Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to the PubCrawl App ("we," "our," or "us"). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and related services.

By using the PubCrawl App, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address
• Username and display name
• Profile photo (if you upload one)
• Hashed password (for email sign-up) or authentication tokens (for Google/Apple Sign-In)

You may also browse the app as a guest without creating an account. Guest users have limited functionality and we collect minimal data.

2.2 Location Information

We collect your device's location data to provide core app functionality. This data is used to:

• Generate pub crawl routes based on your location
• Show nearby pubs and venues on the explore map
• Calculate walking distances between venues

Location data is collected only when you are actively using the app and have granted location permissions. We do not track your location in the background.

2.3 User-Generated Content

We store content you create within the app, including:

• Pub crawl routes you create or save
• Photos taken during crawls
• Game scores and progress
• Venue reviews and ratings

2.4 Purchase Information

Premium subscriptions are processed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store via RevenueCat. We receive confirmation of your subscription status but do not collect or store your payment card details.

2.5 Device and Usage Information

We may collect:

• Device type, operating system, and app version
• Push notification tokens (if you enable notifications)
• Anonymous usage analytics to improve the app experience

2.6 Business Account Information

If you register on our business platform (business.thepubcrawlapp.com), we additionally collect:

• First name and last name
• Business email address (used for account verification and venue claiming)
• Business name, address, and description
• Business logo
• Team member email addresses (when you invite others to your business)
• Venue claim documentation (uploaded files to verify venue ownership)
• Payment information via Stripe (we store a Stripe customer ID; card details are held by Stripe)

Business accounts are entirely separate from app user accounts and use a dedicated authentication system.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide core app functionality: route generation, venue discovery, group crawls, and game features
• Manage your account and authenticate your identity
• Store and display your routes, photos, and game history
• Send push notifications about your active crawl (if enabled)
• Verify and manage your Premium subscription status
• Improve and optimise the app based on usage patterns
• Respond to support requests

4. Data Storage and Security

Your account data, routes, game history, and photos are stored on our servers hosted on Google Cloud Platform (europe-west2, London). We use industry-standard security measures including:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS)
• Hashed and salted passwords (bcrypt)
• Secure token-based authentication (JWT)
• Google Cloud Storage with signed URLs for photo access
• Database encryption at rest

Some preferences (such as active game state) are also stored locally on your device using secure storage.

5. Third-Party Services

Our app uses the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

5.1 Google Maps Platform

We use Google Maps APIs and Google Places to provide venue information, maps, and walking routes. When you use these features, data may be processed by Google subject to Google's Privacy Policy.

5.2 Google Cloud Platform

Our backend infrastructure, database, and file storage are hosted on Google Cloud Platform in the europe-west2 (London) region.

5.3 RevenueCat

We use RevenueCat to manage Premium subscriptions across iOS and Android. RevenueCat processes your subscription status but does not receive your payment details. See RevenueCat's Privacy Policy.

5.4 Apple and Google Sign-In

If you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive your name and email address (or a relay email in Apple's case) from the identity provider. We do not receive your password.

5.5 Stripe

We use Stripe to process payments on our business platform. Stripe collects and processes payment card details directly — we do not store your card information. See Stripe's Privacy Policy.

5.6 Google Analytics

Our website uses Google Analytics to understand visitor behaviour. This does not apply to the mobile app.

6. Photos and Public Content

Photos taken during a crawl are stored on our servers and are visible to other participants in that crawl. The crawl host may enable "Hide Photos" mode, which keeps photos hidden until the crawl ends.

Routes you mark as "public" are discoverable by other users. Your username and profile photo may be visible on public routes. Private routes are only visible to you.

7. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information in a way that identifies you as an individual. We may share data in the following circumstances:

• With other crawl participants: your username, profile photo, scores, and crawl photos are visible to others in your group
• Public routes: your username is shown as the creator of routes you make public
• With venue owners: if a venue owner claims their venue through our business platform, they may see reviews, ratings, photos, and aggregated check-in data associated with that venue, including your username on reviews you post
• Service providers: third-party services listed in Section 5, strictly for providing app functionality
• Data products: we may create and distribute aggregated, anonymised, or de-identified datasets derived from user activity (such as venue popularity, route trends, and photo datasets) for commercial purposes, including via APIs to third parties. These products will not identify you personally
• Legal requirements: when required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and safety

8. Your Rights and Choices

8.1 Account and Data

• You can update your profile, username, and display name in the app settings
• You can delete your account via Settings, which removes your account data from our servers
• You can request a copy of your data by contacting us

8.2 Location Permissions

You can enable or disable location services through your device settings. Disabling location will limit route generation and venue discovery features.

8.3 Push Notifications

You can manage push notification permissions through your device settings at any time.

8.4 Premium Subscriptions

Subscriptions are managed through your Apple App Store or Google Play account settings.

9. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Game history and photos are retained indefinitely unless you delete your account. When you delete your account, we remove your personal data within 30 days, though anonymised, aggregated data may be retained for analytics.

10. Children's Privacy

The PubCrawl App is intended for users of legal drinking age (18+ in the UK, or the applicable age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the legal drinking age. If we become aware that we have collected data from an underage user, we will delete it promptly.

11. International Data Transfers

Your data is primarily stored and processed in the United Kingdom (Google Cloud europe-west2). Some third-party services may process data outside the UK/EEA. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by updating the "Last Updated" date and, where appropriate, through in-app notifications. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at:

[email protected]