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Crawl for iPhone

Privacy Policy

App
Crawl
Last updated
September 28, 2026

Crawl is a location game, so it has to know where you are when you check in. This policy explains what Crawl collects, why, who else handles it, what other players can see, and how to delete it. It takes effect on September 28, 2026.

The short version

  • Crawl uses your precise location to confirm you are inside a bar. Other players never see your exact location.
  • Other players see counts, such as how many people are inside a bar. The only name shown on a bar is the player who holds it, and you can hide yours.
  • Crawl has no ads, does not sell your personal information, and does not track you across other companies' apps or websites.
  • You can delete your account in the app at any time from Settings.

Who we are

Crawl is offered by JPM Inc. ("we" or "us"). Questions about this policy can be sent to james@jamesmckinney.xyz.

What we collect

Your account

You sign in with Apple. Apple gives us a unique identifier for your account. If you choose to share an email address, Apple gives us that too. It may be a private relay address that Apple forwards to you. We never receive your Apple password.

Your profile and settings

We store the username you choose, your color, an optional bio, the kinds of nights you picked during setup, your time zone, and your settings: privacy choices, sticker drop and notification preferences, and your preferred ride app.

Your location

Crawl uses your device's precise location in two situations:

  • While you use the app, to show bars near you, check that you are inside a bar when you check in, and work out walking routes.
  • In the background, only while you are checked in at a bar. If you allow it, Crawl keeps confirming about once a minute that you are still there, even with your phone locked, so you keep control of the bar. This stops when you leave or your check-in ends. Crawl does not track you between nights.

With each check-in we save the location where you checked in and the most recent location used to confirm you were still there. We use these to run the game, keep points fair, and catch location spoofing. When you view a bar, the app may also send your current position so we can decide whether you are close enough to see the holder's live status (see below). That position is used for the request and is not saved.

Your exact location is never shown to other players. You can turn location access off at any time in the iPhone Settings app, but you will not be able to check in without it.

Your game activity

We keep a record of your check-ins and claims: which bar, when you arrived and left, whether you took the bar from someone, and the points you earned. We also keep bars you save, your place in line at a bar, and your standings on leaderboards.

Friends and crews

We store your friend requests, your friends, the crew you belong to, and crew invites you send or receive.

Reports, blocks, and mutes

If you report someone, we store the report: who you reported, what it was about, the reason you picked, and any note you add. We also store the accounts you block or mute.

Notifications

If you allow notifications, we store your device's push token so we can send alerts through Apple's push service, such as when someone takes your bar or it is your turn in line.

Purchases

Crawl Pro is sold through the App Store. Apple processes your payment; we never see your card details. We use RevenueCat to check whether your subscription is active. RevenueCat receives your Crawl account ID and your purchase and subscription history from Apple, along with basic app and device information.

Product analytics

We use PostHog to understand how Crawl is used. The app sends a short list of events, such as opening the app, finishing setup, viewing the subscription screen, starting or completing a purchase, confirming a check-in (with the bar's ID and the points earned), opening a leaderboard, and adding friends or joining a crew. Events are tied to your Crawl account ID, a random identifier. They do not include your name, username, email, or location coordinates. There is no automatic tap tracking, no session or screen recording, and no advertising identifier. Like any web service, PostHog also receives your IP address with each event and may use it to estimate a general location, such as your city.

Photos

Crawl does not use your camera or read your photo library. If you choose to save an image, such as your end-of-night receipt, the app asks for permission to add it to Photos. It cannot see anything else in your library.

How we use it

  • to run the game: check-ins, control of bars, lines, points, and leaderboards;
  • to keep the game fair and stop cheating, such as faked locations;
  • to show you friends, crews, and notifications you turned on;
  • to provide Crawl Pro and restore your purchases;
  • to handle reports and keep players safe;
  • to fix bugs and decide what to improve; and
  • to answer you when you contact us.

What other players can see

  • Your profile: your username, color, and bio. Other players can find you by searching for your username.
  • Bars: the number of people inside, never a list of who. The player who holds a bar is shown by username and color. Players within about a mile of the bar can also see whether the holder is inside right now or when they left. Everyone else sees only who holds it.
  • Leaderboards: your username and points. Crew leaderboards show your crew's name and points.
  • Steals: when you take a bar, the player who held it is told who took it. Players nearby may see when it happened.
  • Bar history: your history at a bar can show players who were checked in there at the same time as you, and theirs can show you.
  • Friends: your friends can see which bar you are at while you are checked in, if you allow it.

You control these in Settings:

  • Show my name on bars I hold. Turn it off and you appear as "a player" on bars, leaderboards, steals, and other players' history.
  • Low-key tonight. Hides your name the same way until the next day, while you keep playing. Your color still appears on bars you hold.
  • Friends see which bar I'm at. On by default. Turn it off to keep your current bar from friends.
  • Who can see my profile. Everyone, or Friends. With Friends, other players see a limited profile without your stats, bio, or crew.
  • Sticker drops. Choose who can send you sticker drops: Everyone, Friends, or Off. New accounts start at Friends.

If you block someone, they cannot see your name, send you a friend request, or invite you to a crew, and you will not see theirs.

Services we use

These companies process data for us to run Crawl. Each handles it under its own privacy policy.

  • Supabase hosts our database, sign-in, and server code in the United States. Everything described above is stored there. Supabase Privacy Policy
  • Mapbox provides the map, bar search, and walking directions. To do that, the app sends Mapbox location coordinates along with each map, search, or directions request. Mapbox's map software may also collect device and usage information under Mapbox's own policy. Mapbox Privacy Policy
  • Apple provides Sign in with Apple, push notifications, and App Store payments. Apple Privacy Policy
  • RevenueCat manages subscription status. RevenueCat Privacy Policy
  • PostHog receives the product analytics events described above, on servers in the United States. PostHog Privacy Policy

If you pick a ride app, Ride home opens Uber or Lyft. Crawl does not send them your data; what you do in their app is covered by their policies.

We may also share information if the law requires it, to protect someone's safety, or as part of a sale or merger of the business, in which case this policy would continue to apply to it.

How long we keep it

We keep your account information, including your check-in history and the locations saved with it, for as long as your account exists. Anti-spam counters are deleted within about a day. When you delete your account, we delete this information as described below. Copies in routine database backups may remain for a limited time until the backups are replaced.

Deleting your account

In Crawl, open Settings and choose Delete account. Apple will ask you to confirm it's you. When you confirm:

  • your profile (username, color, and bio), settings, check-ins, claims, points, location records, saved bars, friends, friend requests, crew invites, blocks, mutes, and push tokens are deleted;
  • you leave your crew, and if you lead it, the next member takes over;
  • bars you hold go back up for grabs;
  • your account is removed from other players' steal alerts; and
  • we ask Apple to end Crawl's Sign in with Apple access.

Reports you sent are kept so we can act on them, with your identity removed. Deleting your account does not cancel Crawl Pro, since Apple bills it: cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Apple and RevenueCat keep their own purchase records. Analytics events already sent to PostHog stay tied only to a random ID that no longer links to an account. To ask us to delete those too, email us.

Your choices and rights

You can change your privacy settings in Crawl, and location and notification access in the iPhone Settings app. Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or get a copy of your personal information, or to object to how we use it. To make a request, email james@jamesmckinney.xyz from the address on your account or include your username. We will respond within the time the law requires and will not treat you differently for asking.

Age requirement

Crawl is only for people 21 and older, and setup asks you to confirm your age. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 21. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 21, we will delete it. You can report an underage account in the app.

Security

Data travels over encrypted connections. Access to it is limited, and players can only read what the game is meant to show them. No system is perfectly secure, so we cannot promise that information will never be accessed without permission.

Where data is processed

We are based in the United States, and Crawl's data is processed in the United States. If you use Crawl from somewhere else, your information will be transferred there.

This website

This policy is hosted on jamesmckinney.xyz. The website may use Google Analytics to collect basic browser, device, and visit information. Google explains how it handles that information in its Privacy Policy. If you email us, we receive your email address, your message, and anything you attach, and use them to reply.

Changes to this policy

If Crawl's data practices change, we will update this page and the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will also tell you in the app before it takes effect.

Contact

JPM Inc.
james@jamesmckinney.xyz