Privacy Policy for ShareWhile
Last Updated: May 16, 2026
Key Summary: ShareWhile lets you control location sharing with groups and communicate via text-based chat groups. Groups now have roles (Owner, Admin, None) for moderation. Registered users have fixed display names and profile pictures. Anonymous users can change their names but are clearly marked as anonymous. You can delete your own messages, and Admins can remove users along with all their messages.
1. Information We Collect
a) Device Information (Anonymous Users)
- Anonymous Device ID: Generated when you first launch the app without registration
- Display Name: Anonymous users can set any display name per group. These users are marked with an anonymous indicator so other members can identify them as non-registered.
- Purpose: To maintain your group associations across app sessions
b) Account Information (Registered Users)
- Email address
- Securely hashed password
- Fixed display name (from profile – cannot be changed per group)
- Profile picture (optional)
- List of your joined groups
c) Location Data
- Data Stored: Only your most recent location per group
- Collection: When you enable "Share with This Group" toggle
- Visibility Rules:
- Active sharing: Live location updates
- Paused sharing: Last location remains visible
- Left group/Deleted account: All location data permanently erased
d) Chat Messages
- Supported Content: Text messages and emojis only (no photos, videos, voice messages, or file attachments in current version)
- Information Stored Per Message:
- Message text content
- Sender's display name (fixed for registered users, free text for anonymous users)
- Timestamp of when the message was sent
- Metadata: No IP addresses, device type, or other metadata is stored for chat messages
- Storage: Full chat history is stored on our servers so group members can view it whenever they want
e) Push Notifications
- Data collected: Device push notification token
- Purpose: To notify you when you receive new chat messages
- Your control: Each group has a "Notifications" toggle
f) Profile Picture (Registered Users)
- Data collected: Image file uploaded by the user
- Purpose: To help other group members identify you
- Retention: Until you delete your account or remove the picture
2. How We Use Your Data
| Data Type |
Purpose |
Retention Period |
| Device ID (Anonymous) |
Group participation without registration |
Until app uninstallation |
| Account Data (Registered) |
Restore groups, fixed identity across devices |
Until account deletion |
| Location Data |
Display position to authorized group members |
- Active sharing: Until toggle is disabled
- Paused sharing: Until leaving group
|
| Chat Messages |
Real-time communication between group members |
- Messages remain as long as the group exists
- If a group has no activity for more than 1 year, it is removed along with all its messages
- Upon account deletion – messages remain (sender shown as deleted user)
|
| Push Notification Token |
Send real-time message alerts |
Until notifications disabled or account deleted |
| Profile Picture |
Display next to your name in groups |
Until you delete it or delete your account |
3. Sharing Controls and Moderation
a) Location Controls
- "Share My Location": Master switch for all groups
- "Background Sharing": Optional continuous updates
- Per-Group Location Toggle: Enable/disable live location sharing for each group
b) Group Roles
- Owner: The user who created the group. Can promote others to Admin. Cannot be removed by anyone.
- Admin: Can remove regular members (None role) from the group. Can optionally delete all messages of removed users. Cannot remove Owner or other Admins.
- None: Regular member with no moderation rights.
c) Moderation Actions
- Remove member (None role only): Admin can remove a member from the group.
- Remove member + delete messages: Admin can choose to delete all messages posted by the removed member in that group.
- Delete own messages: Any user can delete their own messages at any time.
d) Group Privacy Settings
- "Only registered users can join": When enabled, only users with registered accounts can join the group. Anonymous users (device ID only) cannot join.
- Member list: Available in group settings – shows all current members and their roles.
e) Anonymous User Indicator
- Anonymous users (without registration) are clearly marked with an indicator (icon or label) next to their display name in all groups.
- This helps registered users identify non-verified participants.
4. Data Security
- End-to-end encryption for all location data – only group members can see locations
- TLS/SSL encryption in transit for all data – including chat messages, profile pictures, and location data
- No permanent location history – only the last position is stored
- Chat messages are stored on our own servers – no cloud services or third parties are used to process chat data
- Profile pictures are stored on our servers with restricted access
- Regular security audits
5. Third-Party Data Sharing
ShareWhile does not share your data with third parties. Specifically:
- We do not use Firebase, Sendbird, Stream Chat, or any other external services for chat backend
- All data (messages, profile pictures, location) is stored exclusively on our servers
- We have no analytics or tracking services
- We do not sell or provide personal data to advertisers or other organizations
6. Your Rights
- Access: View your groups, messages, and locations directly in the app.
- Delete your own messages: You can delete any message you have sent at any time.
- Location Data Deletion:
- Partial ("Delete All My Data"): Delete all location history and leave all groups without deleting your account.
- Full ("Delete Account"): Permanently delete your account. This removes your email, password, profile picture, and all location data. Your chat messages will remain (sender name anonymized) to preserve conversation integrity.
- Regarding messages deleted by Admins: If an Admin removes you and deletes your messages, those messages are permanently erased and cannot be recovered.
- Correction: Update your email, password, display name, or profile picture anytime in Settings.
- Portability: Request an export of your data by contacting us with the subject "Data Export".
7. Children
ShareWhile is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information.
8. Changes to This Policy
Significant changes will be communicated through in-app notifications.
9. Contact Us
For privacy inquiries or data deletion requests:
- Use the in-app options in Settings → Privacy & Data
- Or contact us via the in-app contact form