Privacy Policy
RealCircle is built so other people see a public profile you choose — not your email, phone number, or legal identity.
Who this is for
RealCircle is an invited Android beta. It is not a nationwide public launch. There is no iOS app in this beta.
Account and sign-in
You sign in with an email address. We send a one-time code (and may send a sign-in link) to prove you can open that inbox. That code does not, by itself, make you a Verified Human.
Your email stays in the account system. It is not a public profile field. Other people do not see it on your profile, in groups, rooms, or activities.
Public profile
You choose a display name. You may also add an approximate area (for example JLT), optional bio, optional age band, interests, and an optional photo. A public photo is not required. You can be a Verified Human without a photo.
Other people may see that public profile and a Verified Human badge when it applies. They should not see your email, phone number, legal name, identity documents, verification selfies, exact home location, device fingerprints, or internal risk scores.
If an older tester account has no display name yet, chats may show a safe fallback label of “Member” until the profile is completed. New social participation expects a usable display name you chose.
Verified Human
Verified Human is a trust signal that a person has been confirmed as a real human for this product. In this private beta, invited testers are confirmed by the operator. You cannot set that status yourself in the app. Verification is not a public identity disclosure and is not a guarantee that someone is safe.
This beta does not ask you to upload a government ID in the app.
Groups, rooms, and direct messages
If you join a group or a room, or open a private chat, we store the messages you send and show them to people who currently have access to that conversation. Group and room member lists show display name, optional photo, Verified Human where applicable, and a role such as owner, admin, moderator, or member. Group owners and admins do not receive members’ private account or verification data.
Rooms in this beta are staff-curated. People cannot create public rooms from the app.
Replies attach to the original message. Mentions refer to people in that conversation. Reactions show emoji counts, not a public popularity score and not who else reacted.
While you are typing in an open conversation, the app may briefly tell other current participants that someone is typing. That state expires in about four seconds. It does not include your draft text, last-seen, or an “online” presence history.
Activities and I’m Free
Activities can show a title, approximate area, time, and capacity. The exact venue is hidden until you are a confirmed attendee. Pending, waitlisted, and unrelated people do not see that exact place.
I’m Free is optional. If you turn it on, other opted-in people may see your display name, a coarse area, and a short remaining-time label. They are not notified when you look at them. I’m Free does not use live GPS.
After an activity ends, eligible participants may leave private attendance feedback. That is not a public rating.
Contact details
You decide if and when to share a phone or WhatsApp number. Sharing is an explicit, one-way action in a private chat. Group and room chat reject obvious phone or WhatsApp text so those spaces stay private. Revoking a share hides it in RealCircle. It cannot delete a copy the other person already saved outside the app.
Safety processing
Messages that look like unsolicited requests for OTPs, gift cards, or similar financial value may be held. A held message stays visible to the sender and is not delivered to others. Held messages do not create a notification for the recipient.
You can report a person or a message. The reported person does not see the raw report. You can block someone; that list is only for you. Blocking stops further direct messages between you. Staff may review reports and held messages and may restrict, suspend, or ban an account.
This automated screening is a starter. It can miss things and can hold messages that are not actually scams. It is not a guarantee.
Notifications
The app can store in-app notices such as a new message from a display name or a new message in a group. Those notices are not supposed to include message bodies, phone numbers, or emails. Lock-screen push delivery is not part of this beta. Preference toggles for direct, group, and activity notices are stored for your account. Safety and account notices stay on.
Location
RealCircle uses approximate area labels you choose. It does not collect exact GPS or live location in this beta. Meet in public places. Do not share a home address.
What we do not collect in this beta
This beta does not collect exact GPS, live location, last-seen, public contact books, payment cards, government ID images in the app, or voice/video calls.
Service providers
Sign-in and app data are processed on our hosted backend. The current beta backend is hosted in Singapore. Hosting may therefore be outside the UAE. We do not put account secrets in the mobile app.
Retention
Some records have short operational lifetimes: typing state expires in about four seconds; some availability history may be removed after about 30 days; some in-app notices may be removed after about 30 days.
Messages, reports, safety records, and audit logs are kept for safety, abuse prevention, and security review. Legal retention periods beyond those engineering defaults have not been decided.
Account deletion
In Settings you can request account deletion. That is a request, not instant erasure. When staff complete the request, the account is banned from using the product. Safety reports, audit records, and related evidence may be kept. Details: Account deletion.
Contact
Questions about this page: Support or support@realcircleapp.com.