Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 28, 2026
PinBubbles ("we", "us") operates the PinBubbles mobile app — a location-based service for posting and discovering time-limited messages ("bubbles"). This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and how you can control it.
1. Information we collect
From you, when you sign up
- Email address — used as your account identifier. Required for password-based signup; provided automatically when you sign in with Google or Apple.
- Display name + optional profile photo — shown on bubbles and comments you post.
From you, when you use the app
- Precise location (GPS coordinates) — required to pin bubbles to real-world places and to show you bubbles near you. We request foreground location permission at first use. We never collect location in the background.
- Bubble content — the text and up to four images you post, your message type (general / traffic / emergency / business), and duration setting.
- Comments and reactionson other users' bubbles.
- Reports you file against content you find harmful.
Automatically
- Device push token (Apple Push / Firebase Cloud Messaging) — only collected if you grant notification permission.
- Subscription status — whether you hold a Pro or Business entitlement, retrieved from RevenueCat. We do not see your payment card or billing address; those stay with Apple, Google, or Stripe.
- Crash / error reports — anonymized stack traces sent to Sentry and Firebase Crashlytics in production builds only. We do not collect crash data in development.
2. How we use it
- Show you nearby bubbles— we run geospatial queries against the database (PostGIS) using your current location and your tier's radius limit.
- Moderate content before publication — every bubble and comment passes through AWS Comprehend (text sentiment + toxicity) and AWS Rekognition (image safety) at submit time. We do not run continuous background analysis of your data.
- Send notifications — comment replies, reactions, expiring messages, subscription events. You can disable any of these per-type in Profile → Settings.
- Calculate karma / reputation — to determine posting privileges and moderation queue priority.
- Provide customer support and enforce our Terms — including warnings, mutes, and bans for community guideline violations.
3. Who we share with
We share data with the following processors, strictly to operate the service:
| Provider | Purpose | Data category |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase (Google) | Auth, push notifications, crash reports | Email, push token, anonymized errors |
| Amazon Web Services | Backend hosting, content moderation | All app data (encrypted at rest) |
| Neon | PostgreSQL database hosting | Bubbles, comments, profile, reports |
| RevenueCat | Subscription validation | App user ID, entitlement status |
| Sentry | Error tracking (production only) | Anonymized stack traces |
We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. We do not run ad networks inside the app.
4. Retention
- Bubbles — auto-expire from 30 minutes to 1 month based on your duration setting, after which they are hard-deleted (or archived for 30 days if reported).
- Profile + auth account — kept until you delete your account (see Data Deletion).
- Server logs — automatically deleted after 2 weeks.
- Account deletion audit row — kept 2 years (userId + timestamp only, no PII) for anti-abuse purposes.
5. Your rights
You can at any time:
- Delete your account from Profile → Settings → Delete Account, or by emailing us. See Data Deletion for details.
- Block or mute any user from their profile.
- Disable specific notification types in Settings.
- Revoke location permission from your device settings — note that this will disable bubble posting and discovery.
- Request a copy of your data by emailing support@pinbubbles.com.
6. Children
PinBubbles is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from users under 13. If you believe a minor has signed up, contact us and we will delete the account.
7. International transfers
Our backend runs in AWS's ap-southeast-1 (Singapore) region. If you access PinBubbles from outside Southeast Asia, your data is transferred to and processed in Singapore.
8. Changes
We may update this policy. Material changes will be announced in the app and the "Last updated" date above will change.
9. Contact
Questions about privacy? Email support@pinbubbles.com.