Privacy Policy
This policy explains what information the Kinvale app ("the app") handles. The app is published by Genesis Forge ("we", "us"). You can reach us at genesisforge.dev@gmail.com.
The short version
- There are no accounts. We do not ask you to sign up or log in.
- The family tree you build stays on your phone. We do not upload it to our servers, and we cannot see it.
- The free version shows ads served by Google AdMob. AdMob collects some device information to do this (see below).
Information you enter
You can add people and details about them: names, relationships, dates, places, notes, photos, voice notes, memories, and optionally contact details and health notes. This information is stored only on your phone, in the app's private storage. The tree and event data are encrypted using a key held in the Android Keystore. Photos and voice notes are kept in the app's private storage, which other apps cannot normally access.
We do not receive this information. If you delete the app, this data is deleted from your phone. Backup files you create yourself are not deleted, because they are saved where you choose.
Sharing, backups and email
The app lets you share parts of your tree, export a backup file, email a tree file, or create a PDF family book. These are actions you start yourself. The file is handed to the app you choose (for example your email app, WhatsApp or Drive), and from then on that app and its provider handle it under their own policies. You choose which people and details are included. Health details are included in the PDF book only if you tick that option. Please share family details only with people who are comfortable receiving them.
Backup password. You can protect a backup file with an optional password. The password is not sent to us, so we cannot recover a forgotten one, and a backup protected by a forgotten password cannot be opened.
Phone calendar (Premium). You can add a birthday, anniversary or event to your phone's calendar. The app does not ask for permission to read or change your calendar. It hands the date you chose to your phone's calendar app, where you confirm and save it. From then on the calendar app and its provider handle that entry under their own policies.
Permissions the app asks for
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Notifications | To show the reminders you set for birthdays, anniversaries and events. |
| Run at start-up | To restore your reminders after the phone restarts. |
| Microphone | Only when you record a voice note or a spoken answer. The recording stays on your phone. |
| Fingerprint / biometrics | Only if you turn on the optional app lock. The app asks Android to check your identity. We never see or store your fingerprint, face data or PIN. |
| Internet and network state | Added by the Google Mobile Ads software, to load and measure ads. The app does not use the internet for your family data. |
| Advertising ID and Android ad services | Added by the Google Mobile Ads software, to show and measure ads (see "Ads" below). |
| Keep the phone awake / run a foreground service | Added by Google's libraries so that background work, such as loading an ad, can finish. |
The app does not ask for camera, calendar, contacts, location or storage permissions. To take a photo it opens your phone's camera app, and to add a date to your calendar it opens your phone's calendar app.
Dictation
If you use the dictate button, your phone's speech-recognition service listens and returns text. That service is provided by your phone maker or Google and may send audio to its servers, under its own privacy policy. The app only receives the resulting text.
Ads (Google AdMob)
The free version of the app shows ads from Google AdMob. To show and measure ads, Google and its partners may collect and use information such as your device's advertising ID, IP address, device and app details, and how you interact with ads. In some regions (such as the European Economic Area and the UK) the app asks for your consent before personalised ads, and you can change your choice later from the app. You can also reset your advertising ID or opt out of ad personalisation in your Android settings. More information: How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
Rewarded ads. You can choose to watch a rewarded ad. Watching one gives you 1 hour of Premium, up to 3 times a day. This is recorded only on your phone.
Premium. Premium removes ads. It cannot be bought yet. During testing, Premium is free for all testers until 31 December 2026. If paid Premium is introduced later, purchases will be handled by Google Play, and we will not receive your card or payment details.
Information we collect automatically
We do not run our own servers for the app and do not collect analytics about you. Other than the ads described above and the normal operation of Google Play services, no information about you is sent to us.
Children
The app is a general-audience family tool and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If a parent adds details about their own children in their tree, those details stay on the parent's phone.
Information about other people
Family trees include details about relatives, including people who have died. Please only add and share information that you are entitled to, and respect the wishes of family members, especially for sensitive details such as health notes.
Your choices and rights
- You can edit or delete any person or detail inside the app at any time.
- You can delete all app data by uninstalling the app or clearing its storage in Android settings.
- Because we do not hold your family data, we cannot access, change or delete it for you. For questions about information handled by Google AdMob, see Google's controls and policies linked above.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page. If the app starts to collect new kinds of information, we will update this policy before doing so.
Contact
Genesis Forge · genesisforge.dev@gmail.com