Your data & security

Here’s the honest, plain-language version of what Locatour collects, why, and how we look after it. The formal detail lives in the Privacy Policy; this page is the friendly summary.

What we collect, and why

• Your account — things like your name, avatar, and sign-in details, so you have a profile and can come back to your progress.
• Your interests — the categories you choose (hiking, fishing, photography, and so on), so the app can surface places you’ll enjoy.
• Your location, at check-in — we use your device’s GPS to confirm you’re at a place when you check in. This is the core of the game; without it, a check-in can’t be verified.
• Your check-in photos — the photos you take on the spot, which become your personal history of places you’ve visited.
• Basic gameplay data — your experience, levels, streaks, achievements, and check-in history, so the game works and remembers your journey.

We collect what the game needs to work, and not more.

What we don’t do

• We don’t send you to businesses or sell your attention to advertisers.
• We don’t sell your personal data.
• We don’t track your location in the background by default — out of the box, location is used only at the moment you check in. Background location is used only if you choose to turn on Nearby alerts (see below), and even then it’s matched against nearby spots on your device, never recorded as a trail.

Permissions, explained

• Location (“while using”) is needed to verify that you’re really at a place when you check in. You can read exactly how that works in How photo check-in works.
• Camera is needed so you can take your check-in photo live, in the app.
• Background location (“allow all the time”) is optional and used only if you turn on Nearby alerts. It lets the app notify you when you wander near a spot with the app closed. It is off by default, requested only after a clear in-app explanation, and reversible at any time. We never request “allow all the time” unless you opt in.

You’re always in control of these in your device settings. The game needs location-while-using and camera to function; background location is entirely your choice.

Nearby alerts & background location

If you turn on Nearby alerts, Locatour uses your phone’s low-power background location to notify you when you’re near a Locatour spot — even when the app is closed. Here’s exactly what that does and doesn’t mean:

• What it does: your phone checks your rough position against nearby Locatour spots, on the device, and fires an occasional notification.
• What it does not do: it does not build or store a continuous history of where you’ve been, and your location is never shared or sold.
• It’s strictly opt-in. Off by default; turned on only via the Profile toggle, and only after a plain-language explanation shown before the system permission prompt.
• It’s reversible. Turn the toggle off, or change the permission in your device settings, and background location use stops immediately.

How we protect it

We take reasonable, industry-standard steps to keep your data secure in transit and at rest, and we limit access to it. No system is perfectly secure, and we won’t pretend otherwise — but protecting your information is something we take seriously.

Your controls

• See your history. Your check-ins and photos are yours to browse anytime in the app.
• Manage permissions. Turn location and camera access on or off in your device settings.
• Delete your account. You can request deletion of your account and associated data — see the Privacy Policy for how.

Questions

If anything here is unclear, or you want to make a privacy request, reach us at support@hatchet.com.au. The full legal detail is in the Privacy Policy.