Plates and Miles
Privacy Policy
Effective 20 September 2026
This policy explains what Plates and Miles collects, why, and what you can do about it. The short version: we keep the data you put in so the app can work, we never sell it, and you can delete all of it yourself.
What we collect
| Data | Why |
|---|---|
| Email address | To sign you in with a one-time code and to send you codes, notices and replies to support requests. No password is stored because none exists. |
| Profile: the name you choose, an optional phone number, date of birth, gender, postcode, favourite cuisines, interests and an avatar | To show who you are to people you share with and to tailor suggestions. Everything except your name is optional. |
| Meals: restaurant, address, dishes, prices, ratings, reviews, photos, and the text read from a receipt | To keep your history, work out totals and splits, and show your posts to people you share with. |
| Trips: places, dates, stops, checklists, costs, notes, photos, tickets and booking confirmations | To plan and remember trips and to share them with the people you invite. |
| Who you follow, who follows you, who you block, and reports you send | To decide who sees what, and to act on reports. |
| Your location, while the app is open | To show where you are on the map, find places near you and say how far away a place is. Your device location is used for the request and is not stored on our servers. |
| Device, app version and error details when something goes wrong; a log of sign-ins and sensitive account actions | To keep the service running and secure, and so you can see recent account activity on the Account screen. |
What we do not do
- We do not sell your data or share it with advertisers. There are no ads in the app.
- We do not read your contacts. Suggestions of people to follow come only from activity inside the app.
- We do not track you across other apps or websites.
Who else sees your data
We use a small number of providers to run the service, each of which only receives what it needs:
- Google Cloud hosts the service and stores your data and photos in the United States, encrypted at rest and in transit.
- Google Maps Platform receives place names you search for and, when you allow it, your location, to return places, addresses and distances.
- Google Gemini receives the text read from a receipt photo, and nothing else, to turn it into a list of dishes and prices. Reading text off the photo itself happens on your phone.
- An email delivery provider receives your email address and the message when we send you a code or a notice.
Beyond that, your data is seen only by the people you share it with in the app, and by our team when needed to answer a support request, act on a report or keep the service secure.
Where your posts go
Nothing you add is public by default. A meal or a trip appears to others only when you post it to the board, share it by link, or invite someone to the trip. Shared links show only what you chose to share and never the amount you paid or the date, unless you include them. You can unpost or cancel a link at any time.
How long we keep it
- Your account data stays for as long as you have an account.
- Notifications are cleared after 7 days. Sign-in codes expire within minutes.
- When you delete your account, everything is erased immediately: trips, stops, checklists, tickets, meals, receipts, photos, lists, shares, follows and blocks. A stop you added to someone else's trip stays on their trip without your name. A short audit entry recording that the account was deleted, and when, is kept for security.
Your choices
- Delete your account from the same place, confirmed with a code to your email.
- Location is needed to sort what is near you; if you switch it off in your phone's settings the app asks for it again before showing the feed.
- Notifications can be switched off in your phone's settings at any time.
- Block anyone from their profile, and report any post.
Security
Connections use HTTPS. Data is encrypted at rest. Sign-in uses one-time codes with limited attempts, and sensitive actions such as deleting your account or changing your email ask for a fresh code. Access to production systems is restricted to our team and logged.
Children
The app is not intended for children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child has an account, contact us and we will remove it.
Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will tell you in the app before the change takes effect. The date at the top says when it was last updated.
Contact
Questions or requests about your data: support@platesandmiles.com.