Who we are
ShiftBuddy is made and operated by Powertech IT Services Inc. (“Powertech”, “we”, “us”), [Registered business address], United States. Questions about this policy or your data: hello@powertechapps.com.
ShiftBuddy is used by businesses (“stores”) to manage their teams. If your employer added you to ShiftBuddy, your employer decides how it uses the records about your work, and we process those records on its behalf. For questions about your schedule, pay or employment, please talk to your store's owner or manager.
What we collect
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Account information | Your name, email address, password (stored only in encrypted, hashed form), role (owner, manager or employee) and your store. Your phone number, if your store adds it. |
| Schedules and work records | Your shifts and assignments, positions, availability, hour limits, time-off requests and notes, cover requests, check-in and check-out times, and pay details your store enters (such as an hourly rate and paid-time-off balance). |
| Check-in location | Your phone's location only at the moment you check in or out, so your store can confirm you were at work. We do not track your location at any other time or in the background. |
| Check-in selfies | A photo taken with your camera when you check in or out, if your store uses check-in. |
| Checklist photos | Photos you take as proof on shift tasks and checklists (for example, a cleaned counter), and which tasks you completed. |
| Push notification tokens | A device token issued by Apple or Google so we can send notifications to your phone, plus your notification preferences. |
| App and device information | App version, device model and operating system, and crash reports (what the app was doing when it crashed). Crash reports do not include your photos or messages. |
| Messages to us | What you send when you contact support or request account deletion. |
We do not collect your contacts, browsing history or advertising identifiers, and we do not use third-party advertising or analytics trackers in the app.
How we use it
- To provide ShiftBuddy to your store: building and publishing schedules, check-ins, tasks, cover and time-off requests, hours and payroll exports.
- To send notifications and emails you can turn off: shift reminders, schedule changes, time-off decisions, announcements and missed check-in alerts for managers.
- To keep ShiftBuddy secure and working: signing you in, preventing misuse, diagnosing crashes and fixing bugs.
- To answer your support requests and account-deletion requests.
- To meet legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.
AI scheduling
When a store owner or manager asks ShiftBuddy to build a schedule automatically, we send the information needed to plan the week to Google's Gemini AI service: employee names, positions, availability, hour limits and the store's shift times. We do not send email addresses, phone numbers, pay rates, photos or locations. Google processes this data to return a suggested schedule, under the Gemini API terms. A manager reviews the suggestion before it is published.
Who can see your information
- You.
- Your store's owners and managers, who can see your schedule, check-ins (including time, location and selfie), task photos, time off and the pay details they enter.
- Your coworkers, only what they need to work together: for example, who is on a shift, who completed a shared task, or a cover request you posted. Coworkers cannot see your pay or personal contact details.
- Our service providers, listed below, only to run ShiftBuddy for us.
- Authorities, if the law requires it, or to protect the safety and rights of people or of ShiftBuddy.
- A buyer or successor, if Powertech or ShiftBuddy is sold or merged, under this policy.
Service providers
We use these companies to run ShiftBuddy. They process data only on our instructions.
| Provider | What it does | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database, sign-in and file storage | Account information, schedules and work records, check-in locations, selfies and checklist photos |
| Google Gemini | AI schedule suggestions | Employee names, positions, availability, hour limits and shift times (see AI scheduling) |
| Google Firebase (Cloud Messaging and Crashlytics) | Delivering push notifications; crash reporting | Push tokens and notification content; crash reports and device information |
| Resend | Sending email | Your name, email address and the email content (for example, a password reset code) |
| Vercel | Hosting the ShiftBuddy website and servers | Requests to our servers, including IP address |
Phone permissions
- Location: requested when you check in or out. Used only at that moment.
- Camera: requested when you take a check-in selfie or a task photo.
- Notifications: requested so we can send shift reminders and updates.
- Face ID / fingerprint: optional app lock. Your phone checks your face or fingerprint; ShiftBuddy never receives or stores biometric data.
You can change any permission in your phone's settings. Checking in needs location and camera if your store uses check-in; everything else in the app works without them.
How long we keep it
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Account information | While your account is open. Deleted when you delete your account. |
| Check-in selfies and checklist photos | While your account is open. Deleted when you delete your account. |
| Upcoming shifts, availability, notifications and push tokens | While your account is open. Deleted when you delete your account. Push tokens are also removed when you sign out or they stop working. |
| Past shifts, check-in times and locations, time-off history and completed tasks | Kept for your store's payroll and labor records with your name removed after you delete your account. Deleted within 90 days after the store closes its ShiftBuddy account, unless the law requires us to keep them longer. |
| Crash reports | Up to 90 days. |
| Support and deletion requests | Up to 2 years, so we can show we handled your request. |
Deleted data may remain in encrypted backups for a short period until those backups are overwritten.
Your rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you, or get a copy of it.
- Correct information that is wrong. Your store can also update most details directly.
- Delete your account and personal information (see below).
- Object to or limit how we use your information, or withdraw consent you gave (for example, to notifications).
Depending on where you live (for example, California or other US states, Canada, the UK or the EU), you may have additional rights under local law, and the right to complain to your data protection authority. We will not treat you differently for using your rights.
To make a request, email hello@powertechapps.com from the address on your account. We may need to confirm your identity, and we respond within 30 days. If your request is about records your employer controls, we may pass it to your store and help them respond.
Deleting your account
- In the app: Profile → Delete account.
- On the web: sign in at shiftbuddy.powertechapps.com/account/delete.
- No longer have the app? Use our account deletion request form.
Store owners can't delete their own account in the app while their store is open. Email hello@powertechapps.com and we will close the store and delete your account.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest by our hosting providers. Access is limited by role: for example, employees can't read coworkers' pay or personal details, and photos are only shown through ShiftBuddy to people who are allowed to see them, using short-lived links. No system is perfectly secure; if we learn of a breach that affects you, we will tell you as the law requires.
Children
ShiftBuddy is a workplace tool and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, email hello@powertechapps.com and we will delete it.
Where data is processed
ShiftBuddy is operated from the United States. Your information may be stored and processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate, with safeguards required by applicable law.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the effective date above. For significant changes, we will also tell you in the app or by email before they take effect.
Contact us
Powertech IT Services Inc.
[Registered business address]
Email: hello@powertechapps.com
Need help with the app instead? Visit ShiftBuddy Support.