings screen or by contacting us at contact@pheroapp.com. Upon receiving a verified deletion request, we will delete your account and associated personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

4.2 Location

You can disable location access at any time through your device settings. Disabling location may limit certain features such as venue discovery.

4.3 Push Notifications

You can disable push notifications at any time through your device settings.

4.4 App Tracking Transparency

We do not track you across other companies' apps or websites. If Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework prompts you for permission, you may decline without affecting your use of the Service.

4.5 U.S. State Privacy Rights

Depending on where you reside (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia, and other U.S. states with privacy laws), you may have the following rights:

• Right to Know/Access: To request that we disclose the personal information we have collected about you.
• Right to Delete: To request that we delete personal information we have collected from you.
• Right to Correct: To request that we correct inaccurate personal information.
• Right to Opt Out of Sale/Sharing: We do not sell your personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

Categories of Personal Information Collected (CCPA/CPRA Disclosure):

To exercise your privacy rights, contact us at contact@pheroapp.com. We will verify your identity using information associated with your account (such as your email address or phone number) before processing your request. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf by providing written authorization.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Service and fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy. Specifically:

• Account and profile data: Retained while your account is active, deleted within 30 days of an account deletion request.
• AI conversation data: Retained as part of your account to provide conversation continuity and personalized recommendations. Deleted when your account is deleted.
• Payment and transaction records: Retained for up to 7 years to comply with tax and financial reporting obligations.
• Log and diagnostic data: Retained for up to 12 months for debugging and performance analysis.

We may retain de-identified or aggregated data that cannot reasonably identify you for longer periods for analytics and improvement purposes.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information, including encryption in transit and at rest. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure.

7. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice by updating the “Last Updated” date and, where appropriate, through in-app notification. Your continued use of the Service after the updated Policy becomes effective means you accept the changes.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Stylist on Standby, Inc., d/b/a Phero
Email: contact@pheroapp.com