SMS terms and consent

Last updated: April 10, 2026

Kautio is a personal safety check-in service operated by Hearthmates LLC. This page describes every text message the Kautio service may send, how users consent to receive them, how often they are sent, and how to stop them. It is the canonical disclosure for our A2P 10DLC messaging program.

Program and brand

The messaging program described on this page is operated by Hearthmates LLC under the brand name Kautio. Kautio is a personal safety check-in app available on iOS and Android. Users schedule check-ins before real-world encounters such as first dates, solo hikes, or marketplace meetups, and designate trusted contacts as responders. If a user does not check in by the deadline they set, Kautio sends SMS notifications to those responders.

Kautio is not an emergency dispatcher and is not a substitute for calling 911 or your local emergency number. Every message Kautio sends is transactional and tied to a specific event a user created inside the app. Kautio does not send marketing or promotional text messages.

What SMS messages you will receive

Kautio sends five types of SMS. You will only ever receive one of these messages as a direct result of an action taken by a Kautio user — either yourself, if you are the account holder, or someone who added you as a trusted safety contact.

  1. Safety contact invitation A one-time message sent when an existing Kautio user invites you to become one of their trusted safety contacts. It identifies the person who invited you and includes a link to open or download the Kautio app so you can review the request. You will receive no further messages from Kautio unless you accept the invitation inside the app.
  2. Check-in reminder for your own event If you are a Kautio user and a check-in you scheduled is about to activate, Kautio sends you a reminder so you can confirm you are safe, extend the timer, or dismiss the event. You only receive this message for events you created yourself.
  3. Safety contact alert If someone who added you as a safety contact does not check in on time, Kautio sends you a notification telling you which person and which event, and how to reach them. This is the core purpose of the service.
  4. "All good" notice If a user dismisses their own event after you were notified, Kautio can send a short follow-up letting you know the person has checked in and is safe. This message is optional and is only sent when the account holder actively chooses to send it.
  5. Final check-in notice Kautio offers an optional failsafe that runs after an event ends. If the account holder has not marked themselves safe within their chosen window (typically 24 or 48 hours after the event start time), Kautio sends a follow-up notice to their safety contacts asking them to reach out. This message is only sent if the account holder explicitly opted in to the final check-in feature.

Message frequency

Message frequency varies and depends entirely on events that Kautio users create. There is no recurring schedule and no drip campaign. In a typical month:

  • A user who creates no events receives zero SMS from Kautio.
  • A user who schedules one check-in a week may receive one or two reminders per week.
  • A safety contact receives an SMS only when someone who added them fails to check in, or when that person sends an "all good" or final check-in notice.

Frequency is determined solely by user activity. Kautio does not send newsletters, product announcements, promotions, or any other non-transactional messages over SMS.

How you consent

Kautio uses two consent paths, one for account holders and one for invited safety contacts. Both are documented below, with screenshots of the actual in-app flows further down this page under How you consent — visual proof.

Path 1 — Account holders

Every Kautio account holder gives explicit consent during phone verification at account creation. On the phone entry screen, the account holder must tick a checkbox confirming:

"I am at least 18 years old and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy."

The checkbox links directly to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The account creation flow does not proceed until the checkbox is ticked. By proceeding, the account holder consents to receive the transactional SMS types listed above for events they themselves create.

Path 2 — Invited safety contacts

When an authenticated Kautio account holder adds a phone number as a trusted safety contact, Kautio sends that number a single, one-time invitation SMS identifying the inviter by name and linking to the Kautio app. This invitation is transactional: it is initiated person-to-person by an authenticated, paying account holder who typed the recipient's phone number because they know the recipient personally and want to add them to their own safety plan.

The invitation SMS contains no marketing content. The recipient will receive no further messages from Kautio unless they install the app and explicitly accept the invitation on the in-app "invite received" screen, which offers three options: accept, decline, or block the sender. Declining or blocking stops all further SMS from Kautio related to that inviter. This two-step design — a one-time transactional invitation followed by a separate in-app accept gate — is how Kautio ensures that recurring safety-alert messages only reach people who have affirmatively chosen to act as a safety contact.

How to opt out

You can stop receiving Kautio SMS at any time. All of the following options work and are honored immediately:

  • Reply STOP to any Kautio text message. This is handled automatically by our messaging provider (Twilio) and removes your phone number from the Kautio messaging list. You will receive a single confirmation reply and then no further messages. CANCEL, END, QUIT, UNSUBSCRIBE, and STOPALL are also honored.
  • Block the sender inside the app. If you received an invitation or alert from a specific Kautio user and you do not want further contact from them, open the Kautio app and use the block option on the invite or contact screen.
  • Delete your Kautio account. Account holders can delete their account at any time from inside the app (Settings → Account → Delete account) or at kautio.app/delete-my-account. Deletion removes your profile, contacts, and associated data within 30 days and ends all SMS from the service.

Help and support

Reply HELP to any Kautio text message and you will receive a reply pointing you to support. You can also contact us directly at any time:

We respond to support requests within 48 hours.

Message and data rates

Message and data rates may apply. Kautio does not charge you to send or receive SMS, but your mobile carrier may charge you for text messages based on your plan. Check with your carrier if you are unsure whether messages are included in your plan.

Privacy and data sharing

Mobile phone numbers and SMS opt-in information collected by Kautio are used exclusively to deliver the safety check-in service described on this page. Kautio does not share, sell, rent, or license mobile opt-in information or phone numbers to third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Phone numbers are shared only with our SMS delivery provider (Twilio) for the sole purpose of sending the messages you have consented to receive. For full details on how Kautio handles data, see our Privacy Policy.

Related policies

The screenshots below show the actual in-app screens where Kautio users and invited safety contacts give consent. They are the canonical visual evidence of the consent flows described above.

Kautio phone entry screen showing the phone number field, the country selector, and the age and terms consent checkbox at the bottom of the form.
Path 1 — Phone entry screen Every Kautio account holder sees this screen during sign-up. The form will not proceed until the age and terms checkbox is ticked.
Close-up of the terms and privacy checkbox reading: I am at least 18 years old and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Path 1 — Consent checkbox detail The exact wording of the consent statement, with inline links to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Kautio invite received screen showing the inviter's name, a description of what safety contacts do, and three buttons: accept, decline, and block sender.
Path 2 — Invite received screen After receiving the one-time invitation SMS and opening the app, invited safety contacts see this screen. They can accept, decline, or block the sender. No recurring SMS is sent until the invitation is explicitly accepted.

Questions about this disclosure

If you are a carrier, a regulator, or a member of The Campaign Registry review team and you need additional information to verify Kautio's messaging program, please contact support@kautio.app. We respond to compliance and review inquiries within one business day.