Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

This Privacy Policy explains how bound, operated by YOCHAN, collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal data when you download, install, register for, or use the bound mobile application and related services.

If you have any questions about this policy or how your personal data is handled, please contact us via the support email listed in the footer.

2. Data We Collect

Account data: email address, birthday, gender, display name, and login and verification status.

Profile data: self-introduction, interest tags, profile photos, connection goals, interaction pace, and meetup preferences.

Location and event data: city-level location, nearby events, event participation status, comments, chats, event interaction records, and your device's latitude and longitude when you actively use location features such as event check-in or venue discovery.

Health and exercise data: your daily step and exercise-minute totals, read with your permission and used for ring completion (see "Health Data Policy").

Device and usage data: device identifiers, operating system, app version, push tokens, crash logs, and basic interaction events.

Install source and marketing attribution data: the source, event id, and campaign code attached to a bound share link or ad you tapped, plus the device information used to match that tap to an install (such as device model, OS version, IP address, and link content you actively copied to your clipboard). We use this to take you to the event you originally tapped and to measure marketing performance.

Safety and support data: reports, blocks, moderation records, and messages you send to our support team.

3. How We Use Data

We use data to provide services such as accounts, event discovery, interest recommendations, chat, notifications, customer support, and safety moderation.

We also use aggregated or de-identified data to improve product quality, detect abuse, keep the community safe, and comply with legal obligations.

Some assistive features may use AI services to generate self-introduction drafts, chat suggestions, or topic ideas. We do not send full payment information, precise location, or face verification images to AI services.

4. Location Data

bound may use approximate location or the city you choose to show nearby events and improve recommendations.

When you actively use event check-in, venue discovery, or other features that require location, bound may collect your device's latitude and longitude — with your permission — to complete that feature and keep events safe.

bound does not continuously track your precise location in the background.

5. Health Data Policy

bound's three rings (Move, Social, and Explore) show how much you have completed in the app each day. The Move ring uses your step count and exercise minutes as its progress source.

Only with your explicit permission does bound read your daily steps and exercise minutes from Apple Health (HealthKit) on iOS or Health Connect on Android. bound does not read any other health data categories and does not collect health records continuously in the background.

These readings are used solely to calculate ring completion, streaks, and exercise-related achievement badges and reminders. bound does not use health data for advertising or marketing, does not sell it, and does not share it with advertisers or data brokers.

Only the daily totals (steps and exercise minutes) leave your device. Raw health records, workout details, and other health data stay on your device.

You can revoke this permission at any time in the Apple Health app or Health Connect. The Move ring will stop updating, but the rest of bound continues to work as usual.

6. Face Verification and Safety Features

If you choose to use face verification, bound may process the selfie images you submit or facial feature data derived from them, and link the verification result to your bound account for app functionality, safety, fraud prevention, and trust signals.

Face verification is voluntary. If you choose not to use it, you can still use bound, but some trust or safety features may be limited.

7. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data.

To provide our services, we may share necessary data with service providers for cloud hosting, push notifications, login verification, place lookup, AI assistance, customer support, analytics, error monitoring, and Apple App Store / Google Play in-app subscription verification. bound does not process payments on its website and does not collect full payment card numbers.

Our current main third-party processors include Firebase / Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Google Maps Platform, Anthropic, Branch Metrics (install attribution and deep linking), and Apple App Store / Google Play platform services.

We may disclose data as required by law, court order, or competent authorities, or where necessary to protect user safety.

8. Share Links and Install Attribution

When you tap a bound event share link (for example https://app.bound-app.com/event/12345) or one of our ads, the link may carry an event id and a marketing source code. We use this to take you to the event you originally tapped once the app opens.

If you tap a link before installing bound, we use the install attribution service Branch Metrics to restore that event after you install and first open the app, so you do not land on the home screen and have to search for it again. This may involve processing your device model, operating system version, IP address, and install time to match a tap to an install.

On iOS this restoration may rely on link content you actively copied to your clipboard by tapping a "copy link" action. bound reads the clipboard once, on the first launch after install, and only reads bound's own link content.

This data is used for routing and measuring marketing performance. It is not used to build cross-site advertising profiles and is not shared with other users. You can limit ad tracking in your device settings; deep links still work, but install attribution becomes less accurate.

9. Website Cookies

The official bound website (bound-app.com) uses only one first-party functional cookie: bound_locale. It is set only when you manually switch the website language, stores nothing but the language you chose (zh or en), and keeps that language on your next visit. It expires after one year.

If you have not switched the language manually, the website chooses Chinese or English based on your browser's language settings. This check runs only in your browser; it does not set a cookie and is not sent to our servers.

The official bound website does not currently use analytics, advertising, or cross-site tracking cookies, and does not share your data with third parties through cookies. If we introduce such cookies in the future, we will update this policy first and ask for your consent before setting them.

You can view, delete, or block cookies at any time through your browser settings. Deleting or blocking bound_locale does not affect normal browsing; the website simply will not remember the language you chose.

10. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain data for as long as needed to provide services, maintain safety, comply with legal obligations, or resolve disputes.

You can request account deletion in the app. We process account deletions promptly and delete, de-identify, or restrict access to personal data no longer needed for the service.

Some records may be retained under this policy for legitimate purposes such as safety, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, backup integrity, legal compliance, or platform subscription records.

11. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may request to access, correct, delete, restrict the processing of, or obtain a copy of your personal data.

You can also adjust device permissions, turn off push notifications, or submit a data rights request via our support email.

12. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect data, including encryption in transit, access controls, auditing, and security reviews.

No online service can guarantee absolute security. If a data incident occurs that requires notification by law, we will handle it in accordance with applicable law.

13. Protection of Minors

bound is only for users aged 18 and over.

If we discover or reasonably suspect that an account belongs to a user under 18, we will disable or delete the account.

bound has a zero-tolerance policy toward Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) and Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). For our full child safety standards, reporting channels, and contact point, see: https://www.bound-app.com/child-safety-standards

14. Policy Updates

We may update this policy for product, legal, or operational reasons. We will notify you of material changes through the app, the website, or other reasonable means.