Privacy Policy
Last updated: 8 November 2026
Who we are
PlayBound is a mobile app that helps parents and caregivers find kid-friendly places and events and read what other parents say about them. PlayBound ("we", "us") is a trading name of Hannah van der Deijl. Our business address is PlayBound, Prime Apartments, 483 Green Lanes, London, N13 4FG, United Kingdom.
You can contact us about privacy at support@playboundapp.com. We do not currently have a separate EU representative appointed under GDPR Article 27. We believe our processing of EEA users' data may not yet require one under the 'occasional processing' exemption, though this has not been confirmed by a lawyer and we will appoint a representative if that changes.
This policy explains what personal information PlayBound collects, why, who it is shared with, and the choices you have.
The short version
- You can browse the map as a guest. To post, save or review you need an account.
- Reviews, photos, spots and events you post are public. Your display name is shown with them unless you switch that off.
- Usage analytics are OFF until you choose to allow them, and you can change your mind any time in Profile > Privacy & Legal.
- We do not use advertising SDKs and do not track you across other companies' apps or websites.
- You can delete your account inside the app at any time.
Information you give us
- Account details: your email address and password (handled by our authentication provider; we never see your password in plain text). If you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive an account identifier and the email address that provider shares with us.
- Profile: an optional display name, whether to show it on your reviews, and optionally the age ranges of your children (choices such as "0-3" or "5-9"; we do not ask for children's names, photos or birth dates).
- Content you post: reviews (star rating, tags, tips, suggested age range, photos), spots you add (name, category, location, address, description, website, amenities), events you add, and event reviews.
- Saved spots and saved events.
- Messages you send us through "Send a Suggestion".
- Anything you email us.
Please do not put personal information about other people in reviews, tips or photos, and avoid photographing other people's children.
Photos and camera
PlayBound asks for camera or photo-library access only when you choose to add a photo. Photos you add are resized and re-encoded as JPEG on your device before upload, which removes location and other metadata embedded in the original photo file, and are stored in our storage provider. Uploaded photos are publicly viewable through their web address, like any other content you post.
Location
If you allow it, PlayBound reads your device's location while the app is in use to centre the map and show places nearby. We do not store your device location in your profile or build a location history.
To show spots, the app sends the area of the map you are looking at (a bounding box) to our database. When you search for a venue, the search text and the visible map area are sent to Google Places so it can return relevant venues. The map itself is drawn by Google Maps, which receives technical information such as your IP address when map tiles load (see "Service providers").
When you add a spot you choose its coordinates; those are stored as part of the spot.
You can turn location access off at any time in your device settings; the map still works, it just won't centre on you.
Adding events from a photo or link
When you use "fill in from a photo" or "fill in from a link" while adding an event, the photo, or the text of the web page, is sent to Google's Gemini service to extract event details, and the suggestions are returned to you to review. We do not keep the photo or the page text once the suggestions have been returned to you. Google processes the content under its own terms. We use the Gemini API on a paid (billed) tier, under which Google's terms say it does not use the content you submit or the responses it generates to improve Google's own products.
Analytics and diagnostics (only with your permission)
When you first open the app we ask whether you allow analytics. Nothing is sent to our analytics provider (PostHog) unless you choose "Share usage data". You can withdraw at any time in Profile > Privacy & Legal.
If you allow it, we collect:
- App events: app opened, installed, updated and backgrounded; which screens you open and which spots and events you view; a spot or event created, saved or reviewed (we record identifiers and counts such as rating and number of photos, not the text of your review).
- Crashes and errors, so we can fix bugs.
- Standard device and app information supplied by the analytics software, such as device model, operating system version, app version and language.
- A random device identifier, and, once you are signed in, your account ID so events can be linked to your account. We do not send your email address to analytics.
- Approximate location (city/country level, derived from your IP address by our analytics provider) - not your precise device location, which is separate and described under "Location" above.
PostHog stores this data in the EU (PostHog's EU Cloud).
Information collected automatically
Like any online service, our hosting and database provider (Supabase) and Google receive technical data when the app connects to them, such as IP address, device/app version and request timestamps, and may keep it in server logs for security and operations. On our side, Supabase currently retains these logs for up to 7 days. Google manages its own server logs under its privacy policy.
We also keep a simple record of how your account uses PlayBound: the days you used the app, when you were last active, how many times you signed in, and which sign-in method you use (email, Apple or Google). It comes from your sign-in session on our servers, not from extra data on your device, and only our admins can see it. We use it to run and improve the service, for example to count how many people use PlayBound each week and whether new members come back, and to help with support and abuse.
Early-access sign-up on our website
While PlayBound is in testing, you can ask for an early invite on our website, playboundapp.com. If you do, we store the email address you enter, whether you use an iPhone or Android, when you signed up and whether we have sent you an invite. We use this only to add you as a tester through Apple TestFlight or Google Play testing (those invites come from Apple or Google, under their own terms), and to send you one email when PlayBound launches in the app stores. We do not send other marketing emails or share the list with anyone else.
We rely on your consent, which you give by ticking the box on the form. We keep your sign-up until we have sent the launch email, and then delete the list. You can ask us to remove you sooner at any time by contacting support@playboundapp.com.
The website does not use cookies or analytics. It is hosted by Vercel, and sign-ups are stored with Neon in London, UK.
How we use information
- To provide the service: sign you in, show places and events, save your favourites, publish your reviews and photos.
- To attribute your contributions: your display name (or "A PlayBound Parent") is shown with your reviews and photos.
- To keep the community safe: automated filtering of some language, reports from users, and review by our admins. Admins can see account details (including your email address) when needed to handle abuse or support requests.
- To improve PlayBound (analytics, only with your permission, and your suggestions), including training and improving our own machine-learning and AI models on content you post (see the Terms of Service licence).
- To respond to you and to meet legal obligations.
The app does not currently send push notifications or marketing messages. If that changes we will ask for your permission first.
We do not currently sell your personal information or share it with third parties for their own advertising purposes, and PlayBound does not use advertising SDKs. We may do so in the future - for example, sharing data with advertising partners or ad networks to support running the app - in which case we will update this policy first, tell you in the app, and, where required by law (for example the EEA/UK GDPR or the CCPA), obtain your consent or give you a clear way to opt out before it applies to you.
What is public
Anyone, including people without an account, can see the spots, events, reviews, ratings and photos that users post, together with the display name you chose to show. Photo web addresses include a random account identifier. Content that has been shared, screenshotted or saved by others may remain visible elsewhere after you delete it.
Legal bases (EEA/UK)
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on: performing our contract with you (accounts, posting, saving); our legitimate interests in running, securing and improving the service, keeping the community safe, and training and improving our own machine-learning and AI models on content you post (weighed against your interests, and you can object - see "Your choices and rights"); your consent for analytics and for device permissions such as location, camera and photos (which you can withdraw at any time); and legal obligation where required.
Service providers who receive data
We use these providers to run PlayBound. Each processes data under its own terms and privacy policy.
- Supabase: database, sign-in, file storage and server functions for accounts, content and photos. Hosted in: the EU (AWS eu-west-1, Ireland).
- Google (Maps SDK, Places API, Sign-In and Gemini): draws the map, finds venues and venue details/photos, lets you sign in with Google, and reads event details you submit. Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
- Apple (Sign in with Apple): lets you sign in with your Apple ID.
- PostHog: usage analytics and crash reports, only if you allow analytics.
- Vercel and Neon: host our website and store early-access sign-ups (see "Early-access sign-up on our website").
We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect people's safety or our rights, or as part of a business transfer, in which case we will tell you.
International transfers
Our providers may process data in countries other than yours, including outside the EEA/UK. Where that happens, each provider uses recognised safeguards: Supabase, Google and Apple each rely on the UK and EU Standard Contractual Clauses for such transfers; Google also self-certifies to the UK and EU-US Data Privacy Framework, as does PostHog alongside its own Standard Contractual Clauses for its EU Cloud.
How long we keep information
- Account and profile: until you delete your account.
- Saved spots and events, suggestions and Terms-acceptance records: deleted with your account.
- Reviews, photos, spots and events you posted: kept until you delete them or, when you delete your account, kept without your name unless you choose to delete them too (see below). They remain part of the shared map because other people rely on them, under the licence in our Terms.
- App activity record (the days you used the app, and your sign-ins): 12 months, and deleted with your account.
- Moderation records: our admin activity log may keep limited account details (such as the email address of an account an admin removed) for safety and accountability, for 12 months.
- Analytics, server logs and backups: Analytics (PostHog): up to 1 year. Server logs (Supabase): up to 7 days. Backups: our database is backed up automatically once a day, and each backup is kept for 7 days, so data you delete may remain in a backup for up to 7 days before it is overwritten.
Your choices and rights
In the app (Profile tab): change or hide your display name, edit your children's age ranges, allow or withdraw analytics, and delete your account. You can edit or delete your own reviews and events. Device permissions (location, camera, photos) can be changed in your device settings.
Deleting your account removes your login, profile, saved items and suggestions. You can also choose to delete your reviews, event reviews, events and uploaded photos at the same time; otherwise they stay without your name.
Depending on where you live (for example the EEA, UK, or a US state with its own privacy law, such as California), you may have the right to access, correct, delete or export your personal information; to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (see "How we use information"); to object to or restrict certain processing; to withdraw consent; and to complain to your data protection authority or state attorney general. We do not discriminate against you for using these rights. There is no in-app data export yet: to request a copy or exercise any right not available in the app, contact support@playboundapp.com. We may need to verify it is you first.
Children
PlayBound is for parents and caregivers, not for children. You must be at least 18 to create an account. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children; the optional age ranges in your profile describe your children in general terms and are not collected from them. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact support@playboundapp.com and we will delete it.
Security
Data travels between the app and our servers over encrypted (HTTPS/TLS) connections, and our database restricts who can read or change each kind of data. No system is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a breach affecting you we will notify you as the law requires.
Changes to this policy
We will update this policy when our practices change, and will tell you in the app before material changes take effect. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.
Contact
Business address: PlayBound, Prime Apartments, 483 Green Lanes, London, N13 4FG, United Kingdom. Email: support@playboundapp.com