Privacy & Terms

Privacy Policy

This policy explains what WaterHeater.app collects, how we use it, and the choices you have. It covers our website, the customer app (WaterHeater.app), and the technician app (Waterheater.tech). It applies to customers who book water-heater service and to technicians who work through our platform. Where this policy says “the app,” it means whichever of the two apps you are using.

1. Who We Are

WaterHeater.app is powered by TapMatch and operated by Marwoodventure. Our office is at 883 N Shoreline Blvd, Suite B100, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. You can reach us at support@smartwaterheater.ai or +1 (510) 868-2216.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only what we need to answer you, schedule work, and complete a job:

Account and contact information. Your name, email address, phone number, and the account identifiers associated with the sign-in method you choose.

Sign-in and verification. We use Firebase Authentication for phone verification and for Google or Apple sign-in. These services process the information needed to authenticate you, and we receive the information the sign-in method you select makes available to us. Phone numbers used for Firebase phone authentication are sent to and stored by Google for spam and abuse prevention across Google services; the app explains this before requesting a verification code.

Service information. Your service address, appointment details, access instructions, details about your water heater (brand, model, serial number, capacity, age, and condition), and the description of the problem you report.

Precise location. Only when you grant location permission, and only to fill in or confirm your service address and to route a technician to you. On an Instant request, your location — or, if you did not share it, the map coordinates of your service address — is passed to the technician who accepts the job so they can navigate to you (see Section 4). You can enter or correct the address manually, and you can deny or revoke this permission at any time in iOS Settings or your device settings.

Conversations with our AI assistant. The messages you type, the voice audio of calls you place in the app, the transcripts of those calls, and any photos you upload — for example a photo of your heater or its rating label. Section 3 explains how these are processed.

Photos. Camera access lets you take a service photo, and the system photo picker lets you select an existing image. This includes before-and-after and proof-of-work photos taken during a job.

Messages with your technician. On an Instant job you can message the technician in the app. Messages are stored with the job and are visible to you, to that technician, and to our support team. A new message sends a push notification to the other side.

Booking and payment status. Your appointments, estimates, job status, receipts, and whether a payment succeeded. Card numbers and security codes are entered directly with our payment processor and are not stored on our servers.

Saved cards. If you choose to save a card, Stripe stores it, not us. We keep only your Stripe customer ID and a reference to the card — its brand, last four digits, and expiry date — so you can recognize it in the app. A saved card is charged only for work you approved and for the Instant fee, and you can remove it in the app at any time. How Stripe handles your card is described in Stripe’s privacy policy.

Push notification tokens. When you allow notifications, your device gives us a push token through Firebase Cloud Messaging and the Apple Push Notification service. We use it only to send job offers (to technicians), messages, and job updates — never advertising — and we delete it when you sign out or delete your account.

Basic app-usage events. Diagnostic and product-analytics events such as screens opened, features used, crashes, and errors, used to keep the app working and improve it.

3. Our AI Assistant — What Happens to Your Chats, Voice, and Photos

Your content is sent to our servers and to AI service providers. When you chat or talk with our AI assistant, the messages you send, the audio of your voice call, the transcript of that call, and the photos you upload are transmitted to our servers and processed by service providers acting on our behalf — including OpenAI (language and vision models), Vapi (voice assistant platform), and Daily.co (real-time audio transport). Microphone access is requested before a voice session begins, and earlier messages in the same conversation may be included so the assistant has context.

You are asked first. Both apps ask for your permission before sharing your data with AI providers. You can withdraw it at any time — in the customer app under Settings, or in the technician app under Profile → Ask AI data sharing. Turning it off stops future sharing; it does not delete what was already processed (see Section 9 for deletion).

What it is used for. To understand and answer your questions, to read your water heater’s rating label from a photo and identify the unit, to diagnose the reported problem, to prepare repair or replacement estimates, and to schedule the visit.

What it is not used for. We do not use your conversations, audio, or photos to serve advertising, and we do not sell them. Our agreements with these providers require them to process this content only to provide the service to us.

Please do not share sensitive details you don’t need to. Avoid sending passwords, full payment-card details, or unrelated personal information about other people in a chat or voice session.

AI can be wrong. Estimates, diagnoses, and recommendations produced by the assistant are preliminary and may need to be verified by a technician on site. See the Terms of Service below.

4. Instant Service, Live Location, and Messaging

Instant is the “find a technician now” option in the customer app. It works differently from a scheduled booking, so here is exactly what is shared, with whom, and when.

Your request goes to every available technician serving your ZIP code. Before anyone accepts, each of them can see the service address, the ZIP code, the problem you described, the service type, and the estimate. Your name and phone number are shared only with the technician who accepts.

What you see about the technician. Once a technician accepts, the app shows you their name, phone number, rating, estimated time of arrival, and live location on a map.

The technician’s live location. The technician app collects the technician’s location, in the foreground and in the background, only while they are driving to an Instant job they accepted — about every 10 seconds. It is shown to you together with the ETA and stops when the technician marks their arrival, signs out, or the job is closed. We keep only the latest position, not a trail of where the technician has been.

Your location for routing. The technician who accepts receives your location or the map coordinates of your service address so they can route to the job.

Messaging. You and the accepted technician can message each other in the app. The messages are stored with the job, are visible to both of you and to our support team, and a new message sends a push notification.

Live Activities on iPhone. The technician’s ETA can also appear on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island as a Live Activity. This is displayed on your device only; nothing extra is collected.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to manage your account, respond to you, diagnose the reported problem, prepare estimates, arrange and complete service, process payments, send updates and receipts, provide customer support, prevent fraud and abuse, operate and improve the app, and meet legal and tax obligations. We also use aggregated and de-identified data to improve our service.

6. Sharing Your Information

With the technician assigned to your job. When a service is booked, the information needed to do the work — your name, phone number, service address, access instructions, the problem description, your water heater details, and related photos — is shared with the assigned technician (and, for two-person jobs, the assisting technician) through our technician app. Independent professionals who perform the work may have their own legal recordkeeping duties.

With nearby technicians on an Instant request. As described in Section 4, an Instant request is offered to every available technician serving your ZIP code with the service address, ZIP code, problem, service type, and estimate; your name and phone number go only to the one who accepts, together with your location or address coordinates for routing.

With service providers. Companies that process data on our behalf to run the service, listed in Section 7. We require recipients to protect your information as this policy and applicable law require.

When the law requires it. To comply with a valid legal request, to enforce our Terms, or to address fraud, security incidents, or legal claims.

In a business transfer. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may transfer as part of that transaction; this policy continues to apply until you are told otherwise.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

7. Service Providers

We rely on the following providers, each processing personal information only as needed to deliver our service:

Firebase and Google Cloud Platform (Google) — authentication and phone verification, application hosting, databases, storage of uploaded photos, and app analytics and crash reporting.
Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) — delivery of push notifications to the apps.
Apple — Sign in with Apple, app distribution, and push notification delivery through the Apple Push Notification service.
Apple MapKit — maps, routing, and on-device address geocoding in the apps.
OpenAI — AI processing of chat messages, transcripts, and photos (including reading water heater labels) to answer questions and prepare estimates.
Vapi — voice assistant platform that powers in-app voice conversations, including speech recognition and speech synthesis.
Daily.co — real-time audio transport used to carry those voice calls.
Stripe — payment processing and storage of saved cards. Card details are collected and stored by Stripe directly and are not stored by us; see Stripe’s privacy policy.
Google Maps Platform — address autocomplete, geocoding, and routing for technician travel on the web.
Google Calendar — optional calendar synchronization for technicians (see “For Technicians” below).
Jobber — optional field-service management integration used by our operations team to mirror jobs and schedules.
Email and messaging providers — to send booking confirmations, estimates, receipts, and service notifications.

8. No Advertising and No Cross-App Tracking

The app contains no third-party advertising. We do not track you across other companies’ apps or websites, we do not use advertising identifiers for tracking, and we do not sell or share your personal information with data brokers or advertising networks.

9. Your Choices and Deleting Your Account

Delete your account in the app. You can delete your account and request deletion of your personal information at any time from Settings → Privacy & Account → Delete Account. You will be asked to confirm, and confirming deletes the account permanently. Deletion removes your profile and associated personal information — including saved addresses, saved card references, push tokens, AI chat history, messages with technicians, photos, and stored audio or transcripts — except for specific records we are legally required to retain, such as invoices and tax records. We will tell you the expected timeframe and confirm when deletion is complete. If you later register again with the same phone number, a new account is created; deleted information is not restored.

Technicians delete their account in Waterheater.tech under Profile → Delete account (see Section 13). Customer and technician accounts are separate: deleting one does not delete the other.

Saved cards. You can remove a saved card at any time in the app.

Permissions. Camera, photo library, microphone, location, and notification access are all optional and requested only when a feature needs them. You can change or revoke any of them in iOS Settings or your device settings.

Communication and AI preferences. You can turn AI data sharing on or off at any time — in the customer app under Settings, or in the technician app under Profile → Ask AI data sharing — and manage marketing preferences in Settings. Turning off AI sharing stops future transfers; it does not automatically delete records we already hold.

Contact us. You can also email support@smartwaterheater.ai or call +1 (510) 868-2216 to ask what information we hold about you, or to have it corrected or deleted.

10. U.S. State Privacy Rights

If you live in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Montana, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, or another U.S. state with a comprehensive privacy law, you have the right to:

• know what personal information we collect about you and how we use and disclose it;
• access a copy of that information, in a portable format where required;
• correct inaccurate personal information;
• delete your personal information;
• opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and of targeted advertising — we do not do any of these;
• limit the use of sensitive personal information — the only sensitive information we handle is precise location, collected only with permission and used only to confirm your address, route your technician, and — for technicians driving to an Instant job — show that customer their ETA;
• not be discriminated against for exercising these rights; and
• appeal a decision we make about your request.

To exercise any of these rights, use Settings → Privacy & Account → Delete Account in the app or email support@smartwaterheater.ai. We may reasonably verify your identity using the contact details on your account, and we respond within the deadline your state’s law sets. If we decline a request, you may appeal by replying to our response; we will inform you of the outcome. An authorized agent may submit a request on your behalf with written proof of authorization.

11. Data Retention and Security

Retention. We keep your personal information while your account is active and for as long as needed to provide the service, or as long as the law requires. A technician’s live location is overwritten by each update and is not kept once the job closes. Push tokens are deleted when you sign out or delete your account. Deleting your account starts deletion as described in Section 9. Backup copies are removed according to our backup retention schedule.

Security. We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect your information. Data is encrypted in transit using TLS/HTTPS and encrypted at rest, and access is restricted to authorized personnel who need it to operate the service. No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Where We Process Your Information

Your information may be processed in the United States and in other countries where we or our service providers operate. Privacy laws in those countries may differ from those where you live.

13. For Technicians

This section applies to technicians and applicants who use our technician app; the sections above apply to them as well.

Technician information. When you apply or are onboarded we collect your name, phone number, email address, home or base address, service areas, and the skills, languages, and experience you give in your application, together with your work history, certifications you upload, and your working schedule and availability. You sign in to Waterheater.tech with your phone number, Google, or Apple, and the sign-in is matched against our technician roster. During a job we collect the photos, notes, and checklist results you submit, plus your arrival status.

Live location on Instant jobs. When you accept an Instant job, the app collects your location in the foreground and in the background, about every 10 seconds, only while you are driving to that job. It is shown to that customer with your ETA and stops when you mark your arrival, sign out, or the job is closed. We keep only your latest position, not a trail. Accepting an Instant job means agreeing to this sharing, as set out in the Terms of Service.

Push notifications, messages, and Ask AI. We store your device’s push token to send you job offers, messages, and job updates, and delete it when you sign out or delete your account. Messages you exchange with customers are stored with the job and are visible to the customer and to our support team. Your Ask AI conversations are stored with your account and, with your permission, processed by our AI providers as described in Section 3; you can turn that off under Profile → Ask AI data sharing.

Google Calendar integration. Connecting a Google Calendar is optional and happens only with your explicit authorization through Google’s consent screen.

What we access. We request a single Google Calendar permission — calendar.events.owned — which is limited to calendars you own, together with basic profile information (openid, email) used only to identify the connected Google account. We do not request access to calendars owned by anyone else.

How we use it. We use this access only to: (a) read your existing calendar events so we can display your busy times as read-only blocks in the scheduling interface, which prevents double-booking; and (b) create, update, and delete our own job, schedule, and approved-leave events on your calendar. Our system remains the source of truth for the events it creates.

What we do not do. We do not use Google user data for advertising. We do not sell it. We do not share or transfer it to third parties except as necessary to provide this feature (for example infrastructure providers acting on our behalf) or as required by law.

Limited Use. Our use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Retention and disconnecting. Google Calendar event data, and the OAuth access and refresh tokens that allow access to it, are retained only while the integration remains connected. When you disconnect your Google Calendar account or delete your account, we delete the stored Google Calendar event data and the OAuth access and refresh tokens immediately. You can revoke access at any time from your Google Account permissions page (myaccount.google.com/permissions).

Deleting your technician account. In Waterheater.tech go to Profile → Delete account. Deleting removes you from the active roster, deletes your push tokens and your Google Calendar connection, and revokes Sign in with Apple. Records of jobs you completed are kept as business records. Technician and customer accounts are separate: deleting your technician account does not delete a customer account you may also hold, and vice versa.

14. Children’s Privacy

Our services are intended for adults and are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us personal information, contact support@smartwaterheater.ai so we can investigate and take appropriate action, including deletion. Eligibility to book services is explained in our Terms of Service.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will update the date above and, for material changes, notify you through an in-app notice or another appropriate direct communication. Where the law requires it, we will obtain your consent before those changes take effect.

16. Contact Us

Questions about this policy? Email support@smartwaterheater.ai or call +1 (510) 868-2216.

Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using WaterHeater.app, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.

2. Eligibility — You Must Be 18 or Older

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, book service, or otherwise use the app. By using the service you confirm that you are 18 or older and able to enter into a binding agreement. Accounts found to belong to someone under 18 will be closed.

3. Our Service

WaterHeater.app, powered by TapMatch and operated by Marwoodventure, helps customers arrange water-heater repair, replacement, maintenance, and related plumbing work. We operate a marketplace that connects customers with independent service providers: we facilitate diagnosis, estimates, scheduling, and payment, and the trade work itself is performed by the assigned professional. Your booking identifies who will perform the work and the amount you are approving. We remain responsible for the legal duties that apply to our own services and conduct.

4. Your Account and Property

You agree to provide accurate information, to be authorized to arrange work at the property, to keep your sign-in credentials secure, and to report suspected misuse of your account. Please tell the professional about known hazards and access restrictions, and ensure safe access to the work area at the scheduled time. Work may be postponed if the site is unsafe or if the requested work falls outside the professional’s permitted scope.

5. Bookings, Confirmation, and Arrival

Before you confirm, we show the service, address, appointment window, price, and the relevant conditions. A request awaiting a professional’s acceptance is shown as pending; it becomes a confirmed booking once a professional accepts it and you receive confirmation in the app. Arrival times are estimates unless we expressly guarantee otherwise. If something material changes, we will tell you and give you the options described in our cancellation terms.

6. Instant Booking

Instant is the “find a technician now” option in the customer app. When you confirm an Instant request we send it to nearby available technicians, and the first one to accept is booked for you. Nothing is booked, and nothing is charged, unless a technician accepts. If no technician accepts within 15 minutes, the request expires and we email you so you can book a scheduled visit instead.

Instant fee. An Instant fee of $375 applies on top of the price of the work. It is shown before you confirm the request and is charged together with the visit, as part of the final payment.

Arrival time. The ETA the technician gives when accepting, and the live location you see while they drive, are estimates, not guarantees.

Cancelling an Instant request. While we are still searching for a technician you can cancel in the app at any time, free of charge — nothing has been booked or charged. Once a technician has accepted, they are already on their way and the request can no longer be cancelled in the app; contact us at support@smartwaterheater.ai or +1 (510) 868-2216 and we will cancel it for you. Cancelling before the technician arrives is free, and the Instant fee is not charged.

7. AI-Generated Estimates and Recommendations

Parts of the app are powered by artificial intelligence. Our assistant is AI, not a human technician. It interprets your description, photos, and voice conversation to identify your water heater, suggest a likely cause, and produce a preliminary estimate and recommendation.

These results are preliminary and may not be fully accurate. AI output can misread a label, misidentify a model, misjudge a fault, or price work incorrectly. Any estimate, diagnosis, or recommendation generated by the app is an initial assessment only, is not professional advice, and is subject to verification by a qualified technician on site. An AI estimate is not by itself permission to increase a bill: final scope and pricing are confirmed after inspection, and additional work requires your approval as described in Section 9. Never rely on AI output for an emergency or a hazardous repair — if you smell gas, see water damage, or suspect an immediate hazard, leave the area and call your utility or emergency services.

8. Your Content and Acceptable Use

Only upload information and images you are authorized to provide. You keep ownership of what you upload and grant us permission to use it to provide the service as described in our Privacy Policy. Fraud, threats, harassment, and unauthorized access to the app or to other users’ information are prohibited, as is any unlawful use of the service.

Messaging. In-app messages between you and your technician must be about the job. Harassment, threats, discrimination, spam, and unrelated solicitation are prohibited. Messages are stored with the job; we may review them to resolve a complaint or a dispute, and we may remove messages that break these rules.

9. Pricing, Payments, and Additional Work

Prices are shown before you confirm a booking, together with payment terms, deposits, and any rush, off-hour, or disposal fees. Stripe processes your payment; by confirming, you authorize the amount and terms displayed for that booking. If you save a card in the app, Stripe stores it and we charge it only for work you approved and for the Instant fee, each time after the amount has been shown to you. Saving a card does not authorize unlimited future charges; any other charge is explained and approved separately. You can remove a saved card in the app at any time. Your receipt identifies the service, the professional, the amount, and the payment status. If additional parts or work are needed, the professional will present a revised scope and you must approve it before the work proceeds.

10. Cancellations and Rescheduling

Cancelling is free until the technician arrives. You can cancel or reschedule an appointment at any time before arrival — in the app, or by contacting support@smartwaterheater.ai or +1 (510) 868-2216 — at no charge.

Instant requests. See Section 6: cancelling is free while we are still searching for a technician; once a technician has accepted, contact us to cancel.

If you decline the price on site, there is no fee. Once the technician has inspected the equipment and given you the final price, you are free to decline the work. Declining a quote after an inspection costs you nothing.

If we cannot deliver. If a professional declines, cancels, or cannot provide the approved service, we will offer you rescheduling or a refund of amounts paid for that service.

Refunds. Approved refunds are returned to your original payment method within one week; your bank may need additional time to post them. Nothing in these terms limits your mandatory consumer rights.

11. Professionals and Verification

Tradespeople on WaterHeater.app are independent contractors, not our employees. Where we describe a professional as verified, this means the checks we perform were completed; it is not a guarantee of future performance. Statements about licensing or insurance refer only to qualifications actually verified for that work and location. Warranties on labor and parts are provided by the professional or the manufacturer as stated in your estimate, and manufacturer coverage depends on the manufacturer’s own terms and your eligibility.

Technicians use the Waterheater.tech app. By accepting an Instant job, a technician agrees that their live location is shared with that customer while they are driving to the job, as described in our Privacy Policy. Technicians can delete their account in the app under Profile → Delete account; records of completed jobs are kept.

12. Disclaimers

The service is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, to the maximum extent permitted by law. Nothing in these terms excludes rights or responsibilities that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, WaterHeater.app is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the service.

14. Suspension and Termination

We may restrict or suspend access where reasonably needed to address serious misuse, fraud, or safety concerns, with notice or review where appropriate or required. You can delete your account in the app at any time — customers under Settings → Privacy & Account, technicians under Profile → Delete account. Deleting your account does not erase obligations or records that lawfully remain, such as amounts owed or transaction records we must keep.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will communicate material changes through the app or another appropriate direct method, and where required we will ask you to agree again. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email support@smartwaterheater.ai or call +1 (510) 868-2216.