Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Closer (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the Closer mobile application and the website located at closerapp.app (collectively, the “Service”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you use our Service.

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please do not use the Service.

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of the Closer mobile application on iOS and Android, as well as visitors to our website.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Profile Information

When you create an account, we collect information you provide directly:

• First name (kept private until you confirm it in person with another user)
• Username (your public @handle)
• Date of birth
• Gender and gender preferences
• University (optional)
• “Looking for” tags (e.g., make new friends, networking, study buddy)
• Interests (selected from predefined categories)
• Profile photo and gallery photos (up to 2 additional)
• Bio (optional)
• Custom map emoji
• Phone number (used for authentication)
• Email address (optional)

2.2 Account Metadata

We automatically collect certain information related to your account:

• Account creation date and last login timestamp
• Active session ID (for multi-device detection)
• Push notification token
• Onboarding progress
• House rules acceptance timestamp
• Permission statuses (notification, location)

2.3 Location Data

We collect your real-time location only while you are actively in a live session. This includes latitude, longitude, GPS accuracy, and geohash. Your location is updated approximately every 10 seconds while live.

When you end your live session or go offline, your location data is automatically deleted from our real-time database.

Background location (“Always Allow”): This permission is requested so that location tracking continues when the app is backgrounded during a pairing session. The app does not passively track your location when you are not live. When you end your session, location tracking stops completely.

Proximity notifications: When you go live, your location is saved as your “last known location.” This is used to notify nearby offline users that someone has gone live within 1km of where they last went live. This saved location expires after 1 hour. Notifications are based on where you last went live, not your current location.

2.4 Chat & Messaging Data

When you use our messaging features, we collect:

• Message text content
• Sender ID and timestamp
• Message reactions
• Conversation participation records
• Unread message counts
• Muted friends list

2.5 Analytics & Telemetry

We collect anonymous usage data through Firebase Analytics, including event names and timestamps (e.g., “live_start,” “message_sent”), platform information, permission states, and error codes.

No personally identifiable information is included in telemetry — no email addresses, phone numbers, exact GPS coordinates, or raw user input. Only hashed user IDs are used for analytics purposes.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Provide and operate the Service — create and maintain your account, display your profile to other users, and enable core app features
• Enable live sessions — show your location on the map to nearby users when you choose to go live, and facilitate in-person meetups through our pairing system
• Send notifications — deliver push notifications for messages, proximity alerts when someone nearby goes live, and pairing updates
• Facilitate messaging — enable 1:1 messaging between users who have met in person and added each other as friends
• Improve and optimize the Service — analyze anonymous usage patterns to identify issues, improve features, and enhance the user experience
• Safety and moderation — investigate reports, enforce our Community Guidelines and Terms and Conditions, and protect users from harmful behavior
• Authenticate your identity — verify your phone number to prevent fake accounts and enable secure sign-in
• Comply with legal obligations — respond to lawful requests from authorities where required by applicable law

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share your data only in the following limited circumstances:

• With other Closer users — when you go live, nearby users can see your username, photos, and approximate location on the map. Your first name is only revealed when you introduce yourself in person.
• With service providers — we use Firebase (operated by Google) as our infrastructure provider to host data, send notifications, and process backend logic. See Section 5 for a complete list.
• For legal compliance — we may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency).
• To protect safety — we may share information if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of our users, investigate fraud, or respond to a safety emergency.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the Service. These providers process data on our behalf and are subject to their own privacy policies:

All Firebase services are operated by Google and are subject to Google's Privacy Policy. We do not use any advertising networks, social media tracking pixels, or other third-party analytics beyond Firebase Analytics.

6. Permissions We Request

iOS

• Location (foreground) — for map and live session positioning
• Location (background/“Always Allow”) — to keep location active during pairing sessions when the app is backgrounded (not used for passive tracking)
• Camera — for taking profile photos
• Photo Library — for uploading profile and gallery photos
• Push Notifications — for messages, proximity alerts, and pairing updates

Android

• Location (fine + background) — same as iOS
• Camera — same as iOS
• Media Library — for gallery access
• Notifications — runtime permission for push notifications

All permissions are requested at the point of use with a clear explanation of why the permission is needed. You can revoke any permission at any time through your device settings, though this may limit certain features of the Service.

7. Data Retention

We retain your information only for as long as necessary to provide the Service and fulfill the purposes described in this policy:

• Live location: Automatically deleted when you go offline (5-second grace period for reconnection)
• Last known location: Expires after 1 hour and is no longer used for proximity notifications
• Messages: Stored while friendship exists, archived when a friendship ends
• Profile photos: Deleted when you remove them or delete your account
• Push tokens: Removed on logout
• Profile data: Retained until you delete your account
• Analytics data: Retained per Firebase Analytics default retention policies (up to 14 months)

8. Account Deletion

You can delete your account at any time through Settings in the app. When you delete your account, we perform the following steps:

1. Delete all photos from cloud storage
2. Remove your push notification token
3. Clear your presence and location data
4. Archive conversations and delete friendship records
5. Delete your user profile from the database
6. Clear all local storage on your device
7. Sign you out of the Service

Your Firebase Authentication record (phone number) is retained solely to allow re-registration with the same phone number if you choose to return. If you wish to have your authentication record fully removed, please contact us at support@closerapp.app.

Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. We aim to complete all data deletion within 30 days of your request, though most data is deleted immediately.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data (you can also update most information directly in the app)
• Deletion — request deletion of your personal data (available directly through the app via Settings, or by contacting us)
• Data Portability — request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Opt-out of notifications — you can disable proximity notifications and other notification types through the app's settings or your device settings
• Withdraw consent — you can revoke device permissions (location, camera, photos, notifications) at any time through your device settings

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@closerapp.app. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

10. Children's Privacy

The Service is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18. During account creation, users are required to provide their date of birth, and accounts are restricted to individuals who are at least 18 years old.

If we learn that we have collected personal information from a user under 18, we will take steps to delete that information as promptly as possible. If you believe that a user under 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@closerapp.app.

11. Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information:

• Multi-device detection: A unique session ID is generated on login. Signing in on a new device automatically logs out the previous device, preventing unauthorized concurrent access.
• GPS accuracy filtering: We reject location data with accuracy greater than 500 meters to prevent location spoofing.
• Message rate limiting: Server-side rate limits prevent spam and abuse in messaging.
• Database security rules: Users can only read and write their own data. Conversations and messages are restricted to participants only.
• Encrypted transmission: All data transmitted between the app and our servers is encrypted using TLS/SSL.

While we take reasonable precautions to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on this page with a new “Last updated” date
• Sending a notification through the app for significant changes

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

support@closerapp.app