WeCare Assistants — Privacy Policy

Effective date: May 19, 2026
Last updated: July 10, 2026

1. Who We Are

WeCare Assistants ("WeCare", "we", "us") is operated by WeCare Assistants LLC, a Florida limited liability company based in Sarasota, Florida, USA. You can reach us at privacy@wecareassistants.com for any privacy-related question or request.

2. What We Collect

2.1 Information you provide

• Your name and phone number — entered during setup so caregivers can identify alerts as coming from you.
• Caregiver name and phone number — entered by you so we can send them safety alerts after they consent.
• Medications, doses, and schedules — entered by you, or read from a medicine label you photograph. The label's text is extracted on your device; see Section 4.1.
• Reminders, notes, memos, and questions you ask the app — typed by you, or dictated. Speech is converted to text on your device; the audio recording is never uploaded.

2.2 Information generated by your use of the app

• Safety-alert event records — a timestamp, alert type, and delivery status for each safety alert. Used so caregivers can see whether an alert was acknowledged.
• Wellness activity signals — timestamps only, recorded automatically: when the app was last opened, when the phone's screen was last on, and when the phone last registered physical movement (walking, riding in a vehicle). We record when these happened, never where. These power the inactivity check-in: if no signal appears for many hours, the app asks you if you are OK, and alerts your caregiver if you do not answer.
• Medication dose records — which dose was taken, skipped, snoozed, or missed, and when. Shown to you and to your caregivers.
• SMS consent records — a record of every opt-in (a YES-XXXXXX confirmation reply), opt-out (STOP reply), and HELP request, with timestamps, kept to demonstrate carrier compliance.
• One-shot location (only when you tap "I Need Help") — your device's GPS coordinates are captured only at the moment you tap the "I Need Help" button and confirm the alert. We do not track your location in the background. We do not store a location history. The single coordinate is sent to your designated emergency contact as a Google Maps link, included in the alert SMS and in-app push notification. See Section 6 for details.
• Push notification tokens — an anonymous device token issued by Apple or Google so we can deliver in-app notifications.
• App diagnostic data — crash logs and error reports (no personal content) used to fix bugs.

2.3 What we do not collect

• We do not track your location in the background. We capture a single coordinate only when you tap "I Need Help" and confirm the alert.
• We do not upload your photographs. When you scan a medicine label, the picture is read on your device and the picture itself stays on your device.
• We do not upload your voice recordings. When you dictate, your speech is turned into text on your device, and only that text leaves the phone.
• We do not collect your contacts list.
• We do not collect browsing history, advertising IDs, or device fingerprints for tracking.
• We do not collect biometric identifiers such as fingerprints, face geometry, or voice prints.
• We do not access Apple Health / HealthKit or your health records.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To verify that you own the phone number you entered when you set up the app, by sending you a one-time verification code via SMS at signup.
• To deliver safety alerts (SMS and in-app push) to family caregivers you have designated as your emergency contact and who have consented.
• To include your one-shot location as a Google Maps link in the safety alert message, so the recipient can see where you are.
• To send a one-time confirmation SMS to a phone number you provide as an emergency contact, asking the recipient to reply YES-XXXXXX (a unique 6-digit code shown in that message) to opt in before any further messages are sent.
• To honor opt-out requests (a STOP reply immediately ends all further messages to that number) and to keep an auditable record of consent changes.
• To respond to HELP requests with support contact information.
• To run the inactivity check-in: comparing your wellness activity signals against a staleness threshold, sending you a check-in, and alerting your caregiver if you do not respond.
• To remind you to take your medications at the times you set, and to show you and your caregivers which doses were taken or missed.
• To provide the AI-assisted features described in Section 4.1 — reading medicine labels, turning what you say into reminders, answering your questions, writing your daily summary, and translation.
• To diagnose and fix bugs.

We do not use your data for advertising or profiling. Your data is never used to train any AI model — not ours, and not our AI provider's (see Section 4.1). We do not sell your data. We do not share phone numbers or opt-in data with any third party for marketing.

4. Who We Share It With

We share the minimum data necessary with the following service providers ("sub-processors"). Each is contractually bound to use the data only to provide their service to us.

We will disclose information if required by a valid legal process (e.g., subpoena), and we will notify you unless legally prohibited from doing so.

4.1 AI Processing — What We Send to Google, and Your Permission

Several WeCare features are powered by artificial intelligence. The AI is operated by Google LLC, through the Google Cloud Vertex AI service (Gemini models). Google is the only third-party AI provider WeCare uses.

What we send to Google:

• The words printed on a medicine label you scan. The label's text is extracted on your device, and only that text is sent.
• Text you type into the app, or text produced from your dictation. Speech is converted to text on your device.
• Your first name, so that replies can address you personally.

What we never send to Google:

• Your photographs — including the picture of the medicine label.
• Your voice recordings.
• Your location, your contacts, or your phone number.

How Google may use it. Google processes this text only to answer that single request, and returns the result to us. Under the Google Cloud Platform Terms of Service and the Vertex AI data-governance commitments, Google does not use this data to train its AI models and does not retain it for its own purposes. These protections are equal to those described in this policy. The text is never used for advertising or profiling, and it is never sold.

Your permission. Before WeCare sends any of this text to Google, we ask you for permission. When you first set up the app, a screen names Google as the AI provider, lists exactly what is and is not sent, and asks you to agree with a separate checkbox dedicated to this choice. WeCare does not send anything to the AI service until you agree. If we materially change what we send or who we send it to, we will ask you again.

5. SMS Messages to Caregivers

WeCare Assistants sends SMS messages to family caregivers strictly to enable our safety-alert feature. We do not send marketing, promotional, or advertising SMS of any kind.

5.1 Consent (opt-in)

When you add a caregiver's phone number as your emergency contact, we send that number a single one-time confirmation message that identifies WeCare Assistants as the sender, names you as the person who added them, and includes a unique 6-digit confirmation code. The recipient must reply YES-XXXXXX (where XXXXXX is the 6-digit code shown in the message) within 10 minutes to opt in. We do not send any further messages to that number until we receive a matching YES-XXXXXX reply. If they reply anything else, do not reply, or reply after the code has expired, no further messages are sent.

The confirmation message we send reads:

WeCare Assistants: [Your name] added you as their emergency contact. Reply YES-[6-digit code] to confirm and receive safety alerts when they need help. Code expires in 10 min. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to opt out.

5.2 Opt-out (STOP)

A caregiver may opt out at any time by replying STOP to any of our messages. Their number is then immediately added to our do-not-message list; no further SMS will be sent. Our system honors STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, and QUIT in any case.

5.3 HELP

Replying HELP to any of our messages returns an automated response (provided by our messaging carrier) that identifies WeCare Assistants as the sender and points to support@wecareassistants.com for further assistance. The HELP reply also confirms that message and data rates may apply.

5.4 Frequency and rates

Message frequency is variable and entirely user-initiated — a caregiver only receives a message when the senior they are paired with triggers a safety alert through the app. There is no scheduled or recurring SMS traffic. Message and data rates may apply per the caregiver's carrier plan. SMS is delivered via Twilio, an authorized U.S. messaging provider, on a verified toll-free number.

5.5 Compliance

Our SMS practices are designed to comply with the U.S. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), CTIA Messaging Principles & Best Practices, and the messaging policies of major U.S. carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon). Opt-in records and opt-out records are retained for audit purposes (see Section 8).

6. Location Data — Detail

Because location is sensitive, we want to be specific:

• Location is captured only at the moment you tap "I Need Help" and confirm the alert.
• We capture one coordinate, not a path or history.
• The coordinate is sent to your emergency contact as a Google Maps link in the SMS alert and as part of the in-app push notification.
• We retain the coordinate on our servers only while the alert is active, plus a brief audit window so the caregiver can review what happened. After that it is deleted.
• You can revoke location permission at any time in your iPhone's Settings; the rest of the app will continue to work, but "I Need Help" alerts will not include your location.
• We do not integrate with 911 or any emergency-dispatch service. "I Need Help" notifies your designated family emergency contact, not the authorities. In a true emergency, please call 911 directly.

7. Data Storage and Security

Data is stored in Google Firebase (US data centers), protected by Firebase Authentication and Realtime Database security rules. Traffic between your device and our servers is encrypted in transit with TLS. Data at rest is encrypted by Google in their data centers with Google-managed keys. Access to our production database is restricted to a small operations team, and access is logged.

8. Data Retention

• Account & caregiver records: kept until you delete the app or request deletion.
• Safety-alert event records (including the one-shot location coordinate): kept for 90 days, then deleted.
• Consent records and consent log (opt-in, opt-out, re-opt-in): retained for as long as the caregiver is on file, plus 2 years after, to demonstrate compliance with carrier requirements.
• Medications, reminders, notes, and dose records: kept in your account until you delete them or close your account.
• Wellness activity signals (timestamps): kept in your account until you delete the app or request deletion.
• Text sent to the AI provider (Section 4.1): not retained by Google. It is processed to answer your request and is not stored by Google for its own purposes.
• Diagnostic logs: 30 days.

9. Your Rights

You may at any time:

• Access the data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Delete your account and all associated data
• Withdraw consent (reply STOP to any SMS)

Email privacy@wecareassistants.com and we will respond within 30 days. California, Colorado, and Virginia residents have additional rights under state law (CCPA/CPRA, CPA, VCDPA); we honor these rights for all users regardless of residency.

10. Children's Privacy

WeCare Assistants is intended for adults aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

If we make a material change, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you in the app or by email before the change takes effect.

12. Contact

WeCare Assistants LLC
Sarasota, Florida, USA
privacy@wecareassistants.com
Support: support@wecareassistants.com