IRLobby ("we", "us", "our") is an activity-first social matching product. Users create accounts, discover nearby activities, match with other people who want the same plan, and chat to coordinate. This policy explains what we collect to run those features, how we use it, who else may process it, and the controls in the app.
Information we collect
Account and profile
- Email address, password (stored hashed), display name, and username.
- Profile photo and optional activity photos you upload (camera or photo library, only when you choose to upload).
- Vibe-quiz answers and activity preferences used to rank nearby plans.
- Legal acceptance timestamps when you accept the terms and this policy during onboarding.
Location
With permission, the mobile app reads coarse/fine location while it is in use so we can show activities near you. iOS requests location with a "while using" prompt. We do not request always-on / background location in the current app. You can deny or later disable location in system settings; discovery quality drops because nearby ranking is core to the product. Location sharing on your profile is a separate in-app privacy toggle.
Activity, matching, and chat
- Activities you host or join (title, description, time, place text, coordinates when provided, tags, capacity, images).
- Swipes, matches, and reviews (ratings and comments).
- Chat messages between matched users. Messages are stored on the IRLobby backend so conversation history works across devices. We do not send message bodies to a third-party chat vendor.
- Block and report submissions used for moderation.
Optional sign-in providers
If you choose Sign in with Apple, Google, or X (Twitter), we receive the identifiers and profile fields that provider returns (for example a stable user id, username, and email when you grant it). Those connections are optional; email and password also work.
Payments (paid activities only)
If a host enables ticketing, Stripe processes the payment. IRLobby stores Stripe identifiers needed to operate checkout, Connect onboarding, and ticket redemption. We do not store full card numbers on IRLobby servers.
Diagnostics, notifications, and the website
- Crash and performance diagnostics via Sentry when a Sentry project is configured. The store privacy questionnaire treats this as diagnostics / product interaction, not advertising tracking.
- Expo push tokens so we can send notifications you enable. You can disable notifications in the app or the OS.
- On the website, session cookies used for authentication (including a refresh cookie) and similar storage needed to keep you signed in.
How we use it
- Create and authenticate your account, and keep you signed in.
- Operate discovery, matching, chat, reviews, and activity hosting.
- Show maps/tiles for nearby activities (Mapbox).
- Prevent abuse, review reports, and keep the community usable.
- Send transactional email such as password reset when SMTP is configured.
- Debug crashes and improve reliability.
- Process paid-activity payments through Stripe when that feature is used.
We do not use your data to run third-party advertising networks, and we do not sell personal information. The App Store privacy questionnaire for this app lists no data used to track you.
Sharing
We share information only as needed to run the product:
- Other users: profile and activity details required to swipe, match, coordinate, and review. Chat is visible to the people in that thread.
- Hosting: the production API runs on our backend host (currently the Hetzner VPS that serves
api.irlobby.com) with PostgreSQL/PostGIS and Redis. - Sentry: crash and performance diagnostics.
- Mapbox: map tiles when maps are shown.
- Stripe: payments for paid activities.
- Apple, Google, or X: only if you use that sign-in.
- Email delivery: SMTP provider used for password reset and similar mail.
- When required by law, or to protect people from abuse or fraud.
Your choices
- Export: Settings includes an export that returns a JSON copy of profile, hosted activities, participations, swipes, matches, and reviews.
- Delete account: Settings → Delete account permanently removes the user record and associated data the backend is configured to cascade. This cannot be undone.
- Location: iOS Settings → Privacy → Location Services → IRLobby, or the in-app location-sharing toggle for profile visibility.
- Notifications: disable in the app settings and/or iOS notification settings.
- Questions or a deletion/export request if you cannot use the in-app controls: email the addresses below.
Children
IRLobby is a social networking product rated 17+ on the App Store. It is not directed at children under 17, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a person under 17 has an account, email us and we will delete it.
Retention
We keep account, activity, match, and message data while the account exists so the product can function. Deleted accounts are removed from the live database. Backups and diagnostic logs may persist for a limited operational period after deletion.
Changes
We will update the date at the top when this policy changes. Material changes will also be posted on this page.
Contact
Privacy and support requests: support@irlobby.com. You can also reach the operator at ajesbenshade@gmail.com.
See also the Support page.