Privacy Policy for License Plate Spotter

Last updated: September 26, 2026

Introduction

License Plate Spotter ("we," "our," or "the app") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application.

Information We Collect

Location Data

We collect precise GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) when you:

Log a found license plate by tapping "Found it!"
Save a future find for later
View the map to calculate distances to saved locations

If you turn on Location Notifications (optional, off until you enable it), the app also uses your location in the background to notice when you are near a saved find for the number you're looking for, and shows you a notification. This check happens entirely on your device: background location is never recorded, stored, or sent anywhere.

Why we collect location data: Location data is a core feature of the app, allowing you to:

Remember where you found each license plate
Navigate back to saved license plate locations
View your finds on an interactive map
See distance calculations to saved finds

User Content

We store the following data locally on your device:

License plate numbers you've found (000-999)
Notes you add to saved future finds (optional)
Timestamps of when you found each number
Game progress and statistics

How We Use Your Data

Your game data (found numbers, saved finds, notes, locations and statistics) is:

Stored locally on your device in a SQLite database
Kept on your device unless you sign in or opt in to one of the optional features below
Fully controlled by you at all times

We do not:

Sell your data
Show ads, or share your data with advertisers or data brokers
Track your behavior across other apps or websites

The exceptions are the optional features and service providers described below: cloud backup and global sharing (only if you sign in and opt in), purchases, notifications, Strava, and anonymous usage analytics.

Optional features that DO send data off your device

The app works completely offline, and everything below is off by default and requires you to sign in and opt in:

Cloud Backup — if you sign in (with Apple, Google, or an email link), a copy of your game data (found numbers, saved finds, and their GPS coordinates) is stored in Google Firebase so you can restore it on another device. Only you can read it.
Global Leaderboard — if you opt in, a small public record is published containing the display name you choose, your current target number, your total finds, and how many days you've been playing. Your email address is never published. Other players can search for you by display name.
Player Card and activity feed — while you share globally, each new find is published as a public event with your display name, the plate number, and the time you found it. These events power the recent-activity feed and the "recent finds" on your Player Card, which other players can open. Find events never include a location. They expire automatically 60 days after the find.
Global Map — if you opt in, the locations of plates you've found and saved are published as public map pins. Other players can see and navigate to these locations. Pins are anonymous: they carry only the plate number and the coordinates. Your display name is not attached to them, and the notes you write on saved finds are never published — they stay on your device.
Favorites (Supporter feature) — the players you star are stored on your device and, if you're signed in, in your private cloud account so they follow you to a new device. Your favorites list is private: the players you favorite are not told, and nobody else can see it.
Favorite-find notifications (Supporter feature) — if you turn these on, the app stores your device's push notification token and your notification setting in your private cloud account. When a player you favorited finds a number, our server sends you a notification (for example, "Leah found #347") through Expo's push notification service, which delivers it via Apple Push Notification service or Firebase Cloud Messaging. Turning notifications off, or deleting your account, removes the token.

Please think about this before opting in. Plates are spotted on public streets, but a pin logged outside your home reveals where you live, even without your name on it. Opting in publishes your leaderboard entry and your map pins together. You can leave at any time, which removes your public data immediately.

Data Storage and Security

All game data is stored in a local SQLite database on your device
Location data is stored only for the specific moments when you log a find or save a future find
If you sign in, a copy is also stored in Google Firebase, readable only by your account
If you opt in to global sharing, the data described above becomes publicly readable
Uninstalling the app removes the local copy; cloud data is removed by deleting your account

Third-Party Services

Google Firebase (only if you sign in)

Sign-in, cloud backup, and global sharing are provided by Google Firebase (Authentication and Cloud Firestore). If you sign in, Firebase stores your account identifier and email address. If you use Sign in with Apple and choose "Hide My Email", Apple gives us a private forwarding address instead of your real one.

For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy and Firebase's data handling documentation.

RevenueCat (purchases)

Supporter purchases (the yearly subscription and the lifetime unlock) are processed by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play). We never see your payment details. We use RevenueCat to check whether you have an active purchase. RevenueCat receives your purchase and subscription history from the store, together with an app user identifier: a random anonymous ID, or, if you're signed in, your account's user ID so a purchase can follow you to another device. RevenueCat does not receive your name or email address.

For more information, see RevenueCat's Privacy Policy.

Expo push notifications (only if you turn on notifications)

Favorite-find notifications are delivered through Expo's push notification service, which receives your device's push token and the notification text.

For more information, see Expo's Privacy Policy.

TelemetryDeck (anonymous usage analytics)

The app sends anonymous usage signals to TelemetryDeck, a privacy-focused analytics service, so we can see which features are used and fix problems. A signal records an event (for example, "app launched" or "What's New dismissed"), coarse app state (such as a progress range, and whether sign-in, global sharing or Strava are turned on), and device facts (platform, OS version, device model, app version). It is tied to a random ID created on install, which is hashed before it is sent. Signals never include your name, email, account ID, display name, plate numbers you've logged, or any location, and TelemetryDeck does not store IP addresses. This analytics data is not linked to you and is not used to track you.

For more information, see TelemetryDeck's Privacy Policy.

Strava (only if you connect it)

If you connect your Strava account, the app signs in to Strava directly and reads your recent activities so it can show which run or ride you were on when you spotted a plate. Your Strava sign-in tokens are stored in your device's secure storage, and the activity details are cached only on your device. Nothing is sent to Strava except those requests, and your Strava data is never sent to our servers. Disconnecting Strava in Settings deletes the tokens and the cached activities.

For more information, see Strava's Privacy Policy.

Google Maps

The app uses Google Maps to display your found locations on an interactive map. When you view the map:

Google Maps may collect analytics and usage data according to Google's Privacy Policy
No personal information is shared with Google beyond what's necessary to display the map
Location data shown on the map is read from your local database only

For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

Your Data Rights

You have complete control over your data:

Export Your Data

Go to Settings > Export Data
Save a JSON backup file of all your game data
Share or store the backup file anywhere you choose

Delete Your Data

Go to Settings > Reset Game to permanently delete all game data on this device
Uninstall the app to remove the local copy from your device
If you signed in, go to Settings > Backup and Sharing > Delete Account to permanently delete your cloud backup, your leaderboard entry, your shared map pins, your activity feed events, your favorites, your notification settings, and your sign-in account. This does not affect the game on your device.
Deleted data cannot be recovered

Leave Global Sharing

Go to Settings and turn off "Share to Global Leaderboard"
Your leaderboard entry and any shared map pins are deleted immediately
Find events you already published remain in the activity feed until they expire (60 days after the find), or until you delete your account
You can rejoin later at any time

Report or Block Other Players

Open a player's Player Card (tap their leaderboard row, feed row, or search result) to report their display name or block them. Blocking hides them from your leaderboard, feed and map; your block list stays on your device
Map pins carry no name and no text, so there is nothing on a pin to report
We review reports within 24 hours and remove content that breaks the rules

Location Permissions

You can revoke location permissions at any time in your device Settings
The app asks for "While Using App" permission to record finds and saved finds
"Always" (background) permission is requested only if you turn on Location Notifications, and is used only for the on-device nearby-saved-find alert
Turning Location Notifications off in Settings stops all background location use

Children's Privacy

License Plate Spotter does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The core game stores all data locally and collects no personal information.

Signing in and global sharing are optional features intended for older users: they involve an account, and global sharing publishes a display name on the leaderboard and precise locations (without that name attached) on the map. Parents should be aware of this before enabling them.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

If we make significant changes to how we handle your data, we will notify you through the app or via email.

Data Retention

Game data is retained on your device until you delete it or uninstall the app
If you signed in, your cloud backup is retained until you delete your account
If you opted in to global sharing, your leaderboard entry and map pins are retained until you opt out or delete your account; activity feed events expire 60 days after the find
Push notification tokens are retained until you turn notifications off, the token stops working, or you delete your account
Purchase records are retained by Apple or Google and RevenueCat as required to provide and verify your purchase
Exported backup files are stored only where you choose to save them
Content reports are retained for moderation purposes

International Users

License Plate Spotter is designed for use worldwide. Core game processing occurs locally on your device. If you sign in, your data is processed by Google Firebase, which may store and process it on servers outside your country. The service providers named above (RevenueCat, Expo, TelemetryDeck, Strava) may also process data outside your country.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

Email: wes@plate.net

Subject: Privacy Policy Inquiry

We will respond to privacy inquiries within 7 business days.

Your Consent

By using License Plate Spotter, you consent to this Privacy Policy and our collection and use of location data as described above.

If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the app.

Summary

In Plain English:

We only record GPS coordinates when you find or save a license plate (optional Location Notifications check your location in the background, on your device only)
Your game lives on your phone. It only goes to the cloud if you sign in, and only goes public if you opt in to global sharing
Public find events show your display name, number and time, never a location
Purchases go through Apple or Google; RevenueCat checks them, and we never see your card
Anonymous usage analytics (TelemetryDeck) help us improve the app, and are never tied to you
Strava, notifications and favorites are optional and off until you turn them on
You can export or delete your data anytime
We don't sell your data, show ads, or track you across other apps

For App Store Compliance (App Privacy label):

Data Used to Track You: None
Data Linked to You (only when you sign in or buy): Precise Location (cloud backup, map pins); Contact Info: Email Address (sign-in); User Content: display name and find events (global sharing); Identifiers: User ID (account, RevenueCat); Purchases: Purchase History (RevenueCat). Purpose: App Functionality
Data Not Linked to You: Usage Data: Product Interaction; Diagnostics: device and OS details (TelemetryDeck). Purpose: Analytics
Data Not Collected: Financial Information (payment details), Contacts, Health & Fitness (Strava data stays on device), Browsing History, Search History