Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 4, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how WayForge collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects information when you use the WayForge mobile app, website, in-car surfaces, and related services.

Who We Are

WayForge is the controller or operator of the personal data described in this policy, except where another service provider acts as an independent controller for its own services, such as an app store or payment platform. For privacy questions, contact hello@wayforge.co.uk.

Information We Collect

• Account information from Google Sign-In, such as name, email address, and user ID.
• Profile details you add, such as display name, avatar, garage vehicles, and preferences.
• Routes, waypoints, places, schedules, events, groups, notices, comments, likes, chat messages, photos, and other content you create or upload.
• Ride and guidance data, including live ride state, location samples, route progress, road alerts, speed, distance, trip statistics, participant status, and journey summaries.
• Voice notes, images, and other media you choose to record, send, or upload.
• Billing and purchase records needed to manage tracked-mile balances, top-ups, pending purchases, and purchase validation. We do not receive or store full payment-card details.
• Technical, device, diagnostics, crash, security, log, and usage data needed to operate, troubleshoot, secure, and improve the service.
• Website information such as pages visited, theme preferences, authentication state, and basic server logs.

How We Use Data

• To provide core app functionality, including route planning, guidance, live rides, groups, events, profiles, media, and billing.
• To maintain account access and sync your data across devices.
• To show your chosen content to friends, groups, or public viewers according to your privacy settings.
• To calculate ride statistics, journey summaries, garage usage, billing balances, and route previews.
• To send ride invites, lobby updates, notifications, and other service messages you enable.
• To improve reliability, security, and performance.
• To prevent abuse, enforce safety and security rules, debug issues, and comply with legal obligations.

Legal Bases for UK and EEA Users

Where UK or EEA data protection law applies, we rely on the following legal bases:

• Contract: to create and manage your account and provide the app features you request.
• Consent: for optional device permissions such as location, microphone, photos, and notifications where consent is required.
• Legitimate interests: to secure the service, prevent abuse, understand reliability, improve performance, and support users.
• Legal obligation: where we must keep records or respond to lawful requests.

Location, Ride Tracking, and Permissions

WayForge uses location data when you enable features such as route guidance, free-ride tracking, live ride lobbies, journey summaries, road alerts, and in-car surfaces. Microphone access is used only for voice-message features you choose to use. Photo or media access is used when you choose images to upload. Notification permission is used for ride invites, lobby updates, and important service updates.

Some ride features may use precise location or background location while a ride, lobby, guidance session, or in-car surface is active. You can control device permissions through your operating system settings, but disabling permissions may prevent related features from working.

Visibility and Sharing Inside WayForge

Some information is private to you by default. Other information may be visible to friends, group members, ride participants, invite-link recipients, or public viewers depending on your settings and the action you take. For example, shared routes, public journeys, profile details, group content, event content, chat messages, comments, likes, rider positions in live rides, and uploaded media may be shown to other users. Review visibility controls before sharing sensitive routes, locations, photos, or trip details.

Service Providers and Data Sharing

We do not sell personal data. We also do not use personal data for third-party targeted advertising. We may share or process data with service providers that help operate WayForge, including providers for authentication, cloud hosting, databases, storage, notifications, crash reporting, analytics or diagnostics, maps, geocoding, routing, app distribution, payments, and app-store purchase validation.

These providers may include Google Firebase and Google Cloud services, Google Sign-In, Mapbox services, Apple App Store services, Google Play services, and other infrastructure providers used to deliver the service. Providers process data under their own terms and privacy commitments where applicable.

We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect the rights and safety of users or the service, to investigate fraud or abuse, or as part of a business transfer such as a merger, acquisition, or asset sale.

Data Retention

We retain data only as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer period is required for legal, tax, accounting, fraud prevention, dispute, or security reasons.

• Account, profile, routes, groups, events, schedules, journeys, media, and preferences are generally kept while your account is active or until you delete them.
• Live ride and location data is used to operate active ride features and may also be saved into journey summaries, route previews, statistics, billing records, or safety/debug logs where needed.
• Billing, purchase, and ledger records may be retained for accounting, fraud prevention, dispute handling, and legal compliance.
• Diagnostics, crash logs, security logs, and server logs are retained for limited operational periods unless needed longer to investigate issues or protect the service.
• Backups and cached copies may persist for a limited time after deletion before being overwritten or removed.

You can request deletion of your account and associated data at: /home/account-deletion.html.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures, including encryption in transit, access controls, Firebase security rules, account authentication, and operational monitoring, to protect data. No online service can guarantee absolute security.

Your Choices

• You can adjust in-app privacy defaults, profile settings, route visibility, journey visibility, and optional permissions.
• You can choose whether to upload photos, send voice notes, join groups, publish journeys, share routes, or participate in live ride features.
• You can manage device permissions in iOS, Android, CarPlay, Android Auto, and browser settings where applicable.
• You can request deletion of your account and associated data using the deletion page linked above.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, export, restrict, or object to certain processing of your personal data, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. To make a privacy request, contact hello@wayforge.co.uk.

If UK data protection law applies, you also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office. If EEA data protection law applies, you may have the right to complain to your local supervisory authority.

International Transfers

WayForge and its service providers may process information in countries other than the one where you live. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as contractual protections, provider transfer mechanisms, or other lawful transfer methods.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

The WayForge website may use local storage, cookies, or similar technologies for basic functions such as theme preferences, authentication state, fraud prevention, security, and site operation. Browser settings may let you block or delete these, but some features may stop working.

Children's Privacy

WayForge is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal data to WayForge, contact us so we can take appropriate action.

Policy Updates

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected on this page and, where appropriate, in the app. The "Last updated" date above shows when this policy was last changed.

Contact

For privacy questions, requests, or concerns, contact hello@wayforge.co.uk.