Important: Kindred Pen is available to a global community. We do not sell personal information; video calls are not recorded; and birth dates and precise locations are not shown publicly.
Scope
This Privacy Policy applies to the Kindred Pen mobile app, related account services and support features offered with this policy. Kindred Pen is an unhurried pen-pal community with features for discovering pen pals, public posts, introduction letters, letter conversations, voice messages, video calls, gifts and safety management.
By registering, using the app, sending feedback or contacting us, you acknowledge that you have read this policy. Our Terms, Community Rules, in-app purchase and refund information may add rules for specific situations.
Information we collect
We collect only the information needed to provide account, connection, safety and transaction services. Sources include information you provide, activity in the app and technical records created to keep the service stable.
| Category | Information | Primary purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Account and age | Email address, birth date, sign-in method and age-verification result | Create and access an account, and prevent use by people who do not meet applicable age requirements |
| Public profile | Display name, profile image, languages, region, interests, introduction and communication pace | Match, discover and show information you choose to make public |
| Conversations and posts | Introduction letters, messages, voice messages, post text, topics, images, comments, and call-duration and result metadata | Deliver content, publish posts, moderate content, handle reports and provide support |
| Transaction records | PenPal Coins, gifts, order verification and refund information | Complete purchases, deliver gifts, process refunds and reconcile accounts |
| Safety and technical data | Device sessions, activity logs, permission status, error information and reports | Prevent abuse, protect accounts, diagnose issues and handle reports |
How we use information
We process information for the following purposes, using the minimum information needed:
- Provide registration, sign-in, profile management, pen-pal discovery, public posts and letter conversations;
- Recommend people who may be a good fit based on the languages, interests, region and reply pace you choose;
- Review public posts and comments, handle reports and appeals, enforce Community Rules, and prevent harassment, fraud and risks involving people who do not meet applicable age requirements;
- Set up video calls after both people clearly agree and request the camera and microphone permissions needed for that call;
- Verify in-app purchases, deliver gifts purchased with PenPal Coins, and process refunds and account reconciliation;
- Respond to support requests, send notifications about new messages, call invitations and interaction status, analyze errors and improve the service; and
- Comply with applicable laws, court orders and lawful law-enforcement requests.
We do not use your information for targeted advertising unrelated to the core Kindred Pen service, and we do not sell personal information.
Public visibility and relationship controls
Your public display name, profile image, languages, interests, introduction and communication preferences may be visible to other people who meet your selected filters. Moderated public post text, topics and images, along with approved comments, may also be visible to other people. Birth date, email address, precise location, sign-in devices, purchase records and report content are not displayed in public profiles or posts.
You can turn off discoverability in Me > Settings > Account and privacy. When it is off, you will not appear in recommendations, random meet or search, while established conversations are unaffected. You can also report or block someone from a profile, post, conversation or call. After a block, neither person can discover, write to, send gifts to or call the other. Gifts in posts require an established and accepted letter conversation.
Retention and deletion
We retain account, public profile, post and conversation data for as long as needed to provide the service. Reports, safety records and transaction records may be retained longer to resolve disputes, refunds, tax matters or legal obligations.
After you submit an account-deletion request, we process it under in-app instructions and applicable law. Once processing is complete, we permanently delete or de-identify personal data, except for purchase, tax or safety records that must be retained by law.
Your rights and choices
Depending on applicable law, you may have the following rights over your personal information. We may ask you to verify your email address or account to confirm that a request comes from you.
We do not sell personal information and do not discriminate against you for exercising privacy rights available under applicable law.
International data processing
Your account, profile, posts and conversation data are processed and stored on cloud-service infrastructure. To support international pen-pal matching, content moderation and customer support, limited data may be accessed by cloud, moderation or support processors in the regions where they operate.
All transfers use encrypted connections (TLS). Access is limited to what is needed to perform assigned duties, and processors are bound by data-processing agreements. You can submit a request to access, correct, restrict processing of or delete information through Account and privacy or in-app Feedback and support.
Safety, permissions and applicable age
How we protect information
We use access controls, encrypted transmission, sign-in session management, content moderation and reporting processes to reduce the risks of unauthorized access, misuse and data loss. No internet transmission or storage system can be completely secure. If a security incident affects your rights, we will notify you as required by law.
Photos, camera, microphone and notifications
When you select a profile image, letter image or post image, the app requests photo access. The camera is requested only when you start or accept a video call and continue to join, for the live image in that call. The microphone is requested only when you record voice or join a video call. Notifications are used for new messages, call invitations and interaction-status reminders, and their preferences can be turned off separately. Declining photo, camera or microphone access does not affect features that do not depend on that permission.
Applicable age
Kindred Pen is available only to people who meet applicable local age requirements. We do not knowingly collect account information from people who do not meet those requirements. If you believe such a person has created an account, or someone is encouraging another person to use the service contrary to applicable age requirements, submit a report or contact Feedback and support in the app. We will prioritize review of the report.
Policy updates and contact
If material changes affect how we collect information, why we use it or your rights, we will update the version and effective date and provide an in-app notice to review or accept the update. The current version is 2026.1, effective 2026-01-01.
For privacy requests, access requests, deletion requests or security concerns, email
Mimosanhaloinen@icloud.com, or submit details through in-app Feedback and support. We will handle your request within the time required by applicable law.