Effective 30 October 2026
Familiar Knock Knock ("the app") lets people in a small private group knock on each other's phones while they are on the same WiFi network (at home, a holiday house or anywhere else they share one), and reply. This policy explains what information the app uses, why, who can see it, how long it is kept, and what you can do about it.
A knock or a reply shows which group member's phone sent it over the WiFi network you share. It does not verify who is holding that phone, display names are chosen by users and are not checked, and being on the WiFi is not the same as being at the door. The app is not a security or identification device. Always ask who is at the door before you open it. See also our Terms of Use.
| Information | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Display name you choose | Shown to the other members of your groups, so they know whose phone knocked or replied. |
| Account identifier (a random ID from Firebase Authentication). If you secure your account: your email address, or your Google account email and name. | To keep you signed in and let you recover your account on a new phone. |
| Groups: names, members, who owns them, invite codes | To run your groups and decide who receives your knocks. |
| Device notification token (Firebase Cloud Messaging) | To deliver knocks to your phone. |
| Public IP address of your internet connection, at the moment of a knock | To check that the knocking phone and the receiving phone are on the same WiFi network, which is the app's core rule. We compare addresses only; we do not use them to work out your location. The knocker's address is held for up to about 2 minutes and then deleted. |
| Local WiFi address of the knocking phone (e.g. 192.168.x.x) | Sent to the receiving phones with the knock, so their reply can travel straight back across the shared WiFi. |
| Knock times | To apply the knock limit. Only the last 24 hours are kept. |
| Purchases and subscriptions: product, order and purchase-token details from Google Play | To unlock what you paid for, handle renewals and refunds, and stop one receipt being used on several accounts. We never see your card or bank details; Google handles payment. |
| Usage statistics and device information, collected automatically by Google Analytics for Firebase (for example app opens, screen views, device model, OS version, an app-instance identifier) | To understand how the app is used and keep it working well. Not used for advertising. |
The app asks for microphone access only the first time you hold the voice-note button or hold the knock button to add a voice note to a knock (Knock Plus), and records only while your finger is on it (up to 10 seconds). A voice note travels directly between the phones over the shared WiFi and never passes through our servers. A reply's clip is deleted from your phone as soon as it is sent, and from the receiving phone once it has been offered and dismissed. A voice note added to a knock stays on the knocking phone only while it is waiting for replies (about two minutes) and is then deleted; a phone that plays it deletes its copy when the reply screen closes. Nothing is archived; history records only that a voice note was sent.
If you block someone in one of your groups, that choice is stored only on your phone. It is never sent to us, and the person is not told.
We do not sell personal information and do not share it with advertisers.
Under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) you may also object to processing and complain to the Information Regulator (inforegulator.org.za). If you live elsewhere, you may have similar rights under your local law.
Traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted, and database access is restricted so that each account can reach only its own records through the app. Replies and voice notes travel across the WiFi network you share. No system is perfectly secure, so keep your phone locked; the app also offers its own optional lock.
The app is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top and, for significant changes, tell you in the app.
The app is operated by Teboho Ntsane Ramabele, trading as Bonoloware, in South Africa, who is responsible for your personal information under this policy. For any question or request about your information, email bonoloware@gmail.com.