Privacy Policy

gther ("we", "us", "our") is a social activity app that helps people in Pakistan discover, join, and host real-world activities near them. This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.

It applies to the gther mobile app (iOS + Android), our partner portal at portal.gther.co, and this marketing site. If anything here isn't clear, email us at hello@gther.co.

Only what we need to run the product, all of which you provide or opt into:

• Account information — email address and name from your Google or Apple sign-in, plus the date of birth and gender you enter during onboarding. Providing a Pakistani mobile number is optional; if you enter one, we store it for account recovery.
• Why we ask for gender— gther lets activity hosts restrict their activity to a specific gender group (for example, women-only fitness classes or men-only sports). To make that filter functional, we store your declared gender and use it server-side to determine which restricted activities you are eligible to join. Selecting "Prefer not to say" is supported; you can still browse and join all activities that are not gender-restricted. Your gender is not shown publicly on your profile and is never used for advertising or profiling.
• Profile — optional bio, avatar photo, interests, and profile gallery photos you choose to upload.
• Location— the city and area on your profile (used to show activities near you). Precise device location is only read when you tap "use current location" while creating an activity or when the app auto-detects a city change on open. We do not track your location in the background.
• Content you create — activities you host, group chat messages, direct messages with friends, photos and location pins you share in chat, RSVP responses, and poll votes.
• Social graph — the friends you add, join requests you send or receive, and blocks or reports you file.
• Device information — device push token (Apple APNs / Google FCM via Expo), device type, OS version, and app version, used to deliver notifications and diagnose crashes.
• Usage information — anonymous product analytics (screens visited, features used) so we can understand what works and what needs improvement. We do not use any advertising SDKs.

• Show you activities near you and let you join or host them.
• Deliver group chat and direct messages, RSVP updates, and notifications about activities you have joined or hosted.
• Verify your account via Google Sign-In or Apple Sign-In.
• Enforce host-configured gender restrictions on activities (women-only, men-only, or open) using your declared gender. Users who select "Prefer not to say" are not shown gender-restricted activities.
• Recommend activities that match your stated interests and city.
• Enforce our Community Guidelines: detect spam, abuse, and safety violations.
• Respond to your support questions and account requests.
• Understand aggregate usage to improve the product. We do not sell your personal data to advertisers or data brokers.

We share only the minimum needed to run the app:

• With other users you interact with — your display name, avatar, city/area, bio, interests, and public activity history are visible to other users so they can decide whether to join or invite you. Your phone number, date of birth, and precise location are never shown to other users.
• Service providers we rely on, each of whom processes data only to provide their service to us:
  • Google Firebase — authentication (Google + Apple Sign-In), file storage for photos, and push notifications.
  • Google Cloud (Maps + Places) — map rendering and place search when you set a location.
  • Meta (WhatsApp Business Platform) — sending one-time verification codes when the phone-auth path is enabled (planned in a future version of the app).
  • DigitalOcean — the servers that host our API, database, and uploaded media.
  • Zoho Mail — transactional email delivery (verification, account changes, partner communications).
  • Expo Application Services (EAS) — mobile build and over-the-air update delivery.
• Business partners on sponsored activities— if you interact with a "Sponsored" activity (join its chat, tap its CTA), the business partner behind that activity sees the same in-chat identity other users see. They do not receive your phone number, email, or precise location.
• When required by law — if we receive a valid legal request from Pakistani or other competent authorities.
• Never with advertisers or data brokers.

We keep your account and its associated content while your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove your profile and personal data within 30 days, with these narrow exceptions:

• Messages you sent in group chats or direct messages are retained but shown as coming from a "deleted user" — so conversations others took part in remain readable.
• Reports of abuse and safety violations are retained for as long as we need them to enforce our Community Guidelines.
• Legal, tax, and fraud-prevention records are kept as long as applicable law requires.

You can, at any time:

• Access your account information from your profile screen in the app.
• Correct or update your profile, interests, location, phone number, and preferences from Settings.
• Delete your account from the in-app Delete Account option, or by emailing hello@gther.co from the address on your account.
• Opt out of notificationsfrom your device settings or from the app's Settings screen.
• Block another user — they cannot message you, see you in nearby search, or send friend requests. Blocking is bidirectional.
• Restrict or object to certain processing— if you're in a jurisdiction that grants that right (EU/UK, US state laws with such rights), email us and we'll honour it.

We use industry-standard security: TLS (HTTPS) for all API and WebSocket traffic, encrypted database backups, role-scoped access controls limiting which team members can see what, and independent third-party providers (Firebase, DigitalOcean) for the security-critical primitives. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a unique password on your linked Google/Apple account and enable your device's biometric lock.

gther is intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child under 18 has provided us information, email hello@gther.co and we will delete it promptly.

Our servers are located in the United States and Europe (via DigitalOcean and Google Cloud). If you are outside those regions, your data will be transferred to and processed there. By using gther, you consent to this transfer.

If we materially change what we collect or how we use it, we will notify you in-app and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated policy.

Privacy questions, deletion requests, or complaints: hello@gther.co

gther · Lahore, Pakistan