Your Privacy Matters

Kettle ("we," "our," or "us") is a professional networking and connection platform developed by NUVOTA INNOVATIONS PRIVATE LIMITED. Kettle is designed to help professionals discover, connect, and build meaningful professional relationships based on shared interests, industries, and goals.

This Privacy Policy applies to our mobile application ("App") available on Google Play and the Apple App Store, as well as our website at kettleweb.com.

By downloading or using Kettle, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

We collect the following categories of information to provide and improve our services:

The following Android permissions are requested by the app. We only request permissions essential to delivering core functionality.

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide core services — professional profile creation, user discovery, connection features, group management, real-time chat, and shared trip or event planning.
• Authenticate your identity — via phone number OTP verification.
• Send notifications — push notifications for messages, connection requests, and platform updates via Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM).
• Improve the app — anonymous analytics and crash reports help us identify and fix issues to improve performance.
• Process payments — subscription and purchase flows are managed securely via RevenueCat and the respective app store.
• Enable social and community features — sharing events, inviting connections, and engaging in professional groups.
• Legal compliance — comply with applicable laws and respond to lawful requests from authorities.

The App integrates the following third-party services. Each operates under its own privacy policy and terms.

• 🔥 Firebase (Google LLC) Used for push notifications (FCM), app analytics, and crash reporting (Crashlytics). Firebase Privacy Policy →
• 💰 RevenueCat Manages in-app subscriptions and purchase verification across Android and iOS. RevenueCat Privacy Policy →
• 🗺️ Geocoding Services Converts GPS coordinates into readable addresses and vice versa for location features. Processing is handled by underlying platform geocoding APIs.
• 🖼️ uCrop / Image Cropper Used to crop and resize images selected from your gallery or camera. All image processing happens on-device and no images are sent to external servers.
• 📡 Socket.IO Enables real-time chat messaging and live updates via WebSocket connections to our servers at api.kettleweb.com.
• 🔒 Flutter Secure Storage Stores authentication tokens securely in the device's OS-level encrypted keystore. No data leaves the device via this mechanism.

Kettle offers optional in-app purchases and subscriptions to unlock premium features. All purchases are processed by:

• Google Play Billing — for Android users
• Apple App Store — for iOS users
• RevenueCat — as our subscription management and entitlement layer

We do not store your full payment card details. Payment processing is handled entirely by Google, Apple, and RevenueCat under their respective security standards (PCI-DSS compliant).

Purchase history and subscription status are retained to validate your access to premium features and to process refunds where applicable.

We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• With other users — your public profile (name, photo, professional bio) is visible to other Kettle users as part of the discovery and connection features.
• With service providers — third-party providers listed above receive only the minimum data necessary to deliver their services on our behalf.
• For legal reasons — we may disclose data when required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of our users or the public.
• Business transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, user data may be transferred as part of business assets, subject to the same privacy commitments.

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services:

• Account & profile data — retained until you delete your account.
• Chat messages — stored on our servers for message delivery. You may delete individual messages within the app at any time.
• Location data — used in real-time and not stored persistently beyond the active session unless required for a specific feature.
• Analytics & crash logs — retained for up to 14 months per Firebase's standard data retention policy.
• Purchase records — retained for accounting and legal compliance purposes (typically 7 years as required by applicable financial regulations).

Upon account deletion, we will delete or anonymise your personal data within 30 days, except where legal obligations require longer retention.

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• HTTPS / TLS encryption — all data transmitted between the app and our servers is encrypted.
• Secure token storage — authentication tokens are stored in the OS-level keystore using Flutter Secure Storage, inaccessible to other apps.
• Cryptographic hashing — sensitive data is hashed using standard cryptographic algorithms before storage.
• Access control — server-side access to user data is restricted on a need-to-know basis with role-based access controls.

While we take every reasonable precaution, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to use a strong password and keep your authentication credentials private.

Kettle is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. It is a platform designed for professional adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18.

If you believe a minor has created an account or provided personal data, please contact us immediately at support@kettleweb.com and we will promptly investigate and delete such data.

Depending on your jurisdiction (including India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, GDPR for EU residents, etc.), you may have the following rights:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion — request deletion of your account and associated personal data ("right to erasure").
• Portability — request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Restriction — request that we limit processing of your data under certain circumstances.
• Objection — object to processing based on our legitimate interests.
• Withdraw consent — withdraw any consent you have previously given at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@kettleweb.com. We will respond within 30 days.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Effective Date" at the top of this page.
• Send a push notification and/or in-app alert to registered users informing them of the update.

Your continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact our Privacy Team: