Privacy Policy

Introduction

KARTIS WORKS ("we", "us") provides "Friend Compass" (the "App"), which helps you meet up with friends and family by showing the direction (a compass arrow) and distance to others. This page describes how we handle your information. The App is not a continuous tracking or map app: it shares only the direction and distance needed to meet up, and you control sharing at all times.

1. Information We Collect

• Location — your device's latitude, longitude, and accuracy, collected only while you are sharing. We store only the latest value and do not keep a location history.
• Display name — a nickname you enter, shown to other participants of the same session. It need not be your real name.
• Anonymous user ID — an identifier assigned per device via Firebase Anonymous Authentication. It does not personally identify you.
• Usage & diagnostics — crash reports and aggregate statistics (Firebase Crashlytics / Analytics) used to improve quality.
• Advertising data — to show ads in the free version, identifiers used for ad delivery and fraud prevention (such as an advertising ID) and information about ad impressions and interactions may be collected by advertising providers. You can stop ads with the one-time "Remove ads" purchase.

The App does not ask you to enter personal information such as your name, address, phone number, or email.

2. How We Use Information

To enable meetups (showing each participant the direction and distance to others in the same session), to diagnose and fix issues, and to understand usage for product improvement.

3. Handling of Location Data

• Location is collected only while you are sharing ("While Using the App" permission).
• Sharing can continue while the screen is locked or in the background. The OS clearly indicates location is in use (an indicator on iOS; a persistent notification on Android).
• Location is readable only by participants of the same session; server-side access control prevents third parties from viewing it.
• While "paused", your location is not shown to others. "Ending" stops sharing entirely.

4. Third-Party Services

The App uses Google LLC's Firebase for storage, authentication, and quality measurement: Cloud Firestore (sessions / participants), Firebase Authentication (anonymous sign-in), Crashlytics (crashes), Analytics (usage), and App Check / reCAPTCHA (abuse prevention). The information above is sent to and stored on Google's servers. See the Google Privacy Policy. We do not sell your personal information.

The free version shows ads via Google AdMob (the Google Mobile Ads SDK). Personalized ads (ads based on your interests) are shown only where you have given consent through iOS App Tracking Transparency and the consent form (UMP); in that case an advertising identifier and ad impression/interaction data are sent to Google (and its advertising partners) and used for advertising. If you do not consent, non-personalized ads are shown instead. You can stop ads entirely with the one-time "Remove ads" purchase. See Google's advertising policies.

Map display and place-name search use OpenStreetMap (place search is handled by the OpenStreetMap Foundation's Nominatim service). When a map is shown, the coordinates of the visible area are sent to these services; when you search for a place, the search term you type is sent to them. We do not store your search terms or map-viewing history. See the OpenStreetMap Foundation Privacy Policy.

5. Data Retention & Deletion

Location is overwritten with the latest value only and is not updated after you stop sharing or the session expires (sessions expire a set time after creation; 3 hours by default, extendable). To request deletion of your data, please contact us.

6. Security

Only authenticated users can access data, data including location is readable only by participants of that session, and App Check helps prevent access from anything other than the genuine app.

7. Children's Privacy

The App is not directed primarily to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without parental consent.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may revise this policy in response to legal changes or service improvements. Significant changes will be announced on this page.

9. Contact

For questions or requests regarding privacy, please contact us:
[email protected] · https://kartis-works.com/#contact