Privacy Policy
Effective September 30, 2026
Kino ("Kino", "we", "us") is an app for ranking the movies and TV shows you watch, sharing them with friends, and deciding what to watch together. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to the Kino iOS app and this website.
- We collect what you give us to run Kino: your account, profile, rankings, notes, lists, photos you attach, and your activity with friends.
- We don't sell your data, show ads, or use third-party analytics or tracking. We do keep simple records of how the app is used (like which features get used) in our own database, to make Kino better. Those are never sold or shared.
- Your account is public by default. You can make it private, and you can hide individual logs.
- You can delete your account in the app at any time (Settings → Account → Delete account). That removes your data.
Information we collect
Account information
- Email address if you sign in with email. We send you a one-time code; there's no password.
- Sign in with Apple: an identifier from Apple and, if you choose to share them, your name and email. You can use Apple's "Hide My Email", in which case we get a relay address. We also keep a token from Apple so we can revoke Kino's access when you delete your account.
- Sign in with Google: an identifier from Google, your name and your email address.
- Guest accounts: if you explore as a guest, we create an account with no email or name. You can save it later by adding Apple, Google or an email; if you sign out first, the guest data is lost.
Profile information
Your username, display name, profile photo, bio, school (optional), social links (optional), your privacy settings, and your device's time zone (used for streaks and reminders).
What you create in Kino
- Rankings and scores for movies and shows, and the notes you write on them.
- Watch logs: the date, where you watched, notes, and any photo you attach.
- Your watchlist, TV progress, lists, goals and streaks.
- Social activity: who you follow and who follows you (including requests), likes, comments, mentions, recommendation requests and replies, titles you send to friends, Tonight sessions and votes, and your referral link.
- Reports you file and accounts you block.
Netflix viewing history import (optional)
If you choose to import your Netflix viewing history, you pick the file on your device and Kino reads it there. We send only the title names and watch dates to our server to match them to our catalog. We store the matched titles, the dates, and episode counts so you can rank them. We don't upload or keep the file itself.
Usage data (first-party)
The app records simple events about how it's used, for example that an invite link was opened, a step of sign-up was finished, a title was ranked, a recommendation was saved or dismissed, a share card was shared, or a Tonight session found a pick. Each event has a name, a time, the app version and platform, a random ID created for your installation, and, once you're signed in, your account ID. Events can include IDs and simple details (such as a title's ID, movie or TV, or how many titles were involved), but never your messages, notes, search text, names or email address.
We use these events only to understand and improve Kino (for example, where people get stuck during sign-up) and to keep it working. They are stored in our own database, are not sold, are not shared with third parties, and are not used for advertising or to track you across other apps or websites. Events linked to your account are deleted when you delete your account.
Waitlist
If you join Kino without a friend's code, your account waits in line. While you wait you can rank and keep a watchlist, but nobody else can see your profile or activity, and you can't be found, followed or tagged. We record when you signed up (to keep the line fair) and when you got in. A friend's code skips the line.
Phone number and contacts (optional)
Let friends find you by phone number. If you turn this on, we verify your number by text message, then keep only a keyed, one-way hash of it (an HMAC made with a secret only our server has), so people who have your number in their contacts can find you. Your number is never shown to anyone. Turning it off deletes the hash and the number from your account.
Find friends from contacts. Only when you tap it, and after you allow contacts access in iOS, the app reads the phone numbers in your contacts, formats them on your device and sends them to our server over an encrypted connection. The server hashes them the same way, compares them with people who chose to be found, and returns only matches (their username, name and photo). We don't store the numbers you send, the names in your contacts, or the fact that you looked, and nobody is told you searched. Kino never texts anyone for you. Matching is rate-limited to stop misuse.
Notifications
If you allow notifications, we store your device's push token so we can send you alerts (for example, a friend's comment or a new release on your watchlist). You can turn notifications off in iOS Settings at any time.
What we don't collect
We don't collect your location, camera or microphone input, advertising identifiers, or health data. We don't keep your contacts: numbers sent for "Find friends from contacts" are compared and discarded (see above). We don't use third-party analytics, advertising or tracking SDKs, and we don't track you across other companies' apps or websites.
How we use information
- To provide Kino: your rankings, profile, feed, taste matches, recommendations, leaderboards, lists and Tonight sessions.
- To show your activity to other people according to your privacy settings (see below).
- To send sign-in codes and the notifications you've allowed.
- To keep Kino safe: to review reports, enforce our Terms, and prevent abuse.
- To fix problems and improve Kino, including by looking at first-party usage data in aggregate.
Who can see your information
- Public account (default): your profile, rankings, lists and activity are visible to other Kino users.
- Private account: only people you approve as followers see your rankings and activity. Your username, display name and photo remain visible so people can find and request to follow you.
- Stealth logs: logs you mark private aren't shown to anyone else, and never appear on share cards, hot takes or friend notifications.
- Friend activity: when you rank a title, mutual friends who've ranked it may see how your order compares with theirs (for example, in a daily notification). Private logs and private accounts follow the rules above.
- Weekly leaderboard: your mutual friends see your points for the week (counts only, never what you logged privately).
- People you block can't see your profile or activity.
- Comments and likes you leave on someone else's post are visible to people who can see that post.
Service providers
We share information only with providers that run Kino for us, under agreements that limit their use of it:
| Provider | What they do |
|---|---|
| Supabase | Hosts our database, sign-in, file storage and server functions (United States). |
| Expo (650 Industries) | Delivers push notifications and app updates. |
| Apple, Google | Sign in with Apple and Sign in with Google, when you use them. |
| Resend | Sends sign-in code emails. |
| Vercel | Hosts this website. |
| SMS provider (via Supabase) | Sends the code that verifies a phone number, only if you choose to verify one. |
| The Movie Database (TMDB) | Provides movie and TV information and images. Your device loads posters directly from TMDB's image servers, which receive your IP address as part of that request. |
We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect the safety of people using Kino, or as part of a merger or acquisition (in which case this policy continues to apply).
Retention and deletion
We keep your information while your account exists. When you delete your account in the app (Settings → Account → Delete account), we delete your profile, rankings, logs, photos, lists, social activity, push tokens and the usage events linked to your account, and revoke Sign in with Apple, right away. Usage events recorded before you signed in carry only a random installation ID and aren't linked to you. Copies can remain in our hosting provider's backups for a limited period before they're overwritten. Reports you filed about others may be kept as long as needed to keep Kino safe. If you prefer, email us and we'll delete your account for you.
Your choices and rights
- Edit your profile and privacy settings in the app at any time.
- Delete individual rankings, logs, comments and lists, or your whole account.
- Turn off notifications in iOS Settings.
- Ask us for a copy of your data, or to correct or delete it, by emailing krishwaghani@gmail.com. Depending on where you live (for example California or the EU/UK), you may have additional rights, and we'll honor requests as the law requires.
Children
Kino is not intended for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, contact us and we'll delete it.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit, access is restricted by per-user security rules in our database, and sign-in uses one-time codes or Apple/Google. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information.
Changes
If we make material changes, we'll update the date above and let you know in the app.
Contact
Questions or requests: krishwaghani@gmail.com
Kino uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Streaming availability is provided by JustWatch.