Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

Nearby ("we", "our", "the app") is a mobile audio guide application. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information.

Information We Collect

Location Data: When you grant permission, the app accesses your device's GPS to show your position on the map and to send proximity notifications about nearby landmarks. Location data is processed locally on your device and is not transmitted to our servers.

Usage Data: We store your listening statistics (number of guides played, minutes listened), purchased cities, and offline download status locally on your device. This data never leaves your device.

Anonymous Interaction Data: If you choose to enable anonymous usage statistics in the app settings, the following data is collected and sent to our servers:

• Which locations you visited or skipped
• Community tags you selected for locations (e.g. "Amazing Architecture", "Great Story")
• Audio listening duration per location
• Whether you listened to the full guide
• Your app language preference

This data is associated with a randomly generated anonymous identifier — not with your name, device ID, or any personal information. You can disable this at any time in the app's profile settings. When disabled, no interaction data is sent to our servers.

No Account Required: The app does not require registration or login. We do not collect your name, email address, phone number, or any other personal identifiers.

How We Use Information

• To display your position on the city map
• To send proximity notifications when you are near a landmark (if enabled)
• To track your listening progress locally on your device
• To generate audio content in your preferred language
• To improve our recommendations and content quality using anonymized community feedback

Content Sources

The audio guides in Nearby are AI generated using information from the following open and public domain sources:

• Wikidata — structured factual data (Creative Commons CC0)
• Wikipedia — encyclopedic articles (Creative Commons CC BY-SA)
• Project Gutenberg — historical travel literature (Public Domain)
• Europeana — European cultural heritage archives (various open licenses)

Location photographs are sourced from Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons licenses) and attributed in the app Unsplash and Pixabay (free-to-use licenses).

Data Storage

User preferences, listening statistics, and offline content are stored locally on your device. Anonymous interaction data (if enabled) is stored on our servers with no link to your identity. We do not maintain user profiles or databases of personal information.

Location Permissions

The app requests two types of location permissions:

• Foreground location: Used to show your position on the map while the app is open.
• Background location: Used to send proximity notifications when you are near a landmark, even when the app is in the background. This feature is optional and can be disabled in the app's profile settings.

Your Choices

• You can disable anonymous usage statistics at any time in the profile settings
• You can disable proximity notifications in the profile settings
• You can revoke location permissions through your device's system settings
• You can delete all local data by clearing the app's cache or uninstalling the app

Children's Privacy

The app is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

Data Retention

Local data is stored on your device until you clear it or uninstall the app. Anonymous interaction data on our servers is retained for service improvement purposes and cannot be linked back to individual users.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at nearbycityguide@gmail.com.