Privacy Policy

Effective Date: December 14, 2025

Last Updated: April 7, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how Social ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares information when you use our mobile application (the "App").

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your email address, full name, username, date of birth, and profile photo (optional).
• User Content: Messages, forum posts, and other content you create within the App.
• Profile Information: Status messages and other profile details you choose to share.
• Referral Information: If you join Social through a friend's invite link, we record who referred you. If you invite others, we track how many users joined through your link. This information is used to connect new users with the friend who invited them and to support our referral programme.

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Location Data: We collect your precise location when you check in to venues. Location tracking only occurs when you actively use the check-in feature.
• Device Information: Device model, operating system version, and app version (collected when you submit bug reports).
• Usage Data: Information about how you use the App, including crash reports and performance data.
• Notification Tokens: We collect device tokens to send push notifications about friend activity, messages, and app updates.
• Deep Link Attribution: When you tap an invite link, Airbridge (our deep linking provider) temporarily collects device signals to attribute the install to the correct referrer. No advertising identifiers (such as IDFA) are used. This data is used solely to connect new users with the friend who invited them and is not used for advertising purposes.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain the App's features and functionality
• Enable you to connect with friends and other users at venues
• Display your location status to friends when checked in
• Send push notifications about friend activity, messages, and requests
• Allow you to post and view content in venue forums
• Facilitate private messaging between users
• Process and respond to bug reports
• Improve app performance and fix technical issues
• Track referrals to connect new users with the friends who invited them
• Enforce our Terms of Service and community guidelines
• Comply with legal obligations

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 With Other Users

• Your profile information (name, username, profile photo, status) is visible to other users
• When checked in, your location is visible to your friends
• Your forum posts are visible to all users checked in to the same venue
• Your messages are visible only to the recipients

3.2 Service Providers

We use the following third-party services to provide and operate the App:

• Google Firebase: Authentication and user account management, database storage (Firestore), file storage for profile photos, push notification delivery (Firebase Cloud Messaging), crash reporting and analytics. Firebase may process your data in accordance with Google's privacy policies.
• Google Sign In: If you choose to sign in with Google, we receive your Google account name and email address to create or authenticate your Social account. This data is processed in accordance with Google's privacy policies.
• Sign in with Apple: If you choose to sign in with Apple, we receive your name and either your real email address or an Apple-provided private relay address to create or authenticate your Social account. We never receive your Apple ID password.
• Airbridge: Deep link attribution and referral tracking. When you tap an invite link, Airbridge uses device signals (without advertising identifiers) to match your install to the correct referrer. No personal data is shared with Airbridge beyond what is necessary for this matching process.
• Resend: Transactional email delivery. We use Resend to send account verification and password reset emails from our domain. Resend processes your email address solely to deliver these transactional emails.
• Apple Maps: Venue location display within the App.
• Apple Push Notification service (APNs): iOS notification delivery.

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or to protect our rights or the safety of users.

3.4 Push Notifications

We use push notifications to enhance your experience by providing timely updates about:

• Friends checking in to venues near you
• New messages from friends
• Friend requests from other users
• Status updates from your friends

Push notifications are sent via Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) and Apple Push Notification service (APNs). You can manage notification preferences within the App or in your iOS device Settings. Notifications contain information about the event (e.g., friend name, venue name, message preview) but do not track your activity beyond what is necessary to deliver the notification.

4. Data Retention

• Account data is retained until you delete your account
• Forum posts are automatically deleted after 24 hours
• Private messages in venue chats are deleted when all participants check out
• Bug reports are retained for diagnostic purposes
• Notification tokens are deleted when you delete your account or uninstall the app
• Referral data (who referred you and how many users you referred) is retained as part of your account data and deleted upon account deletion

5. Your Rights and Choices

5.1 Account Deletion

You may request account deletion by contacting us at team.getsocial@outlook.com. Upon deletion, your account data will be permanently removed including any referral information associated with your account.

5.2 Location Services

You can disable location access in your device settings. However, this will prevent you from using check-in features.

5.3 Push Notifications

You can disable push notifications in your iOS device Settings or within the App at any time. In-app notification banners will continue to appear while you are actively using the App regardless of your push notification preference, as these are part of the core app experience rather than background notifications.

5.4 Blocking Users

You can block other users to prevent them from interacting with you in the App.

6. Age Requirements

You must be at least 13 years old to use Social. Some features (such as messaging non-friends) require users to be 18 or older.

7. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We use Firebase Authentication and Firestore security rules to protect your data.

8. International Users

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. By using the App, you consent to such transfers.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Third-Party Services

The App uses the following third-party services:

• Google Firebase: Backend services, authentication, database, storage, push notifications, crash reporting
• Google Sign In: Optional social sign in using your Google account
• Sign in with Apple: Optional social sign in using your Apple ID
• Apple Maps: Venue location display
• Apple Push Notification service (APNs): iOS notification delivery
• Airbridge: Deep link attribution and invite referral tracking
• Resend: Transactional email delivery for account verification and password reset

These services have their own privacy policies governing their use of your information.

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