Privacy Policy

Welcome to NearBy ("we," "our," or "us"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application NearBy (the "App") and our website at nearbyplaces.tech (the "Website").

NearBy includes a conversational AI assistant (the "Assistant") that learns your preferences over time to deliver better recommendations. This policy covers both the discovery features and the data practices related to the Assistant.

By using our App or Website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account information (email address, display name)
• Saved places, place collections, and trip plans
• Search queries, filter selections, and chat messages
• Feedback and support communications

2.2 Preferences the Assistant Learns

When you chat with the Assistant, it remembers preferences you share so it can personalize future suggestions — for example your dietary needs, budget level, preferred transit, mood, travel style, language, and the cities or neighborhoods you care about. We store only what you reveal; the Assistant treats unknown fields as "not yet learned" and may ask follow-up questions to fill them in. You can review, edit, or clear any learned preference from Settings or by asking the Assistant to forget.

2.3 Conversation History

Your chat threads with the Assistant are stored on our servers so you can resume them later. We also keep simple lists of places you have saved, places the Assistant has presented to you, and places you have opened in detail — these power the Favorites surface and personalized recommendations. You can delete an individual thread or your full history at any time from Settings.

2.4 Information Collected Automatically

• Device information (model, OS version, app version)
• Approximate or precise location (only when you grant permission)
• Usage analytics (features used, screens viewed, session duration)
• Crash reports and performance data

2.5 Third-Party Services

The App relies on the following categories of providers, and shares with them only the data needed to fulfill your request:

• AI providers: large language models and embedding services that power the Assistant's reasoning and personalization.
• Google's search and maps platforms: Google Places, Google Maps, Google Hotels, Google Flights, and Google Events — for place search, map display, directions, reviews, and hotel/flight/event listings.
• Subscription & billing: Google Play Billing and RevenueCat handle purchases. We do not see or store payment card details.
• Firebase: authentication, push notification delivery, and crash reporting.

We do not use your conversations, saved places, or learned preferences to train our own AI models or any third-party general model.

• To provide and maintain the App's core functionality
• To personalize Assistant responses and recommendations
• To deliver optional notifications about places you may enjoy
• To process your subscription and in-app purchases
• To improve our services and develop new features
• To communicate with you about updates and support
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or misuse of AI features

NearBy uses your device's location to show nearby places, calculate distances, and ground the Assistant's answers in your current surroundings. Location access is optional and can be revoked at any time through your device settings. You can also manually select a search location without granting location permission.

We do not store your precise location on our servers. Location coordinates are used in real time to fetch relevant results and are discarded after the request completes. A coarse area (for example, your home city) may be saved to your profile to personalize results; this is editable from Settings.

We combine your saved places, activity in the App, and the preferences you have shared with the Assistant to recommend places you might enjoy. These recommendations are refreshed from time to time based on your activity.

If you opt in to push notifications, we may occasionally send you a notification pointing to fresh place suggestions. You can disable notifications at any time from device settings or the App's Settings screen without affecting other features.

Your data is stored on secure servers with industry-standard encryption. We use HTTPS for all data transmission and employ appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information. Passwords are never stored in plain text. Payment information is handled exclusively by Google Play and RevenueCat.

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, the associated data is removed from our active systems; routine backups are overwritten on a rolling basis.

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We share data only:

• With the service providers listed in Section 2.5, strictly to fulfill your request
• When required by law or valid legal process
• To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• With your explicit consent

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data, including any preference the Assistant has learned
• Delete individual chat threads, your full conversation history, or your entire account
• Withdraw consent for data processing
• Export your data in a portable format
• Opt out of push notifications without losing other features

To exercise any of these rights, use the in-app controls or contact us at sketchhero.team@gmail.com.

NearBy is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date, and where appropriate by an in-app notice. Your continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

• Email: sketchhero.team@gmail.com
• Website: nearbyplaces.tech