Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to us. This policy explains how SwipeMate collects, uses, and protects your information.
Important Notice: SwipeMate uses temporary IP-based geolocation to provide you with region-specific content. This is a one-time check that happens automatically and is immediately disabled afterwards. We never track your real-time location or store precise location data.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
SwipeMate is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and services.
By using SwipeMate, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use our services.
2. Geolocation Information
How We Handle Your Location
SwipeMate uses a one-time, temporary IP-based geolocation check to enhance your user experience. Here's exactly how it works:
📍 IP-Based Geolocation Process:
- Temporary Check: We perform a single IP-based geolocation lookup when you first open the app
- No GPS Used: We never access your device's GPS or precise location services
- Automatic Disable: The geolocation check is automatically disabled immediately after completion
- City-Level Only: We only detect your general city/country (not your exact address or coordinates)
- No Continuous Tracking: We do not track your location over time or monitor your movements
🎯 Purpose of Geolocation:
We use this information exclusively to:
- Show you movies available in your country/region
- Provide region-specific streaming service suggestions
- Display content ratings appropriate for your location
- Improve content recommendations based on regional popularity
🛡️ What We Do NOT Do:
- No Real-Time Tracking: We never track your real-time location
- No Precise Location: We don't know your exact address or coordinates
- No Background Location: The app doesn't access location in the background
- No Location History: We don't store or build a location history
- No Location Sharing: We never share your location with third parties
⚙️ Technical Implementation:
Data Retention: We store only your country and city information (e.g., "United States, California") for as long as your account is active. You can request deletion of this data at any time.
3. Information We Collect
3.1 Information You Provide Directly
- Account Information: Name, email address, profile picture (optional)
- Partner Connection: Couple pairing information and preferences
- Movie Preferences: Your swipes, likes, dislikes, and watch history
- Streaming Services: Connected accounts (Netflix, Disney+, etc.) when you choose to connect them
- Communication Data: Messages and feedback you send to us
3.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Geolocation Data: General city/country based on IP address (one-time check, automatically disabled)
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers
- Usage Data: App features used, time spent, interactions, and preferences
- Log Data: IP address, browser type, app crashes, and performance data
3.3 Information from Third Parties
When you connect third-party services (like streaming platforms), we may receive information from these services as permitted by your agreement with them.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Regional Content Delivery: Using your general location (city/country) to show regionally available movies and streaming services
- Service Provision: To provide and maintain the SwipeMate service
- Account Management: To create and manage your account and couple connection
- Matching Algorithm: To process your swipes and identify movie matches with your partner
- Personalization: To personalize your experience and provide relevant movie recommendations
- Communication: To communicate with you about service updates, features, and support
- Improvement: To improve and optimize our app's performance and user experience
- Security: To prevent fraud, abuse, and ensure security of our services
- Compliance: To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of service
Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR): We process your data based on: (1) your consent, (2) contractual necessity, (3) legitimate interests, and (4) legal compliance.
5. Data Sharing & Disclosure
5.1 With Your Partner
Your movie preferences and matches are shared with your connected partner within the app to enable the core functionality of SwipeMate. We never share your location data with your partner or any other users.
5.2 With Service Providers
We may share information with third-party service providers who assist us in:
- Cloud storage and hosting services
- Analytics and performance monitoring
- Customer support and communication tools
- Payment processing (if applicable)
All service providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the services they provide to us.
5.3 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena or similar legal process, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
5.4 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
5.5 Aggregated Data
We may share aggregated, anonymized data that does not identify any individual for analytical, research, or business purposes.
6. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:
- Encryption of data in transit using TLS/SSL
- Secure storage with access controls
- Regular security assessments and audits
- Employee training on data protection
- Incident response procedures
- Automatic disabling of geolocation after initial check
While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
7. Your Rights & Choices
7.1 Location Data Control
Our IP-based geolocation check happens automatically and is immediately disabled. If you prefer not to share even this general location information, you can:
- Use a VPN service that masks your IP location
- Contact us to manually set your preferred region
- Request deletion of stored location data at any time
7.2 Access & Correction
You can access and update your account information through the app settings at any time.
7.3 Data Deletion
You may request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us at info@swipemate.co.uk. We will process your request within 30 days.
7.4 Marketing Communications
You can opt-out of promotional emails by following the unsubscribe instructions in those emails. You may still receive transactional emails related to your account.
7.5 GDPR Rights (EU Users)
If you are in the European Economic Area, you have additional rights including:
- Right to access your personal data
- Right to rectification of inaccurate data
- Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
- Right to restrict processing
- Right to data portability
- Right to object to processing
To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 11.
7.6 CCPA Rights (California Users)
California residents have the right to:
- Know what personal information is collected
- Request deletion of personal information
- Opt-out of the sale of personal information
- Non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights
Important: We do not sell your personal information to third parties, including your location data.
8. Children's Privacy
SwipeMate is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from children without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information from our servers.
9. International Data Transfers
Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from your country.
When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, to protect your information.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Dec 12, 2025" date.
For material changes, we will provide more prominent notice, such as through in-app notifications or email.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.