Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

• Account details — your name, mobile number, date of birth, gender, and city/area, provided at sign-up. Your mobile number is used to log in and is never shown to other members.
• Profile content — profile and gallery photos, bio, interests, languages, travel styles, occupation, and any optional details (such as a LinkedIn link) you choose to add.
• Verification data — a short selfie used for a one-time “liveness” check to confirm you are a real woman. It is used only for verification and safety, is visible only to our review team, and is deleted when you delete your account.
• Location data — with your permission, your approximate device location (to show nearby women travellers, stays, rides and events), and the pickup/drop or trip locations you search or pin on the map when planning carpools, stays or trips.
• Contacts — only the specific trusted/emergency contacts you choose to add for the safety features. We do not upload or store your full address book.
• Audio — your microphone is used during in-app voice calls. Call audio is streamed peer-to-peer and is not recorded or stored by us.
• Messages & community content — chats, shared images, and posts/comments you create. Some chats support disappearing messages, which are removed on both devices when the timer ends.
• Bookings & transactions — details of stays, carpools, trips, events and host memberships (dates, amounts, and payment/order references) needed to provide and account for these services.
• Usage & device data — app activity, device identifiers, app version, and diagnostic/crash logs used to keep the service safe, reliable and improving.

2. Device permissions and why we ask

Every permission is optional and requested only when a feature needs it. You can decline or later withdraw any of them in your device settings; some features may then not work.

• Location — to show nearby travellers, stays, rides and events, and to search/pin trip locations.
• Camera & Photos — to take your verification selfie and to add profile, listing or chat photos.
• Microphone — for in-app voice calls only.
• Contacts — only to let you pick trusted/emergency contacts for the safety features.
• Notifications — to alert you about messages, bookings, requests and safety events.

3. How we use your information

• To create and operate your account, profile and verification.
• To help you discover and connect with other verified women, and to book stays, carpools, trips and events.
• To power safety features (SOS, check-ins, trusted contacts).
• To process host memberships and event-ticket payments, and to send booking confirmations and invoices.
• To send you service and safety notifications (in-app, push, and — where relevant — WhatsApp).
• To prevent fraud and abuse, enforce our rules, and keep the community safe.
• To meet legal, tax and accounting obligations.

4. What we never do

• We never sell your personal data.
• We never share your mobile number with other users.
• We never show your exact location to other members.
• We do not use your data for third-party advertising.

5. Who we share data with

We do not sell your data. We share the minimum necessary with trusted service providers who process it only on our instructions and are contractually bound to protect it:

• Supabase — secure cloud database, authentication, and storage (hosts your account, content and uploaded files).
• Google — Firebase Cloud Messaging (push notifications), Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics (usage & crash diagnostics), Google Maps/Places (location search and maps), and Google Play Billing (host membership purchases).
• Razorpay — payment processing for event tickets.
• Meta Platforms (WhatsApp Business/Cloud API) — to deliver transactional messages such as booking confirmations and invoices to your number, when applicable.

We may also disclose data where required by law, or to protect the safety, rights or property of our users or the public.

6. Payments

Host memberships are purchased through Google Play Billing, and event tickets through Razorpay. These processors handle your payment instrument directly — we do not receive or store your full card, UPI or bank details. We retain only the transaction/order reference and amount needed for receipts, accounting and support.

7. Data security, storage & retention

Your data is stored on secured servers with access controls, encryption in transit, and database row-level security so members can only see what they’re allowed to. We keep your personal data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, your profile, photos, verification selfie, messages and other personal data are erased or irreversibly anonymised. We may retain a limited set of records — such as payment and booking invoices — for up to the period required by Indian tax and financial laws (generally up to 8 years), after which they are deleted or anonymised.

8. Your rights & choices

• Access & correction — view and edit your details in the app under Profile and Settings.
• Delete your account & data — anytime from Settings → Delete Account in the app, or request it on the web at herwaveapp.com/delete-account. Deletion removes your profile from public view immediately and erases your personal data (subject to the limited legal retention above).
• Withdraw consent — turn off location, camera, microphone, contacts or notifications in your device settings at any time.
• Grievance redressal — contact our Grievance Officer (below) with any concern or request.

9. Children

Herwave is only for women aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Data location

Herwave serves users in India, and your data is stored and processed on secured cloud infrastructure. Where a service provider processes data outside India, it does so under safeguards that require protection consistent with this policy and applicable law.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified in the app. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.

12. Contact & grievances

For any privacy question, request, or grievance, contact our Grievance Officer at support@herwaveapp.com. We respond within the timelines required under India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.