Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about how Canopy works, keeps your family's data safe, and fits into your life.
Yes. Canopy is built with security as a first principle, not an afterthought. Here’s what that means in practice:
In the UK. Your family’s data — the database and every file in the Document Vault — is hosted on infrastructure in London, England, in a single region. This applies no matter which country you or your co-parent live in, including Ireland, Australia, the US, and New Zealand.
We keep everything in one region rather than splitting it by country, which is what allows us to enforce row-level security and back up your data consistently. Where this means personal data is transferred outside your home country, we put appropriate legal safeguards in place — Standard Contractual Clauses and/or the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, depending on where you’re based. Full detail is in Section 6 of our Privacy Policy.
No system can guarantee zero risk, but Canopy uses the same infrastructure and security model trusted by thousands of enterprise applications worldwide. Specifically:
As with any online service, using a strong, unique password and enabling two-factor authentication are the two most effective steps you can take.
Never. Canopy is funded entirely by subscriptions. There are no adverts in the app, no third-party advertising trackers, and we do not sell, rent, or share your data with anyone for commercial purposes.
We use a small number of carefully selected sub-processors to deliver the service — for example, our infrastructure provider (Supabase), our email delivery provider (Resend), and Anthropic for AI features. All are bound by Data Processing Agreements. A full list is in our Privacy Policy.
Yes. Canopy is operated by Chrysalis Works Ltd, registered with the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) as a data controller. We process personal data lawfully under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
You have the right to access, correct, port, and erase your data — and in Canopy, you can exercise all of these rights directly in the app without contacting us. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.
You can delete your account at any time from Settings → Account → Delete my account. Deletion is immediate and permanent — there are no grace periods, no “we’ll keep it for 30 days” dark patterns.
Before deleting, you can download a complete export of everything Canopy holds about your family — all calendar events, notices, information bank entries, documents, and messages — in a portable format. Go to Settings → Account → Download my data.
Passports, school reports, medical letters — the most sensitive files you own. Here’s exactly how we protect them.
Very safe. Here is the full picture:
Encrypted at rest
Every file you upload is stored in Supabase Storage with AES-256 encryption at rest. The encryption is applied at the storage layer — files are never stored as raw bytes that could be read if the underlying disk were accessed.
Only your family can access them
Row-level security is enforced at the database layer — not just in application code. This means even a malicious actor who bypassed the application layer would still be blocked from reading files belonging to other families. Access is limited to authenticated members of your family group.
Signed, expiring download links
When you view or download a document, Canopy generates a signed URL that expires after a short period. This means there is no permanent, guessable link to your files. Bookmarking a download link will not work after it expires.
We cannot read your documents
Canopy staff do not have routine access to your stored files. Our infrastructure access controls are set so that files can only be accessed by authenticated users who belong to the relevant family. We do not process document contents with AI or for any purpose other than storing and serving them back to you.
Data stays in the UK
All storage is hosted in the UK (London). Your documents never leave without your knowledge, and we process data lawfully wherever you and your family are based.
The Document Vault is designed specifically for sensitive family documents — passports, medical letters, school reports. We take its security proportionally seriously.
By default, both parents can view and upload documents. If you add a read-only family member (for example, a grandparent or carer), access to the Info Bank — which includes documents — is off by default. Both parents must agree to grant them access.
Read-only members never have permission to upload, edit, or delete documents — they can only view files that both parents have explicitly granted them access to see.
Any file type is supported. Common uses include:
Canopy’s messaging is designed around topics rather than a single chat thread — so conversations about school, medical appointments, and holidays don’t get muddled together.
Messaging is an optional feature — each parent can choose whether to enable it in Settings.
Yes — Canopy provides a private iCal feed that you can subscribe to from any calendar app, including work calendars.
Your Canopy calendar link is in Settings → Calendar → Export. The iCal feed is read-only — changes made in Google or Outlook won’t affect Canopy, which keeps your family calendar as the authoritative source.
When you forward a school newsletter or photograph a flyer, Canopy uses AI to extract the events and add them directly to your family calendar — so you don’t have to type them in manually.
The content of the email or photo is sent to Anthropic’s Claude AI solely for this purpose. Anthropic does not retain API data for training. No other data from your Canopy account is shared — only the email or image you explicitly forward.
This feature requires your consent and can be turned off in Settings at any time. Nothing is sent to AI without your explicit action (forwarding an email or photographing a flyer).
Yes. You can invite family members as read-only members. They get their own login and can see what both parents agree to share with them.
By default, read-only members can see the calendar and the notice board. Access to the Info Bank, parenting schedule, and messaging requires both parents to agree in Settings. This gives you full control over what extended family can see.
Yes. Canopy is available as:
Both parents don’t need to use the same device type.
Step-by-step guides for Google Calendar and Outlook. Your iCal link is in Settings → Calendar → Export inside the Canopy app.
Copy your Canopy iCal link
In the Canopy app, go to Settings → Calendar → Export and tap Copy link.
Open “Other calendars” in Google Calendar
On the left sidebar, find Other calendars and click the + button next to it. Select From URL.
Paste your Canopy link and add the calendar
Paste the link you copied from Canopy into the URL of calendar field, then click Add calendar.
Done — your Canopy calendar appears
Your family calendar events will appear in Google Calendar and update automatically. Google typically refreshes subscribed calendars every few hours.
These steps work for Outlook on the web (outlook.com / Microsoft 365) and the Outlook desktop app.
Copy your Canopy iCal link
In the Canopy app, go to Settings → Calendar → Export and tap Copy link.
Open Calendar and click “Add calendar”
Switch to the Calendar view in Outlook. In the left panel, click Add calendar (or the + icon).
Choose “Subscribe from web”
In the dialog that opens, select Subscribe from web.
Paste your Canopy link and import
Paste your Canopy iCal URL into the field and click Import. You can give it a name like “Canopy Family”.
Done — your Canopy calendar appears
Your family events will appear alongside your work calendar in Outlook. Outlook refreshes subscribed calendars periodically — typically every few hours.
Copy your Canopy iCal link from Settings → Calendar → Export
Open Calendar on your Mac, go to File → New Calendar Subscription
Paste the link, set refresh to Every 15 minutes, click OK
Enabling iCloud sync means the subscription will also appear on your iPhone and iPad.
Yes — 10 days free, no credit card required. You get access to every feature during the trial. At the end of the trial you can subscribe to continue, or your account stays active with limited access.
No. One subscription covers both parents — and any read-only members you add (grandparents, carers). There are no per-person charges. £6.99/month or £69.99/year for the whole family.
Yes. Cancel any time from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) — wherever you subscribed. There are no cancellation fees. You keep access until the end of your current billing period.
Both parents need an account to get the most out of Canopy — shared calendars, notices, and messaging only work if both parents are connected. One parent sets up the family and invites the other using a simple invite code. The second parent doesn’t need to pay anything extra.
We’re a small team and we reply promptly.
hello@canopy-app.app10 days free. No card required. Cancel anytime.
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