Privacy Policy for HiQ Mobile Application

Effective Date: June 5, 2026

At HiQ, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal data we collect from you. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application (“HiQ” or the “App”).

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the App.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect via the App depends on whether you use the App as a Guest or sign in via Google/Facebook.

Personal Data

• Profile Information: When you create an account or edit your profile, we collect your display name, region, hiking skill level (e.g., Beginner, Easy, Moderate, Hard), and profile picture.
• Social Sign-In Data: If you sign in using Google or Facebook, we receive authentication tokens, identifiers, and public profile details (such as your name and email address) from those providers.

Community & Activity Data

• Group and Event Coordination: We store the hiking groups you join/create, event invitations, RSVPs, hike checklist choices, trail ratings, trail comments, and photos you upload.
• Group Chat Messages: We collect and store chat messages sent within your hiking groups to enable real-time messaging services.
• Safety Reports: If you report content or users, or are reported, we collect details of the incident, including the reported username and description of the behavior.

Location Data

• Nearby Hikes Discovery: To find hikes near you, the App uses your device’s general location (latitude and longitude) to query nearby coordinates. You can control location sharing via your device’s system settings.

2. Use of Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create, maintain, and manage your hiker profile.
• Facilitate hiking groups, chats, event RSVP lists, and checklists.
• Show relevant hiking trails, routes, and map pins near your location.
• Deliver advertisements in the Free tier of the App.
• Process premium subscription status (e.g., removing advertisements).
• Moderate community content, handle safety reports, and enforce user blocks.
• Fulfill legal requirements and maintain security.

3. Sharing Your Information

We may share information we have collected about you in certain situations:

• With Other Hikers (Publicly): Your hiker profile (display name, region, hiking level, profile picture), groups joined, and comments/reviews are visible to other members of the community.
• Third-Party Services:
  • Firebase (Google): We use Firebase Authentication to log you in, Cloud Firestore to sync and store your real-time database inputs, and Firebase Storage to host photos.
  • Google AdMob: Used to serve advertisements in the Free version of the App. AdMob may collect device advertising IDs for personalized ads.
  • Map Services (MapLibre/OpenStreetMap/Valhalla): Used to render maps, calculate routes, and show elevation profiles. These services receive coordinate requests.
  • App Stores: For subscription billing management.

4. Your Rights and Choices

We believe in giving you full control over your data:

• Update Profile: You can edit your display name, region, hiking level, and profile picture directly from the Profile screen.
• Block & Report: You can block users whose behavior is disruptive, and report unsafe content.
• Data Export: You can request a copy of the data associated with your account from the Settings screen.
• Account Deletion: You can request the deletion of your account and all associated personal data from the Settings screen. This request deletes your Firebase authentication record and associated database profiles.