Last updated: October 19, 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how LocShare ("we," "us," or "the app") collects, uses, and shares information when you use the LocShare mobile application.
Phone number. We use your phone number to create your account and verify your identity via SMS (through Firebase Authentication). Your phone number is also used, in hashed form, to match you with other LocShare users who have your number saved as a contact.
Location data. LocShare's core purpose is location sharing. With your permission, we collect your device's location in the background so it can be shared with the contacts you choose, shown during a "Go Live" broadcast, and used to power optional features (Been Here, Territory, Scavenger) that reflect places you've spent time at. You can control background location access in your device settings; without it, your location only updates while the app is open.
Device contacts. With your permission, we read your device's contacts to find which of them are also LocShare users, so you can choose who to share your location with and message. We do not upload your contact list, or your contacts' names or phone numbers. Matching happens on your phone, and we store only the LocShare user IDs of the people who matched, in a record only you can access. We use that so that you and the people you have saved can find each other in Mutuals. This means a LocShare user who has you saved in their contacts may see you in their Mutuals, and you may see them in yours. It also means people who are connected to you through contacts may be suggested to each other: if you are in someone's contacts, they may be shown other LocShare users from your contacts as people they might know, and you may be shown people from theirs. A person is only shown a count of mutual connections, never whose contacts they came from, and no one is connected unless both people agree.
Messages. If you use LocShare's messaging feature, we store the text of messages you send so they can be delivered to and read by the people you're messaging.
Profile information. This includes your display name, chosen avatar, ring color, and optional away-message status text.
Device information for push notifications. If you enable notifications, we store a device token used to deliver them.
We use the information above to:
With your contacts, when you choose to share. LocShare does not share your live location or your messages with anyone unless you choose to: by granting a specific contact ongoing location access, or by starting a "Go Live" broadcast to a chosen audience. Been Here visibility is also off until you turn it on. Territory and Open Discovery are on by default, and they are described in the next two paragraphs.
Territory and place rankings. Territory is on by default. It counts the days you spend at recognized public places, such as a cafe or a park, and compares them with the people you are connected to who also have Territory on. Those connections can see your name and your day counts at those places. Territory also counts you toward each place's "mayor," a ranking of everyone with Territory on at that place. People you are not connected to can see that a place has a mayor and how many days it would take to match them, but never who you are. If you are the mayor, only your connections see your name, and the mayor can add a short nickname to the place that only their connections see, shown next to the place's real name. Homes, and places where you stay overnight, never count. You can turn Territory off, leave the wider ranking, or hide your name when you are mayor at any time in Territory settings.
Finding people near you. Open Discovery is on by default. It lets LocShare users within about 100 miles who are not connected to you see a limited profile of yours: your display name, your interests and other profile answers, and a rough distance such as "nearby" or "50+ miles." It never shows your exact location. If you have added a profile photo, it is shown too. They cannot message you or see where you are unless you accept their connection request. You can turn Open Discovery off at any time in Mutuals, and you can block or report anyone from their profile.
With service providers. We use Google Firebase (authentication, database, cloud functions, push notification delivery) and Google Maps/Places (map display and place classification) to operate the app. These providers process data on our behalf and are bound by their own data processing terms.
With our advertising measurement provider. When you install LocShare after seeing one of our ads, we use a measurement service called AppsFlyer to find out which ad brought you to the app. This helps us understand which advertising works and how people use the app afterward. AppsFlyer receives your device's identifiers and IP address, the type of device and version of iOS, and a few simple events: that you installed the app, created an account, added a profile photo, made your first connection, and sent your first Down For. It also receives your LocShare account ID so these events can be matched to one account. If you allow tracking when the app asks, your device's advertising identifier is included as well, which lets the ad network confirm the ad led to your install. AppsFlyer processes this data on our behalf and shares install information with the advertising network that showed you the ad. You can learn more in AppsFlyer's privacy policy.
We never send your location, your contacts, your phone number or your email address to AppsFlyer or to any ad network. Your location is only shared with the people you choose. We do not sell your data. LocShare does not show ads inside the app.
You can delete your account at any time from within the app. This permanently removes your profile, location history, visit history, and sharing permissions. Two limitations worth being upfront about:
LocShare is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.
We rely on Firebase's security infrastructure and rule-based access controls to restrict who can read or write your data. No method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
We may update this policy as the app changes. We'll update the "Last updated" date above when we do.
Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to: info@loc-share.com