Who we are
Polka Dots n Stripes is a dating app where parents help their young adults (18 and older) meet someone great, and the young adult always decides. The app is run by Polka Dots n Stripes LLC, a Utah limited liability company ("we," "us," "our").
This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, who can see it, and the choices you have. It applies to our app, our website, and the emails and text messages we send.
Two kinds of people use Polka Dots n Stripes
- Parents (or a guardian or close family member) create an account, build a profile for their young adult, browse other profiles, and message other parents when both families like each other.
- Young adults never need an account. They receive private links by email (and, when available, by text) to approve their profile, see their matches, say who they'd like to meet, and manage their own choices and data.
Information parents give us
- Account details: your name, email address, and phone number if you verify by text.
- Verification: a selfie and, if you choose, a photo of a government ID. Our team reviews these to confirm you're a real parent. They are stored privately and are never shown to other users.
- Your young adult's profile: first and last name, birthday, gender, height, city and state, education, school and major, job, faith, fitness, relationship goals, whether they want kids, hobbies, written prompt answers, and photos.
- Matching preferences: who your young adult is interested in (men, women, or everyone), an age range, and a maximum distance.
- Your young adult's email address (and, when texting is available, their phone number), used only to send them their private links.
- Your activity: Dots, Golden Dots, passes, notes you add, matches, messages with other parents, blocks, and safety reports.
Information young adults give us
- Their approval (or decline) of the profile, and a confirmation that they are 18 or older.
- Their birthday, re-entered to confirm the profile is really theirs.
- Their own phone number, if we ask them to confirm it with a text code.
- Who they're interested in, if they change it.
- Their reactions to matches ("I'd like to meet them" or "Not for me").
- Private dealbreakers, such as an age range, a distance, or "no regular smokers."
- Contact details they choose to share with a match (like an Instagram username, phone number, or email), and which of them they're OK sharing.
- Any safety reports they send us.
Information collected automatically
Like most apps, we receive basic technical information needed to run and protect the service, such as device and browser type, and when pages load or errors happen. We do not use your device's GPS. Distance between families is estimated from the city and state on each profile.
Sensitive information
Some information can be sensitive: who a young adult is interested in can reveal sexual orientation, a profile may include faith, and verification photos show a parent's face and ID. We treat this information with extra care:
- Who a young adult is interested in is never shown on any profile. It's only used to decide who appears in Discover, and only the young adult can change it after they approve.
- Faith appears on a profile only if the parent adds it, and the young adult approves the profile before anyone sees it.
- Verification photos are seen only by our review team.
How we use information
- To build profiles, show approved profiles to other parents, and suggest families that fit both sides' preferences and dealbreakers.
- To send young adults their private links so they can approve their profile, see matches, and make their own choices.
- To verify parents and keep fake accounts, scams, and underage users off the app.
- To let matched parents message each other, and to send notifications you can turn off in Settings.
- To review safety reports, enforce our Terms and Community Guidelines, and protect our users.
- To fix problems and improve the app.
Who can see what
- Other parents can see approved profiles only: the young adult's first name, age, photos, city, and the profile details and answers on the profile. Last names, birthdays, emails, and phone numbers are never shown.
- A profile is never shown to anyone until the young adult personally approves it.
- A young adult's reaction to a match is shared only with their own parent, never with the other family. If both young adults say they'd like to meet, both of them are told, and each sees only the contact details the other chose to share.
- A young adult's dealbreakers and contact choices are private. Their parent does not see them.
- Messages between matched parents are seen only by those two parents, and by our safety team if one of them reports the conversation.
- Verification photos, phone numbers, and emails are private. Only you and authorized team members can access them.
Who we share information with
We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for advertising. We share information only:
- With service providers who help us run the app and only use the information to provide their services to us: Base44 (app hosting, database, and file storage), Twilio (text messages and phone verification), SendGrid (email delivery), and, when paid features launch, Apple and Google (payments).
- When the law requires it, or to protect the safety of our users or the public.
- If our business is sold or merged, in which case this policy will continue to protect your information.
No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text message opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties.
Text messages
We send text messages only for the app itself. Verification codes are sent when you ask for one. Updates about a young adult's profile and matches are sent only if the young adult checks the optional "Text me about my matches and updates" box; they can turn this off anytime on their private page. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to stop receiving texts, or HELP for help. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Emails
We email parents about activity on their account, such as new matches, messages, Dots, and updates from their young adult. Every one of these emails has an unsubscribe link, and you can turn each type on or off in Settings. Young adults receive emails only about their own profile, like approval links and matches.
How long we keep information
We keep information while an account or profile is active. When a parent deletes their account in Settings, their profiles, verification photos, preferences, likes, matches, and messages are permanently deleted. When a young adult chooses "Delete all my data" on their private page, their profile, photos, answers, and settings are permanently deleted and their matches end. Safety reports may be kept as long as needed to keep the community safe. Copies in routine backups are removed over time.
Your choices and rights
- Parents can edit or remove a profile, turn notifications on or off, and delete their account at any time in Settings.
- Young adults can approve or decline, change who they're interested in, set dealbreakers, choose what contact details to share, pause or remove their profile, download a copy of their data, and delete all their data at any time from their private page.
- Depending on where you live, you may have more rights, such as asking to see, correct, or delete your information. Email us at support@polkadotsnstripes.com and we'll help.
Security
We protect information with strict access rules that limit who can see each kind of data, private storage for photos and verification images, server-side checks for consent and age, and short-lived private links. No system is perfectly secure, so please keep your login and your private links to yourself.
Ages 18 and up only
Polka Dots n Stripes is only for adults. Profiles may only be created for people who are 18 or older, and parents must be 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect information about anyone under 18. If we learn that we have, we delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app grows. If we make important changes, we'll tell you in the app or by email before they take effect. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.
Contact us
Questions about your privacy? Email support@polkadotsnstripes.com. Polka Dots n Stripes LLC, Utah, USA.