Privacy Policy

Last updated: 21 October 2026

The short version

• A parent or guardian sets up FurBrains and stays in charge. Children don't create their own accounts.
• We only collect what we need to run FurBrains, keep it safe and make it work for your family.
• We never sell your family's information, and there are no ads. Ever.
• We use a small number of trusted service providers, including an AI provider, to run FurBrains. They may only use your information to provide their service to us.
• You can see, correct or delete your family's information at any time. Email support@furbrains.app.

1. Who we are

FurBrains is made by FurBrains Limited, a company based in New Zealand ("FurBrains", "we", "us" or "our"). We're responsible for the personal information described in this policy.

If you have a question about privacy, email us at support@furbrains.app.

2. What this policy covers

This policy explains how we handle personal information when you use:

• the FurBrains parent app on iOS and Android,
• FurBrain toys and the services that connect them to the internet,
• FurBrainia, the FurBrains game for children, and
• our website at furbrains.ai, including the waitlist.

We call these the "Services". We handle personal information in line with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020. Where they apply to you, we also follow other privacy laws, including the Australian Privacy Act 1988, the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

3. Children's privacy

FurBrains is made for children aged 3 to 11, so we've designed it with grown-ups in charge:

• Only adults create accounts. The parent app is for parents and guardians aged 18 or over. When you sign up, you confirm you're the parent or legal guardian of the children you add and you agree to this policy.
• Children don't sign in to the parent app. Children use their FurBrain toy and FurBrainia, which are linked to your family account with a code or QR code that you control.
• You decide what we know. You choose what to tell us about your child, and some features only switch on after you give separate consent (see section 4).
• No ads, no selling, no profiling for marketing. We never show advertising to children, never sell children's information and never use it to market to them.

If you believe we've collected information about a child without a parent's consent, contact us at support@furbrains.app and we'll delete it.

4. Information we collect

Information about you (the parent or guardian)

• Account details: your email address, your name, the name you'd like to be called, your relationship to your children, your household name, your language, region and timezone. If you choose to sign in with Google or Facebook, we receive your name and email address from them.
• Sign-in codes: we email you a one-time code each time you sign in. We don't use passwords.
• Your family's Guiding Lights: the values and preferences you choose so your FurBrain reflects your family. This can include things like the tone you'd like, topics to avoid, celebrations, diet, family structure and, if you choose to share it, faith.
• Consent records: what you agreed to and when, including the IP address and device details at the time, so we can show we have your consent.
• Settings: notification preferences and, if you allow notifications, a device token so we can send them.
• Messages to Firefly: what you write to Firefly, the helper in the parent app.
• Purchases and wallet: your wallet balance, Spark Coin and shop purchases, approvals of your child's purchase requests and your plan. We don't store your full card details.
• Support: anything you send us when you contact us.

Information about your child

• Profile: the nickname you give your child, their age range or birth date, their pronouns, avatar, favourite colour, the things they love, the areas you'd like to focus on and their chosen FurBrain character. We encrypt your child's nickname, age and birth date in our database.
• Guardrails: the settings you choose for them, such as quiet hours and screen-time limits.
• Play and progress: tasks, Spark Coins, wishlist items, game progress, and simple events from the toy such as when it's hugged.
• Conversation summaries: information about how your child uses FurBrains' AI features, such as when a conversation happened and how long it was, so you can see it in the parent app and so we can keep it safe. We don't store full transcripts of your child's conversations.
• Feelings check-ins (only with your consent): if you turn on emotional wellbeing features, we store short summaries of how your child said they were feeling so you can see them in the app. We don't collect this without your consent, and you can turn it off at any time.

Information from FurBrain toys

• Voice: your FurBrain has a microphone so it can talk with your child. Your child's voice is sent securely to our servers so the FurBrain can understand and reply. We don't currently store recordings of your child's voice or transcripts of what they say. If this ever changes, we'll update this policy and ask for your consent first.
• Camera: some FurBrains have a camera your child can use to show their FurBrain something and ask about it. The photo is sent to our AI provider so it can answer, then discarded. We don't store these photos. You can control the camera from the parent app.
• Device information: the toy's hardware ID, firmware version, language, Wi-Fi signal strength and battery level. We use this to connect the toy, keep it updated and fix problems. We keep it for 30 days.

Information from your phone

• Bluetooth: used to find your FurBrain and connect it to your Wi-Fi during setup. On older Android phones (Android 11 and below), the system asks for location permission to scan for Bluetooth devices. We don't collect or store your location.
• Camera: used only to scan the QR code on your FurBrain's box. We don't store these images.
• Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint: if you turn on the app lock, your phone checks your face or fingerprint. We never receive your biometric data.
• Device details: your phone's model and operating system version, which help us troubleshoot.

The parent app doesn't contain advertising, analytics or tracking tools from other companies.

Information from our website

If you join the waitlist, we collect your first name, email address, your child's age and the FurBrain you're hoping for. We use this to send you launch news and early access. You can ask us to remove you at any time. The "Find your match" quiz keeps your child's name in your own browser only. It isn't sent to us.

5. How we use information

We use personal information to:

• create and secure your account and sign you in,
• set up, connect and update your FurBrain,
• make your FurBrain and Firefly talk and play in a way that suits your child's age and your family's Guiding Lights,
• show you your child's activity, progress and (if you've turned it on) feelings check-ins,
• run tasks, Spark Coins, the shop, wishlists and purchase approvals,
• keep children safe, including by applying your guardrails and checking AI replies against our safety rules,
• send you sign-in codes, important service messages and, if you've opted in, marketing emails,
• provide support, fix problems and improve FurBrains, and
• meet our legal obligations, such as keeping financial records.

Where the GDPR applies, we rely on: performing our contract with you; your consent (for example for feelings check-ins and marketing, which you can withdraw at any time); our legitimate interests in running a safe and reliable service; and our legal obligations.

6. AI and your FurBrain

FurBrains uses artificial intelligence to power conversations with your FurBrain, to answer questions about photos your child shows it, and to power Firefly in the parent app. Our AI provider is OpenAI.

• What's shared: only what's needed for each reply. For Firefly, that's your message along with relevant family context, such as your children's nicknames and age ranges, your Guiding Lights and a summary of tasks, coins, wishlists and pending purchases. For the toy, it's what your child said or showed it.
• Not used to train AI: under OpenAI's terms for business customers, information we send isn't used to train their models.
• Shaped by you: your Guiding Lights and guardrails shape how your FurBrain responds, and we apply our own safety rules on top.
• Not perfect: AI can sometimes get things wrong. FurBrains isn't a substitute for a parent, teacher, doctor or counsellor.

7. Who we share information with

We don't sell or rent personal information, and we don't share it with advertisers. We share it only with:

These providers act on our behalf and may only use your information to provide their service to us. We may also share information if the law requires it, to protect someone's safety, or with a new owner if FurBrains is sold or restructured. If that happens, this policy will continue to protect your information.

8. Where information is stored

Our servers and service providers are located outside New Zealand, including in Singapore and the United States. When we send personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to make sure it's protected in a way that's comparable to New Zealand law. This includes choosing providers with strong security and privacy commitments and using contracts that require them to protect it.

9. How we keep information safe

• Information is encrypted when it travels between your phone, your FurBrain and our servers.
• Children's names, ages and birth dates are encrypted in our database.
• Sign-in uses one-time codes rather than passwords, and the parent app can be locked with Face ID, Touch ID or your fingerprint.
• Access to personal information within FurBrains is limited to people who need it, and it's logged.

No system is perfectly secure. If a privacy breach is likely to cause serious harm, we'll tell you and the relevant regulator as the law requires.

10. How long we keep information

• We keep your account and your children's information while your account is open.
• Sign-in codes, setup codes and sessions expire automatically.
• Toy device information is deleted after 30 days.
• When you delete your account, we close it straight away and delete or anonymise your family's personal information within 30 days. This includes your children's profiles, activity, feelings check-ins and AI conversation summaries, and your toys are unpaired. See how to delete your account.
• We keep a small amount of information for longer where the law requires it or to protect ourselves from claims. We keep anonymised financial records for 7 years for tax purposes, and records of the consents you gave and important account actions for up to 7 years.

11. Your rights and choices

You can:

• See and correct your family's information. Most of it is in the parent app, and you can ask us for a copy of the rest.
• Delete your account from the parent app's settings, or by emailing us. This deletes your children's information too. Here's how.
• Withdraw consent for optional features, such as feelings check-ins and marketing emails, at any time. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link.
• Stop further collection about your child by turning off features, unpairing their FurBrain or deleting their profile.

To make a request, email support@furbrains.app. We may need to confirm your identity first. We'll respond within 20 working days.

If you're not happy with how we've handled your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You can also complain to a privacy regulator:

• New Zealand: the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
• Australia: the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
• UK: the Information Commissioner's Office.
• EU: your local data protection authority.

12. Changes to this policy

We'll update this policy as FurBrains grows. If we make an important change, we'll tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect. If a change affects how we use your child's information, we'll ask for your consent again. The date at the top shows when this policy was last updated.

13. Contact us

FurBrains Limited, New Zealand
Email: support@furbrains.app