Security and privacy
A camera in a parent's home deserves care. Here is how HelpMom works, in plain words, and what we do not claim.
Only two paired phones
A call is always between two phones that have been paired. There are no group calls and no way for a stranger to ring in.
Every call is verified
When the phones are paired they exchange keys. At the start of every call, each phone proves with its key that it is the phone it claims to be.
Picture and sound go between the phones
They are encrypted on one phone and opened on the other. They do not pass through our server, and nothing is recorded there.
No account, no user database
You never sign up. We have no list of users, names, e-mail addresses or passwords.
Pairing, done once
The helper's phone shows a nine-digit code, also as a QR code. The other phone types or scans it. The code is used once and stops working after a short while.
From then on the two phones know each other by their keys. You can remove a paired phone at any time in the app.
What our server does
The server has two small jobs. It passes the short messages that let two phones find each other, and it sends the notification that makes the helper's phone ring.
For the ringing to work, the server keeps a notification address for the helper's phone and the public keys of the phones that are allowed to ring it. It holds no names and no phone numbers, and it cannot see or change a call.
When a direct path is not possible
Some networks, mostly mobile networks, do not let two phones reach each other directly. Today such a call cannot be connected. HelpMom is prepared to use a relay for these cases; it is not switched on yet. A relay only forwards the encrypted stream and cannot open it, and this page will say so when it is in use.
What stays on the phones
Guides, notes, the appliance list and the call log are stored on the phones, not with us. Notes are stored as ordinary text, so they suit a wifi password but not a bank code.
What we do not claim
HelpMom has not been through an outside security audit and holds no certifications. We would rather tell you plainly how it works than use big words.
No app can protect against someone who is looking at the screen, or a phone that someone else already controls. Only pair with people you trust.
Questions
Read the privacy policy, or write to us through the support page. We answer in plain words.
Next time, skip the drive
Set it up once, while you are visiting. After that, help is one button away.
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