Keets — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 19 August 2026

Keets is a location-based exploration app that reveals the map as you move through the real world. Privacy is a core design principle. Raw GPS coordinates and precise movement traces are processed on your device and are never uploaded. In guest mode your explored map also stays entirely on your device. If you sign in with Apple or Google, your explored map and your quests are synced to your account so your progress survives across devices; your raw GPS tracks and routes are still never uploaded.

1. What Keets does

Keets uses your device location to work out which map grid cells you have explored — while the app is open, and, if you grant background permission, while it is in the background.

• Raw GPS coordinates are used on-device to compute explored cells and are never uploaded.
• Explored cells and fog state are stored locally on your device.
• In guest mode, nothing about your explored map leaves your device.
• If you are signed in, your explored cells and quests are synced to your account.

The synced grid uses cells of roughly 100 metres. Google Play classifies that as precise location, because a 100 m cell is far finer than Play's 3 km² threshold — so Keets declares precise location in its Data safety disclosure, even though your exact coordinates never leave the device.

2. Data stored on your device

• Precise location readings used to compute explored cells in real time.
• Explored grid cells and fog progress.
• Quests you create or pin.
• App settings and tracking preferences.
• Authentication tokens, held in the device keychain or keystore if you sign in.

3. Data sent to Keets

Keets works in guest mode without an account. If you do not sign in, Keets does not send your location or explored map to our backend.

If you sign in with Apple or Google we may process and store:

• A pseudonymous Apple or Google account identifier.
• An optional display name, if your provider supplies one.
• Account metadata: creation time, last seen, invite status, account status.
• Invite code data if you view or redeem codes.
• Your explored-cell map (roughly 100 m cells), so progress restores across devices.
• Quests you have created or pinned.

Keets also collects first-party usage analytics on its own servers — not third-party trackers. These are product-interaction events: creating or pinning a quest, generating or sharing an invite code, signing in, and the duration of tracking sessions and of background time while tracking is on. Each event may include your platform (iOS or Android) and is linked to your pseudonymous account when signed in, or to a device identifier otherwise. Analytics events never contain your location — only which features were used and for how long. This data is never sold.

Keets does not store on its backend: raw GPS coordinates, continuous movement history or precise route traces, or any location inside analytics events.

4. Optional sign-in

Sign-in is optional; Keets supports Apple and Google. Apple may provide an identity token and, depending on the flow, a name and email. Keets uses the token for verification and stores a pseudonymous account ID; it does not store your email address. A display name, if provided, is stored as account metadata. Google sign-in works the same way.

5. How location data is used

• Clearing fog as you move.
• Recording explored cells locally.
• Syncing explored cells and quests to your account when signed in.
• Background tracking when you enable it.
• Centring or following your position on the map.

Keets does not sell location data and does not build server-side movement profiles. Pausing recording stops all location use.

6. Background location

Background permission lets the app keep clearing fog while you walk or cycle with the app in the background. It is optional: without it Keets still works, but only while it is open on screen. Keets asks for the background upgrade at most once per install; you can change it any time in your device settings. On iOS, background behaviour is also subject to Apple's system-level lifecycle rules.

7. Third-party services and network requests

Core exploration data stays on-device, but some features rely on third-party infrastructure. These services may receive technical request data such as your IP address, request headers, or the query you submit.

• Map rendering — OpenFreeMap and OpenStreetMap-derived tiles (tiles.openfreemap.org, tile.openstreetmap.org) and CDN-hosted MapLibre assets (unpkg.com).
• Place search — Nominatim (nominatim.openstreetmap.org) when you search for a place.
• Quest boundaries — Overpass API mirrors (overpass-api.de, overpass.kumi.systems, overpass.private.coffee) when you generate a quest boundary.
• Authentication — Apple or Google, under their own privacy terms.
• App delivery — Expo Updates and platform services, which process technical data needed to deliver the app and its updates.
• Hosting — Railway, which stores the account and progress data above on our behalf.

8. How we use data

To operate the app and its exploration features; to authenticate optional accounts; to provide invite-code features; to serve the place search and boundary lookups you ask for; to measure feature usage through first-party analytics; and to maintain security and reliability. Never for advertising profiles — there are no ads and no advertising SDKs.

9. Data sharing

Keets does not share your raw GPS history or explored-cell map with advertisers or data brokers, and does not sell your data. Limited data reaches service providers only where a feature requires it, as listed in section 7. Keets may disclose information if required by law or to protect the security of the service.

10. Data retention

On your device: exploration data stays until you delete it, reset the app, or remove the app.

In your account: pseudonymous account data, invite status, your synced explored-cell grid and quests, and usage-analytics events are retained until you delete your account or they are no longer needed. Keets retains no server-side raw GPS history or route traces.

11. Deletion and access

In guest mode, deleting the app removes local data from your device.

With an account, Keets supports export (Settings) and deletion — in the app under Settings → Delete Account, or by email if you no longer have the app installed. See the account deletion page for the full procedure, and for exactly what is removed and what is retained.

What deletion does not remove: anonymous usage events and the device admission record survive account deletion. After deletion they reference an internal identifier that no longer resolves to any account, and they contain no name, sign-in identifier or location.

12. Children

Keets is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children in violation of applicable law.

13. International processing

Depending on the feature you use, requests may be processed by providers or infrastructure outside your country of residence, under their own terms.

14. Changes to this policy

If Keets changes its privacy practices materially, this policy is updated with a new date above.

15. Contact

Privacy questions, data access and deletion requests: jim@kuhn-systems.com