Playground Pals – Privacy Policy
Effective Date: March 15, 2026
Playground Pals („App”, „we”, „us”, or „our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal information when you use our mobile application.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Display name | To identify you to your friends within the App |
| Email address | Account authentication and communication |
| Profile photo (optional) | Personalization of your profile |
| Friend connections | To enable the social features of the App (invite code based only) |
| Check-in data | To show playground presence to friends |
| User reports | To investigate and address violations |
1.2 Information Collected Automatically
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Device location (when permitted) | To find nearby playgrounds. Location is used on-device to query nearby playgrounds and is not continuously tracked. |
| Device information | App performance and crash reporting |
| Usage analytics | To understand how users interact with the App and improve the experience |
1.3 Information from Third-Party Sign-In
If you sign in with Apple, Google, or Facebook, we receive your name and email address (as permitted by the provider). We do not access your contacts, photos, or other data from these services.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information to:
- Provide, maintain, and improve the App’s functionality.
- Enable social features such as friend connections and playground presence.
- Show you nearby playgrounds based on your location.
- Send you in-app notifications (e.g., friend requests, friend check-ins).
- Investigate user reports and enforce our Terms of Service.
- Analyze usage patterns to improve the user experience.
3. How We Share Your Information
3.1 With Other Users
- Public: Your display name and the number of people at a playground („X here now”) are visible to all users.
- Friends only: Your specific check-in location is visible only to your accepted friends, unless you have enabled Privacy Mode.
- Privacy Mode: When enabled, your check-in location is hidden from all users, including friends.
3.2 With Service Providers
We use the following third-party services:
| Provider | Purpose | Data shared |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Backend infrastructure, authentication, database | Account data, check-ins, friendships |
| PostHog | Product analytics | Anonymous usage events, device info |
| Apple / Google / Facebook | Authentication | Authentication tokens |
| Expo | Push notifications, app updates | Device push tokens |
3.3 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
4. Data Retention
- Account data: Retained as long as your account is active.
- Check-ins: Active check-ins expire automatically after 3 hours. Historical check-in records are retained for service improvement.
- User reports: Retained for as long as necessary to investigate and resolve the report.
- Account deletion: When you delete your account, all associated data (profile, friendships, check-ins, notifications) is permanently deleted.
5. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including:
- Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL).
- Row-Level Security (RLS) policies ensuring users can only access their own data.
- Secure authentication via industry-standard protocols (OAuth 2.0).
No system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.
6. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Delete your account and associated data.
- Object to or restrict certain processing activities.
- Data portability – receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected].
7. Children’s Privacy
Playground Pals is intended for use by parents and guardians (18+). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to delete such information.
8. Location Data
- The App requests location permission to show nearby playgrounds.
- Location data is used on-device to query our database for nearby playgrounds. We do not store or track your GPS coordinates.
- Check-ins are place-based (tied to a specific playground), not GPS-based.
- You can revoke location permission at any time in your device settings.
9. Push Notifications
We may send push notifications for friend requests, friend check-ins, and other relevant updates. You can disable push notifications at any time in your device settings or within the App.
10. International Data Transfers
Your data may be processed and stored in countries outside your country of residence. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for any international data transfers in compliance with applicable data protection laws.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes through the App or via email. The „Effective Date” at the top indicates when the policy was last updated.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Email: [email protected]