Privacy Policy
Observe Now helps the people caring for someone, usually someone living with dementia, keep a shared, 15-minute record of how that person is doing, and share it with family. This policy explains what information the app handles, why, who can see it, and the choices you have. It applies to the Observe Now apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.
We keep it simple: we collect only what the app needs to work, we don't sell anything, we don't show ads, and we don't use analytics or tracking.
Who we are
Observe Now is made by Joshua Pointer. For anything about privacy, including requests to see or delete information, email privacy@joshpointer.com.
Information the app handles
Your account
- Sign-in details: your mobile number (if you sign in with a texted code), your email address (if you sign in with email and password), or the identifier Apple gives us (if you use Sign in with Apple, which may be a private relay address). Passwords are handled by Google Firebase Authentication; we never see them.
- Your name and relationship (for example "Ellen, daughter"), shown to the people on the same care log.
The person being cared for
- Their first name, the pronouns to use, a short care-setting description, and an optional on-call nurse's phone number.
- Observations: what they were doing in each 15-minute period (for example asleep, restless, asking to go home), optional place, pain level (0–10), notes, medicines given, and fall reports. This is health-related information.
- Alerts sent to family (for a fall, grabbing or pushing, or pain of 7 or more), and who has seen them.
The care team and family
- Caregivers' names and a 4-digit shift PIN. PINs are stored only as a one-way hash.
- Who started and ended each shift, and when.
- Invitations: the email address or mobile number a family member was invited with, their name and relationship.
- Messages between family and caregivers.
- "Last seen" times, so family can see whether the care app is open and caregivers can see whether family are watching.
On your device only
Your display settings (light or night, clock, everyday words), unsent drafts, and which messages you've read are kept on your device and are not sent to us.
What we don't collect
No location, contacts, photos, microphone or camera access; no advertising identifiers; no analytics or crash tracking services; no browsing history.
How information is used
- To sign you in and keep you signed in.
- To show the care log, alerts and messages to the people on that log, in real time.
- To send the one-time text message that signs you in.
- To keep the app secure and working (for example, rejecting requests from people who aren't on a log).
We don't use the information for advertising, profiling, or anything unrelated to the app, and we don't use it to train AI models.
Who can see it
- The people on the same care log: the account that set up the log for the person being cared for (used on caregivers' shared devices), and the family members it invited. Family see observations in plain words; notes marked "caregivers only" are never shown to family.
- Service providers that run the app for us, only to provide their service:
- Google Firebase (Google LLC): sign-in, the database the log is stored in, and sending sign-in text messages.
- Apple: Sign in with Apple, if you use it, and delivering the app on iPhone and iPad.
- Google Play: delivering the app on Android.
- If the law requires it: we'll disclose information only when legally required, and will tell affected users where we're allowed to.
We never sell or rent personal information, and we don't share it for advertising.
Where it's stored and how it's protected
Information is stored with Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore) in the United States. It's encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest by Google. Access is controlled by security rules: only signed-in members of a care log can read it, and only caregivers can record observations. The app keeps a copy on your device so it works without a connection; signing out removes it.
Observe Now is a record-keeping and communication tool. It is not a medical device, does not give medical advice, and is not an emergency service. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
How long it's kept
A care log and its observations, notes and messages are kept until the log is deleted. Account details are kept until the account is deleted. Deleting in the app removes the information from the live database immediately; requests by email are completed within 30 days. Backups held by our providers are removed on their normal schedule.
Your choices and rights
- See or correct your information: most of it is visible and editable in the app. For anything else, email us.
- Delete your account: in the app, go to Settings → Delete my account. It deletes your sign-in and takes you off every log you follow straight away. If your account set up a care log, that log and everything recorded in it is deleted too, for everyone on it. Messages you sent to a log you don't own stay in that log's history unless you ask us to remove them. If you can't open the app, email privacy@joshpointer.com from the email address, or giving the mobile number, you sign in with, and we'll delete it within 30 days.
- Stop following a log: ask the person who invited you to remove you, or email us.
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the UK and EU, or the CCPA in California), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your information, and to object to or restrict how it's used. Email us to use any of them; we'll respond within 30 days. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
Information about the person being cared for
The account that sets up a care log is responsible for having the right to record information about the person being cared for (for example as their family member, carer, or with their consent or that of their legal representative). If you are that person, or act for them, and want to see or delete what's been recorded, email us.
Children
Observe Now is not meant for children under 16, and we don't knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has created an account, email us and we'll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If the change is significant, we'll also say so in the app before it takes effect.
Contact
Joshua Pointer · privacy@joshpointer.com