Your places stay yours.

Who operates SpotCircle

SpotCircle is operated by SpotCircle. Privacy questions and deletion requests can be sent to spotssupportteam@gmail.com.

Information stored on your device

The app can store your chosen username and spirit appearance options, saved Spots and exact coordinates, notes, access information, photos, favorites, visited status, Circle membership and roles, events, comments, check-ins, sync settings and private Circle credentials, map preferences, onboarding state, live-sharing choices, and a list of Public explorers you chose to hide. Removing a Spot removes its app-managed local images. Removing the app normally removes its iOS container.

Your spirit appearance is made from cosmetic option identifiers. SpotCircle does not use a selfie, face scan, biometric template, age, gender, or body measurements to create it.

Accounts and Circle sharing

Circle sync, code joins, check-ins, and live location require a SpotCircle account. For email/password sign-in, the app sends the entered values only to the chosen HTTPS account service. The service immediately replaces the normalized email with a server-keyed lookup hash and stores a uniquely salted adaptive password verifier, never the raw email or password. The beta does not verify email ownership or send password-reset mail. Sign in with Apple sends a short-lived Apple identity token and fresh nonce for verification; the service stores only a one-way hash of Apple’s stable subject, not the token, Apple email/name/password, or raw subject. A recovery-key fallback is also available.

When you deliberately assign content to a Circle and sync it, the selected Circle service can receive exact Spot coordinates, names, notes, access information, member usernames and roles, spirit appearance options, events, comments, check-ins, deletion markers, and compressed gallery photos. A live-location update is sent only after you enable it and contains the coordinate, sharing mode, lightweight spirit style, account session, and separate Circle capability. A Circle join code is a private access capability. Share it only with people you trust.

You can delete an account in Account & Security after confirming with its current password, recovery key, or linked Apple Account. Login credentials, sessions, and active Circle authorization are removed; content already shared with other Circle members may remain in their Circle history.

Live location

While Using sharing sends updates only while the app is active. Always is a separate choice that requests iOS background-location permission and can send updates after you leave the app. iOS displays its background-location indicator. You can choose Off in Circle Live, revoke permission in iOS Settings, or leave the Circle. Server records have bounded expiry times so stale markers disappear.

SpotCircle is not an emergency, safety-monitoring, or dispatch service. Do not rely on it to locate someone in an emergency.

Public discovery and moderation

When you explicitly make a Spot Public, the public service can receive its name, category, notes, address/access information, exact map coordinate, username, timestamps, and eligible Public Events. Public discovery uses a generated bird’s-eye map preview; it does not receive or display user-selected Spot photos, Circle secrets, member lists, comments, check-ins, or live locations.

Each installation has a random identifier used to bind Public publishing and deduplicate reports. The service stores one-way hashes for moderation. A report includes its reason and a small text snapshot; exact GPS and photos are not copied into the report record. Moderators may dismiss a report, remove a listing, or block a publisher. A viewer’s hidden-explorer list remains on that viewer’s phone.

Weather, maps, and service providers

• Cloudflare hosts the default Circle/Public service and database. It processes network and stored service data needed to provide the feature.
• Open-Meteo receives location rounded to four decimal places to return current weather. It does not receive your username, Circle ID, photos, or installation ID from SpotCircle.
• Apple MapKit and iOS may process map, route, and permission information under Apple’s terms.
• Expo/EAS and Apple are used to build and distribute the app; Apple may provide platform diagnostics under your Apple settings.

SpotCircle does not intentionally send data to advertising networks or data brokers.

Retention and deletion

Personal data remains until you delete it or remove the app. Circle data remains on the configured Circle service and on other members’ devices until deleted or the service operator removes it. Public listings remain until unpublished or moderated. Moderation records may be retained as needed to prevent repeat abuse and document decisions. Backups can persist for a limited operational period.

Use the app’s delete, unpublish, stop-sharing, hide/unhide, and leave controls first. For remote Circle data, a Public moderation record, or a request you cannot complete in the app, email spotssupportteam@gmail.com. Include the relevant Circle or Spot ID if available, but never email a Circle secret or invite code.

Security and children

Internet traffic uses HTTPS. Circle access uses private capabilities. Account records use keyed email lookups, salted password verifiers, and hashed session/recovery credentials; the server-only password secret is kept outside the app and database. Database records also avoid storing plaintext publishing/report identifiers where practical. No system is perfectly secure; protect passwords, invite codes, devices, and backups. SpotCircle is not directed to children and is not offered in the Kids category. People who are not old enough to consent to location sharing in their region should not use it without a parent or guardian.

Changes

We may update this policy as features or providers change. The effective date above will be updated, and material changes will be reflected before a related app release.