Legal
Erasmus Friends is an independent app, operated jointly by Jona Fengler (“JF Software”) and Maximilian Strauch. Below is a note about our name, followed by our Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, EULA, Community Guidelines and Imprint. Questions? Email hello@erasmusfriends.app.
About the name
Erasmus Friends is built and run independently by Jona Fengler (“JF Software”) and Maximilian Strauch. We are not affiliated with the European Commission, the Erasmus+ Programme, its national agencies, or any partner organisation such as the European University Foundation or the Erasmus Student Network. We receive no funding from the EU and are not part of the European Student Card Initiative.
The official Erasmus+ app is a separate product, available from the European Commission. Anything you do in Erasmus Friends has no effect on your official Erasmus+ application, learning agreement, or grant.
We use the word “Erasmus” descriptively, to make clear which students the app is for. We don’t use the Erasmus+ logo, the EU emblem, or any official branding.
If you represent the Erasmus+ Programme, the European Commission, or a related organisation and have questions or concerns about our use of the name, please get in touch at hello@erasmusfriends.app. We’ll reply quickly and are happy to make changes if needed.
Privacy Policy
1. Controllers
Erasmus Friends is operated jointly by Jona Fengler (“JF Software”), Zietenring 11, 65195 Wiesbaden, Germany, and Maximilian Strauch, Am Sonnenhang 22, 65232 Taunusstein, Germany. They are the joint controllers (Art. 26 GDPR) responsible for your personal data. Contact point for all privacy matters: hello@erasmusfriends.app.
2. What we collect
- Account: either your email address and password (passwords are stored hashed by our authentication provider), or, if you choose Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google, the basic account information those providers share with us (name and email). With Sign in with Apple you may choose to hide your email, in which case we receive an Apple private-relay address instead.
- Profile: first name, age, home university, exchange university, field of study, interests, languages, destination city, semester, and an optional profile photo.
- Posts: the text and any optional photos of posts you publish on the board (e.g. items, clothes, housing, questions, events, activities).
- Social handles: optional Instagram / TikTok handles you add (shared with another user only after a mutual save / match).
- Activity: the people and posts you save (“like”), the reports and blocks you create, and which sponsored cards were shown to you or tapped by you (see §7).
- Technical: basic device data needed to run the app. We do not collect your device’s advertising ID.
- Analytics: how you use the app: screens you open, taps you make, and a defined set of product events (for example signing in, finishing onboarding, saving or skipping someone), together with your app version, device model, operating system, language, time zone and an approximate location derived from your IP address. This is linked to your account identifier. Full detail in §6.
- Waitlist (website only): if you joined our waitlist on our website, your email is processed via Brevo.
3. Why we use it & legal bases (GDPR Art. 6)
- Provide the service: show you relevant students, save connections, enable reporting/blocking: Art. 6(1)(b) (contract).
- Keep the community safe: moderation, reviewing reports, enforcing our rules, blocking abusive users: Art. 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests); Art. 6(1)(c) where legally required.
- Photo screening: automated check of uploaded photos: Art. 6(1)(f).
- Understand and improve the app: measuring how the app is used so we can see what works and fix what doesn't: Art. 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests). You can object at any time, see §6.
- Show and measure sponsored content: count impressions and clicks of sponsored cards to run and bill campaigns: Art. 6(1)(f) (legitimate interest in financing a free app). See §7.
- Waitlist: Art. 6(1)(a) (consent).
4. Photo moderation
Profile and post photos you upload are sent to an automated image-moderation provider (Sightengine) to detect prohibited content (e.g. nudity, violence) before they are shown. Photos that fail screening are not published and are deleted.
5. Processors & third parties
We share data only with service providers acting on our behalf:
- Supabase (database, authentication, file storage): servers in the EU (Frankfurt), data-processing agreement in place.
- Apple and Google: only if you use Sign in with Apple / Sign in with Google: they authenticate you and provide the basic account info named in §2.
- Sightengine (EU/France): receives uploaded images for automated screening only.
- PostHog (EU Cloud, servers in Frankfurt, Germany): product analytics; receives the usage data described in §6. PostHog Inc. is US-based, so where staff outside the EU access data this is covered by their data-processing agreement and the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
- Expo: app build / delivery infrastructure.
- Brevo (EU): waitlist emails collected on our website only.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it with advertisers (see §7).
6. Analytics
We use PostHog to understand how the app is used, so we can see which features people actually use and fix what is broken. This data goes to PostHog's EU Cloud (servers in Frankfurt, Germany).
What is recorded: the screens you open, taps inside the app, app lifecycle events (installing, updating, opening and backgrounding the app), and a defined set of product events: signing in and which method you used (Apple or Google), a failed sign-in, finishing onboarding, changing your search radius, saving or skipping a person, saving a post, saving back or removing a match, updating your profile, signing out, and deleting your account. Each event also carries your app version, device model and manufacturer, operating system version, language, time zone, and your IP address, from which an approximate location (country/city) is derived.
What is not recorded: we do not record or replay your screen, and we do not send the content of your profile, your posts or your social handles to PostHog. Product events carry only counts and yes/no flags, for example “profile has a photo” or “three interests selected”, never the text itself.
Events are linked to your account identifier so that repeat visits can be counted as one person rather than many. Signing out unlinks them again.
Legal basis and your choice: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR: our legitimate interest in a working, improvable app. You can object at any time under Art. 21 GDPR by emailing hello@erasmusfriends.app; we will then delete the analytics data we hold about you. Deleting your account also ends analytics collection.
7. Sponsored content
To keep Erasmus Friends free, we show sponsored cards from selected partners (e.g. housing or travel providers) on the Board and in Discover. They are always labelled “Sponsored” and show the advertiser’s name.
Sponsored cards are not personalised: every user sees the same ads, regardless of their profile. When a card is shown to you or you tap it, we store which ad, when, where in the app and your account ID, to count impressions and clicks. Advertisers only receive aggregated numbers (e.g. “1,200 impressions, 48 clicks”), never your profile or any other personal data.
Tapping a sponsored card opens the advertiser’s website in your browser. Links may contain campaign tags (e.g. “utm_source=erasmusfriends”) so the advertiser can see the visit came from our app; they do not identify you. The advertiser’s own privacy policy applies on their site. We do not use ad networks or your device’s advertising ID, and we do not track you across other apps or websites.
8. Storage location & retention
Data is stored in the EU. We keep your data while your account exists. When you delete your account (Settings → Delete account) we delete your profile, photos, posts, saves, blocks, the reports you filed and the record of sponsored cards shown to or tapped by you. Usage analytics are kept only as long as needed to improve the app; you can ask us to delete them at any time. Some data may be retained where we are legally required to, or to handle abuse/safety matters, for as long as necessary. See how to delete your account and data for the full steps.
9. Your rights (GDPR)
You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, and port your data, and to object to processing based on legitimate interests (Art. 21 GDPR). You can delete your account in-app at any time. You can also contact us at hello@erasmusfriends.app. You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, for our location this is Der Hessische Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit.
10. Age
Erasmus Friends is for users 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18; if we learn we have, we delete it.
11. Security
We use industry-standard measures (encryption in transit, access controls, and row-level security on the database) to protect your data. No method is 100% secure.
12. Changes
We may update this policy and will notify you of material changes in the app or by email.
13. Contact
Jona Fengler (“JF Software”), Zietenring 11, 65195 Wiesbaden, Germany, and Maximilian Strauch, Am Sonnenhang 22, 65232 Taunusstein, Germany · hello@erasmusfriends.app · see also the Imprint below.
Terms of Service
These Terms are a binding agreement between you and the joint operators of the Erasmus Friends app (the “Service”): Jona Fengler (“JF Software”), Zietenring 11, 65195 Wiesbaden, Germany, and Maximilian Strauch, Am Sonnenhang 22, 65232 Taunusstein, Germany (together “we”, “us”). By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms.
1. Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service. By using it you confirm that you are 18+ and legally able to enter into these Terms.
2. Your account
You are responsible for your account and for keeping your credentials secure. Provide accurate information and keep it up to date. One account per person.
3. User-generated content
You are solely responsible for the content you post (profile details, photos, and board posts). You retain ownership of your content. You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, display, and distribute that content solely to operate and provide the Service.
4. Acceptable use: zero tolerance for objectionable content
You agree not to post content or engage in behaviour that is unlawful, harassing, abusive, hateful, threatening, sexually explicit, violent, deceptive, or that infringes others’ rights, and not to harass or abuse other users. This is a condition of using the Service and there is no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users.
You agree to use the in-app tools (report and block) to flag content or users that violate our Community Guidelines.
5. Moderation, suspension & termination
We may, at our discretion and without prior notice, review, remove, or restrict content, hide profiles, and suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or the Community Guidelines. We will act on reports of objectionable content and remove the content and/or ban the offending user, typically within 24 hours. You may delete your account at any time in Settings.
6. Photo screening
Uploaded photos may be automatically screened by an automated moderation service to detect prohibited content. Photos identified as prohibited are rejected and not published.
7. Community board, handles & off-platform dealings
The Service lets users share social handles (e.g. Instagram, TikTok) and post on a community board (items, clothes, housing, questions, events, activities and the like). We do not process payments and are not a party to any exchange, sale, sublet, rental, or other arrangement between users: prices and terms are set by users themselves and any deal happens off the Service. Any interaction or transaction you have off the Service, or on third-party platforms, is at your own risk and not our responsibility.
8. Disclaimers & limitation of liability
The Service is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind to the extent permitted by law. We do not verify users’ identities and are not responsible for users’ conduct. To the maximum extent permitted by law, our liability is limited as set out here; nothing limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law (including for intent or gross negligence).
9. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of Germany, without prejudice to mandatory consumer-protection rules of your country of residence.
10. Changes
We may update these Terms. We will notify you of material changes; continued use after changes take effect means you accept them.
11. Contact
Jona Fengler (“JF Software”), Zietenring 11, 65195 Wiesbaden, Germany, and Maximilian Strauch, Am Sonnenhang 22, 65232 Taunusstein, Germany · hello@erasmusfriends.app · see also the Imprint below.
End User License Agreement (EULA)
This EULA is a binding agreement between you (the “end user”) and the joint operators of Erasmus Friends: Jona Fengler (“JF Software”), Zietenring 11, 65195 Wiesbaden, Germany, and Maximilian Strauch, Am Sonnenhang 22, 65232 Taunusstein, Germany (together “we”, “us”, the “Developer”). This EULA is between you and us only: it is not with Apple, and Apple is not responsible for the app or its content. By installing or using the app you accept this EULA together with our Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, and Privacy Policy.
1. License grant
We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to download and use the app for your personal, non-commercial use on any Apple-branded device you own or control, in accordance with the App Store's Usage Rules. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
2. Zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users
The app contains user-generated content (profiles, board posts, photos). There is no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users. By accepting this EULA you agree not to post unlawful, harassing, abusive, hateful, threatening, sexually explicit, or violent content, and not to abuse other users. We may remove content and suspend or terminate accounts that violate this, as described in §4 and §5 of the Terms of Service. You can use the in-app tools at any time to report objectionable content or block an abusive user, see Community Guidelines.
3. Maintenance and support
We, not Apple, are solely responsible for providing any maintenance and support for the app. Apple has no obligation whatsoever to furnish any maintenance or support services for the app.
4. Warranty
We warrant only that the app will materially conform to its description at the time of your purchase or download to the extent required by applicable law. In the event of any failure of the app to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price for the app (if any) to you; to the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the app, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses attributable to any failure to conform to any warranty are our sole responsibility.
5. Product claims
We, not Apple, are responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third party relating to the app or your possession and/or use of it, including but not limited to: (i) product liability claims; (ii) any claim that the app fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (iii) claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation.
6. Intellectual property claims
In the event of any third-party claim that the app, or your possession and use of it, infringes that third party's intellectual property rights, we, not Apple, will be solely responsible for the investigation, defence, settlement, and discharge of any such claim.
7. Legal compliance
You represent and warrant that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated as a "terrorist supporting" country, and that you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
8. Third-party terms
You must comply with any applicable third-party agreement when using the app (for example, your wireless data service agreement), and are responsible for any charges incurred as a result.
9. Third-party beneficiary
You acknowledge and agree that Apple, and Apple's subsidiaries, are third-party beneficiaries of this EULA, and that, upon your acceptance, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce this EULA against you as a third-party beneficiary of it.
10. Termination
This licence is effective until terminated by you or by us. Your rights under this licence will terminate automatically, without notice, if you fail to comply with any of its terms.
11. Contact
Questions, complaints, or claims regarding the app should be directed to us at hello@erasmusfriends.app, not to Apple.
Community Guidelines
Erasmus Friends helps exchange students meet other students heading to the same city. To keep it safe and useful, everyone must follow these rules. Breaking them can get your content removed and your account suspended or banned.
Be real
- Use your real name and recent photos of yourself.
- One account per person. No impersonation or fake profiles.
- You must be 18 or older to use Erasmus Friends.
Be respectful
No harassment, bullying, threats, stalking, or hate speech based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
Keep it clean: photo & content rules
The following are not allowed anywhere in the app (profile photos, posts, or any text):
- Nudity, sexual or explicit content.
- Violence, gore, or shocking content.
- Content involving or sexualising minors (zero tolerance; this is reported to the authorities).
- Illegal activity, drugs, weapons sales, or scams.
Profile and post photos are automatically screened, and content that breaks these rules is removed. Repeat or serious violations lead to a permanent ban.
Keep the board genuine: no spam
No spam, mass messaging, advertising, phishing, or links to malicious sites. The board is for real, relevant posts (items, clothes, housing, questions, events, activities and the like): no fake listings, bait, or scams. Put prices and details in your own description; deals happen between users off the app. Sponsored cards from our partners are not user posts; they are always labelled “Sponsored”.
Privacy of others
Don’t post other people’s private information, photos, or contact details without their consent.
How we enforce this
- Report: tap the “…” menu on any profile or post to report it. Reports are reviewed. Reported users are hidden from you immediately.
- Block: blocking someone hides you from each other across the whole app. Manage blocked users in Settings → Safety.
- We may remove content, hide profiles, or suspend/ban accounts that break these rules, and we cooperate with law enforcement where required.
Contact
Report serious concerns to hello@erasmusfriends.app (also in Settings → Contact support). Operated jointly by Jona Fengler (“JF Software”), Zietenring 11, 65195 Wiesbaden, Germany, and Maximilian Strauch, Am Sonnenhang 22, 65232 Taunusstein, Germany.
Imprint
Erasmus Friends is operated jointly by:
Jona Fengler, trading as “JF Software”
Zietenring 11
65195 Wiesbaden
Germany
Maximilian Strauch
Am Sonnenhang 22
65232 Taunusstein
Germany
Contact: hello@erasmusfriends.app
Responsible for content pursuant to § 18 (2) MStV: Jona Fengler and Maximilian Strauch (addresses as above).