Alcove Privacy Policy

Optional browser sound meter

Approved users can choose Start on the browser sound-meter page and grant microphone permission. Samples are analyzed locally in memory to display relative dBFS levels, not calibrated sound-pressure measurements. No recording is saved or uploaded. Stopping, leaving the screen, switching tabs, or reaching five minutes ends capture. This browser tool is separate from the current iPhone build.

Browser maps and place search

The full browser app uses the same Alcove account and approval system as the mobile app. Browser map tiles are requested from OpenStreetMap or USGS The National Map for the area you view. These providers receive ordinary network information, including your IP address and requested map area. When you select Find on map, your entered place name and address are sent to Photon, operated by komoot, to find matching places. Search does not run while you type. You can instead select a point on the map or enter coordinates manually. Browser location permission is optional and is requested only when you choose to use your location.

Information you provide

Alcove may store account details, the Terms and Safety version accepted by the account and its acceptance time, an optional email-updates preference and its change history, founding beta-tester status and discount eligibility, an age range or “prefer not to say” response, personalization quiz answers, up to three group memberships, per-group suggestion settings, group-level place recommendations, preview-use counts, confirmed invitation progress, subscription entitlement status, promotional access grants, saved places, submitted places, field notes, ratings, favorites, friendships, shared lists, activity logs, support requests, image metadata, and aggregate sound metrics when you choose to provide or create them.

If an unexpected signed-in app error occurs, Alcove may send the account email, app version, operating-system platform and version, Expo SDK version, error type, and a shortened error message to the support queue so the app can be repaired. The current event telemetry boundary otherwise writes only non-sensitive diagnostic events to the local development console and does not send them to a hosted analytics provider.

Contacts, location, photos, and historical sound data

Contact matching is optional and begins only after you select Sync Contacts and grant system permission. Contact matches are used only for the current session. Address-book data and normalized contact values are not persisted by Alcove.

Location permission is optional and is used to estimate distance, drive time, and nearby outdoor places. Conditions requests use the selected place's catalog coordinates; Alcove does not send a user's precise device location merely because Conditions is opened. Photos are selected by you for moderator review. The current iPhone app has no Guide or Relax tab and no microphone or sound-recording entry point. The website offers an optional, approved-account sound meter: it uses the microphone only after you press Start and grant permission, computes uncalibrated relative levels locally, and uploads no audio or measurements. Historical aggregate relative dBFS observations from earlier beta builds may remain in a user's account or moderator queue; raw audio was not uploaded.

Regional availability requests

In app versions with regional availability guidance, an existing location permission or your declared home region may be used to show relevant coverage information. This guidance does not block browsing. If you request expansion, Alcove stores your account identifier, requested state and request time to prioritize catalog work. The request does not store precise coordinates, approve your account or subscribe you to promotional email. Administrators can review aggregate request counts. Requests are removed with account deletion; you can also contact privacy@alcoveoutdoors.com about your request data.

How information is used

Information is used to authenticate accounts, preserve the 30%-off founding beta benefit, select the appropriate store offering, provide and personalize app features, automatically match place records to relevant groups, select and rank place recommendations using chosen groups and quiz preferences, aggregate recommendations from other members of those groups, operate friend activity and shared lists, review community submissions, respond to support and privacy requests, protect the service, and improve content and reliability. Age range is not used to select groups, rank places, target promotions, or appear to other members.

Service providers and external sources

Alcove uses Supabase for authentication, database storage, file storage, and server functions; Apple and Google for optional account sign-in and store billing; RevenueCat for subscription entitlement management; Apple or Google for platform mapping services when configured; Cloudflare for domain hosting, security, incoming email forwarding, and website performance analytics; Resend for invitation and approval-request email delivery and opted-in promotional email; the National Weather Service for weather and alert data; NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center for geomagnetic context; and AirNow for air-quality observations when configured. Sun and Moon events are calculated on the device with the open-source Astronomy Engine library, which does not receive the coordinates. Their handling of information is governed by their own terms and privacy notices.

Alcove does not receive payment-card information. Apple or Google processes the transaction, while RevenueCat and Alcove receive product, store, purchase-status, renewal, and entitlement information needed to provide Alcove Pro, restore access, and respond to refunds or expiration.

Account approval is required. Alcove stores whether an account is pending, approved, or denied. For manual approval, Alcove stores the applicant email and, when a valid invitation can be identified, the inviter account and friendship record. An approval-request email to the operator includes the applicant and identified inviter. A friend invitation records its approved sender, designated recipient email, creation and expiry times, and redemption or revocation status. It is single-use, expires after seven days, and can be redeemed only by the account with that verified recipient email while the sender remains approved. Successful redemption creates the friendship and can automatically approve an eligible recipient; it does not override a denied account. Forwarding the link does not give another person access. Administrator-issued access is managed separately. Invitation availability depends on the installed app version.

Cloudflare Web Analytics may measure page and performance information such as path, referring host, country, device type, browser, operating system, and Core Web Vitals. Cloudflare states that its Web Analytics beacon does not use cookies or local storage and does not track individual visitors across customer sites.

Website contact

The website uses email links rather than a contact form. Alcove does not create a separate website database record when you follow one of those links. Your email provider and Alcove's email provider process the message you choose to send.

Email updates, groups, recommendations, and promotions

Optional product updates, news, and promotional emails are off by default and require a separate affirmative choice during signup or in Data Controls. Accepting the Terms and Safety does not subscribe an account to marketing, and declining marketing does not prevent an access request. Alcove records the preference, consent wording version, time, and source. Promotional audience selection requires an affirmative preference and a matching verified account email; contact-matching addresses are not used to build marketing lists. Account, security, and requested invitation messages are transactional and are sent separately when needed. Users can change the updates preference at any time. Users can belong to up to three personalization groups and pause suggestions from a current group. Free accounts can update their assignment through the quiz once every 30 days. Alcove Pro can retake the quiz anytime and edit groups directly. Place records are automatically matched to relevant groups so recommendations do not require a member vote. Accepted friends can see the names of a user’s groups. When a user recommends a reviewed place to a group, Alcove shows other members an aggregate recommendation count rather than the recommending user’s identity. The current app does not contain paid group-targeted advertising. Before introducing sponsored group recommendations, Alcove will clearly label sponsored content, update this policy and applicable store disclosures, and provide any legally required controls or consent.

Finding a submitted place on the map

When available in your app version, Find on map in place submission sends the place name or address you enter to the platform mapping provider: Apple on iPhone and Google on Android. This address lookup is separate from Discover search and is not an AI request. The coordinates you select are stored with your place submission. Dropping a map pin or entering latitude and longitude does not require device-location permission. On Android, address lookup requires foreground location permission; on iPhone it does not. You can choose a pin or enter coordinates instead.

Prompt-style search and AI-assisted content

Prompt-style place search currently uses deterministic matching in the app. Search text, quiz answers, and profile data are not sent to a third-party AI service. Some catalog summaries were assembled with algorithmic and AI-assisted drafting. The saved nationwide catalog can include short or missing descriptions. Members can contribute place information; contributions remain subject to moderation. Colorado and California are priorities for improving catalog information, without restricting nationwide browsing. Published place context remains subject to source quality and should be confirmed against current official information. If a future feature would send personal information to a third-party AI service, Alcove will identify the provider and purpose, update this policy and store disclosures, and request explicit permission before the transfer begins.

Sharing and public contributions

Alcove does not sell personal information or use it for cross-context behavioral advertising. Places, photos, field notes, and sound metrics can affect public information only after moderator review. Users can report community content and social activity where it appears, report or block people from the Friends screen, and contact support@alcoveoutdoors.com. Reports enter a moderator queue. Pending or rejected submissions do not affect public content. Public contributions may remain visible until they are removed or anonymized.

Retention and security

Alcove retains account and feature data while an account is active and as reasonably needed to provide the service, resolve requests, prevent abuse, and meet legal obligations. Temporary contact matching values are not retained. Earlier beta sound capture deleted temporary recordings and did not upload raw audio. Alcove uses encrypted HTTPS connections, access controls, database row-level security, and limited administrative access, but no internet service can guarantee absolute security.

Your choices and requests

You can decline contacts, location, or photo permissions in your device settings. You can update groups through the available quiz, use Pro direct-edit controls when entitled, pause a current group’s suggestions, and choose “prefer not to say” for age range. The current iPhone build does not request microphone permission; the optional browser sound meter requests it only after you choose Start. The app includes controls for local reset, data export, and account deletion for synced account data. Account deletion also requests removal of the Alcove customer record held by RevenueCat, but it does not cancel store billing. You may also ask to access, correct, export, or delete information, or appeal a denied privacy request, by emailing privacy@alcoveoutdoors.com. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. See the account-deletion instructions, including the separate steps required to cancel an App Store or Google Play subscription.

Children

Alcove is not directed to children under 13, and Alcove does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Contact us if you believe a child has provided information.

Contact

For privacy requests, email privacy@alcoveoutdoors.com. For general support, safety, or accessibility requests, email support@alcoveoutdoors.com.