Thanks for using Couch. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what choices you have. We built Couch for friends watching TV together — not advertisers — so we've kept data collection minimal and deliberate.
Couch is an independently developed app built and operated by a solo developer based in the United States. The app is available on the App Store and Google Play.
Couch is intended for users who are 13 years of age or older. By using the app, you confirm that you meet this age requirement. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have inadvertently done so, we will delete it promptly.
The app is currently available to users in the United States only.
When you choose to invite somebody, the app opens your device's contact picker so you can select one person. With your permission it reads that contact's name and phone number, and uses them only to pre-fill a text message you send yourself. The app does not read your contact list, does not check which of your contacts use Couch, and never uploads or stores any contact data on our servers.
We use the information we collect to:
Couch relies on the following third-party services to operate:
We use Firebase for authentication, database storage, file storage, cloud functions, and app hosting. Google may collect usage and diagnostic data in connection with these services. See Google's Privacy Policy.
We use TMDB to retrieve TV show information displayed in the app. No personal user data is sent to TMDB.
When the app crashes or hits an error, Crashlytics records the fault and basic device information so it can be fixed. It does not receive the content you create.
When you report content, we use Resend to deliver that report to our moderation inbox. The email contains the reported content and the account identifiers of the people involved. Nothing else is sent to Resend, and it is not used for marketing. See Resend's Privacy Policy.
We intend to use Google Analytics in a future version of the app to understand aggregate usage patterns. This policy will be updated when that feature is enabled, and you will be notified.
Couch is not a public network — nothing you post is visible outside the app or to people without a Couch account. Within the app, different content has different visibility:
Your phone number is never visible to other users, and is never shown anywhere in the app. It is held by our authentication provider to sign you in.
You can delete your account at any time from within the app. When you do:
Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Some residual data may remain in Firebase system logs for a brief period consistent with Google's standard data retention practices before being purged.
Two things outlive a deleted account, on purpose. Reports you have filed, and reports filed about you, are kept so that a pattern of behaviour cannot be erased by deleting and re-registering. And a message you sent to a group stays in that group's conversation, because removing one side of a conversation would leave the rest of it unreadable for everyone else.
Your data is stored using Firebase, which provides encryption in transit and at rest. Access is controlled through Firebase security rules that restrict data to authenticated users and their authorized connections. As a solo developer, we take reasonable technical precautions to protect your information, though no system is completely immune to risk.
Couch is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date at the top of this document. For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you through the app. Continued use of Couch after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
Questions or concerns about this policy, your data, or anything you have seen in the app: hello@hitthecouch.com. We aim to respond within one business day, and we review reports of objectionable content within 24 hours.