Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 2025

TrailMates is designed with your privacy in mind. We believe you should have control over your data, especially your location. This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

Information We Collect

Account Information

  • Phone Number - Used for account authentication. Stored in E.164 format and hashed for contact matching.
  • Name & Username - Displayed on your profile to friends and event attendees.
  • Profile Photo - Stored securely in Firebase Storage.

Location Data

  • GPS Coordinates - Real-time location when you are on the Ann and Roy Butler Trail.
  • Location is only shared while you are physically on the trail (polygon-bounded).
  • No historical location tracking - We do not store your location history.

Contacts

  • Phone numbers from your contacts are hashed for privacy-preserving friend discovery.
  • We do not store your contacts directly - only cryptographic hashes for matching.

Social & Event Data

  • Friend Relationships - Who you're connected with on TrailMates.
  • Event Data - Events you create or attend.

How We Use Your Data

  • Location sharing - Your location is shared only with friends, and only while you are on the Butler Trail.
  • Friend discovery - Hashed phone numbers let you find friends already using the app without exposing contact details.
  • Profile display - Your name, username, and photo are shown to friends and event attendees.
  • Event coordination - Event details are shared with participants.

We do not use your data for advertising or third-party analytics. Both are disabled in our configuration.

Third-Party Services

  • Firebase (Google) - Authentication, database, and image storage.
  • Apple Maps - Map display within the app.

Your Controls

You have full control over your privacy:

  • Location sharing toggles - Choose to share with friends, event hosts, and/or event groups.
  • Do Not Disturb mode - Completely hide your visibility from others.
  • Delete account - Remove all your data from our systems.

Data Retention

  • Account data - Kept until you delete your account.
  • Location data - Real-time only. We do not maintain historical location records.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at trailmates.atx@gmail.com.