Simple Phone Helper and Phone Helper Family are built to help an older adult stay connected with the people who love them. We collect only what is needed to set up and run that experience — the names, phone numbers, and notes a family member chooses to add. We do not use advertising, we do not track you across other apps or websites, and we never sell your information. That's the whole idea.
This Privacy Policy explains what information the apps collect, how it is used, and the choices you have. It applies to both apps, which are published by Richard Vaughn ("we," "us," or "our"):
com.richardvaughn.lanterncom.richardvaughn.lantern.familyIn the Family app, a family member creates the loved ones who appear on the older adult's home screen. For each person, they may enter a name, a phone number (used to place a phone or video call), a short relationship label, a personal note or "moment," and — optionally — a photo of that person. This information is sent to our backend so it can appear on the older adult's phone.
If a family member adds a photo for a loved one, that selected image is stored (as a small picture) and shown on the older adult's screen. We receive only the specific photos a family member chooses to add — the app never browses or uploads your photo library.
A family member may save one or more places — such as "Home" — so the older adult can tap a button to get directions there. For each place we store the address the family member types and the approximate map coordinates for that address, used only to open directions in Apple Maps. We do not track the older adult's device location or movements.
Short messages, labels, and display choices (such as a monogram or color) that a family member creates are stored so they can be shown on the older adult's screen.
When either app first runs, it creates an anonymous account so the two phones can be paired into a family and stay in sync. This account is an internal identifier only — it is not tied to your name, email address, Apple ID, or any advertising identifier, and you are not asked to create a username or password.
"See Better" describes what the camera is pointed at. By default it works entirely on the older adult's device. A family member — not the older adult — may choose to turn on Smarter descriptions & natural voice, an optional setting in the Family app that is off by default, for a richer, plainer description spoken in a natural voice.
When it is on, the photo the older adult captures when she taps "What Is This?" is sent through our backend, over an encrypted connection, to OpenAI, which writes the description and speaks it. Under OpenAI's API data policies, what is sent this way is not used to train its models and is retained by OpenAI only briefly — up to 30 days for abuse monitoring — and then deleted, unless a longer period is required by law. We do not store the photo or the description on our own servers, and we never show either to the family member: it goes to OpenAI and comes back to the older adult's phone as words and audio.
"Read to Me" never uses this. Reading printed text always happens entirely on her phone, in the phone's own voice — the words she points the camera at (mail, a bill, a statement, a label) are never sent to us or to anyone else, whether this setting is on or off.
Turning it off: a family member can switch Smarter descriptions & natural voice off at any time in the Family app, under "See Better & Read to Me." With it off, See Better runs entirely on the device and nothing leaves the phone. Turning it off — or deleting your family's data (Section 6) — stops any further sending, but cannot reach a copy OpenAI is already holding for abuse monitoring; those are deleted on OpenAI's schedule, within 30 days.
Some helpful features use your phone's hardware. Except where Section 1f says otherwise, these run on your device, and we do not receive or store their content:
We use the information above for one purpose only — app functionality:
We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, or automated decision-making.
Family information is stored on our backend provider, Supabase, on servers located in the United States. Information is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), and access is restricted so that only members of a given family can read that family's data. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only in these limited ways:
We do not share your information with advertisers, data brokers, or analytics companies.
We keep family information for as long as the family is using the app. A family member can remove an individual person, photo, place, or note at any time in the Family app. To erase everything at once, the Family app has a "Delete This Family & All Data" option that permanently deletes the family's entire configuration (names, phone numbers, photos, and saved addresses), unpairs the phones, and removes the associated anonymous accounts from our servers. You may also contact us at the address below to request deletion, and we will delete it.
One limit, stated plainly: anything sent to OpenAI under "Smarter descriptions & natural voice" (Section 1f) is never stored by us and is not part of your family's configuration, so there is nothing of it for us to delete. Any copy OpenAI is holding for abuse monitoring is deleted on OpenAI's own schedule, within 30 days; our deletion cannot reach it sooner.
Depending on where you live (for example, under the EU/UK GDPR or the California CCPA/CPRA), you may have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal information, and to object to or restrict certain processing. Because the app does not require an email address, the simplest way to exercise these rights is to contact us at the address below; we will respond as required by applicable law. We do not "sell" or "share" personal information as those terms are defined under California law.
These apps are intended for adults. Simple Phone Helper is designed to be used by an older adult, and Phone Helper Family is designed to be set up by an adult family member. The apps are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Our backend is located in the United States. If you use the apps from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, which may have data protection laws different from those in your country.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Significant changes will be reflected here before they take effect.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your information, please contact:
Richard Vaughn
richard@yourfriendrich.com
yourfriendrich.com