Privacy Policy – Hikely

Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 19, 2026

Beta Notice: Hikely is currently in beta and free for all testers. Upon public release, Hikely will become a paid application. Beta testers will be notified in advance of any pricing changes. Your data and account will remain intact regardless of your decision to continue after the beta period.

1. Introduction

Welcome to Hikely ("we," "our," or "us"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and website (collectively, the "Service"). Please read this policy carefully. If you disagree with its terms, please discontinue use of our Service.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

  • Account Information: Your name, email address, username, and profile photo when you register.
  • Location Data: Precise GPS location data during active hike recording sessions and live group hiking sessions. Location is only collected while the app is in use and an active session is running.
  • Health & Fitness Data: Trail distance, elevation gain, duration, pace, and route data generated during hike recordings.
  • User Content: Photos, videos, captions, comments, and other content you choose to post or share as stories.
  • Usage Data: Information about how you interact with the app (screens visited, features used, session duration).
  • Device Information: Device type, operating system version, and app version for diagnostic purposes.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information solely to operate and improve the Service:

  • To provide core app functionality — recording hikes, displaying maps, and showing your feed.
  • To authenticate your account and keep it secure.
  • To display your profile and content to other users you follow or who follow you.
  • To enable group hiking features, including live location sharing within your group session.
  • To diagnose crashes and technical issues (via Sentry, described below).
  • To send you notifications about activity on your posts (likes, comments, follows).
  • To improve app performance and develop new features based on usage patterns.

We do not use your data for advertising, sell it to third parties, or share it for marketing purposes.

4. Information Sharing

We share your information only in these limited circumstances:

  • Other users: Your public profile, posts, and hike summaries are visible to other Hikely users according to your privacy settings.
  • Supabase: Our database and authentication provider. Data is stored securely on Supabase-managed infrastructure.
  • Mapbox: Our maps provider. Location data is passed to Mapbox solely to render trail maps within the app. Mapbox does not use this data for profiling or advertising.
  • Sentry: Crash reporting service that may receive your username and device information when the app encounters an error, to help us diagnose and fix bugs.
  • Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our users.

5. Location Data

Location access is required only during active hike recording or a group hiking session. We do not collect background location data when you are not actively in one of these sessions.

During a group hiking session, your live location is shared with other members of that specific group only. You can stop sharing at any time by tapping "Stop Sharing Location" in the group chat. Once you stop sharing or the session ends, your location is no longer transmitted to other group members.

Location data from a recorded hike is stored as part of your trail record and, if you choose to share the hike publicly, may be visible to other users. You can revoke location permissions at any time in your device settings, though this will prevent the recording feature from working.

6. Data Retention

We retain your account and hike data for as long as your account is active. Stories are automatically deleted 24 hours after posting. If you delete your account, your personal information and content will be permanently removed from our systems within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

7. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including encrypted data transmission (TLS), hashed passwords, and row-level security on our database. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Beta Program & Paid Access

Hikely is currently available free of charge to beta testers. By participating in the beta, you acknowledge the following:

  • The app is provided free during the beta testing period.
  • Upon public release, Hikely will transition to a paid application on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
  • Beta testers will receive advance notice of the transition to paid access.
  • Your account, hike history, posts, and data will be preserved regardless of your decision to purchase or continue after the beta period ends.
  • We do not collect any payment information during the beta — all purchases after launch are handled entirely by Google Play or the Apple App Store.
  • Refunds for purchases made after launch are governed by the respective store's refund policy.

9. Children's Privacy

Hikely is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Request correction of inaccurate data.
  • Request deletion of your account and associated data.
  • Object to or restrict certain processing of your data.
  • Request a copy of your data in a portable format.
  • Withdraw consent for location access at any time through your device settings.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@hikersandtrails.com.

11. Third-Party Services

The app uses the following third-party services, each governed by their own privacy policies:

  • Mapbox — map rendering and trail display.
  • Supabase — database, authentication, and file storage.
  • Sentry — anonymised crash and error reporting.
  • Expo / EAS — app delivery and over-the-air updates.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting a notice in the app or by email. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us: