Last updated: June 22, 2026
1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how Gather, a sole proprietorship ("Gather," "we," "us," or "our"), collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your information when you use the Gather mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Service"). It is available inside the app (Account → Help & support → Privacy Policy) and at our public policy page. By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.
2. Information We Collect
Information you provide: your name, @username, email address, password (handled by our authentication provider), and optional profile details (bio, general location, profile and cover photos, payment handles). Content you create: events, circles, photos, comments, RSVPs, availability, announcements, and messages. Social connections: your friends, friend requests, and users you block. Subscription status: when you buy Plus or Promote, Apple processes the payment and shares the transaction result with us — we never receive your card or full payment details. Technical data: limited device and log information (app version, device model, and IP address) used for authentication, security, and to operate the app. We collect only what is reasonably necessary to provide the Service.
3. Categories of Personal Information
For U.S. state-privacy disclosure purposes, we may process these categories: identifiers (name, username, email, device identifiers, IP); customer records (profile details, payment handles); commercial information (subscription/purchase status); internet or other electronic activity (app interactions, preferences); approximate geolocation (only if you add a location or enable location features); audio/visual information (photos you upload); and limited inferences strictly to operate features you use. We do not process sensitive personal information for the purpose of inferring characteristics, and we do not knowingly collect Social Security numbers, precise background, biometric, financial-account, or health data.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to: (a) create and manage your account; (b) provide, maintain, secure, and improve the Service; (c) enable coordination features such as events, circles, availability, friends, and notifications; (d) process and recognize subscription entitlements (via Apple); (e) communicate with you about the Service; and (f) comply with law and enforce our Terms. We process your information only for the purposes described in this Policy.
5. Legal Bases for Processing (EEA/UK)
Where the EU/UK GDPR applies, we process personal information on these legal bases: performance of our contract with you (to provide the Service); your consent (which you may withdraw at any time, for example for optional permissions); our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving the Service; and compliance with legal obligations. The data controller is Gather; contact us at the address in Section 19.
6. How We Share Information
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. Gather is ad-free and does not run third-party advertising. We share information only: (a) with other users as directed by you (for example, attendees you invite or the audience you select for an event, and organizations you choose to follow); (b) with service providers who process data on our behalf under confidentiality and security obligations (for example, our authentication and database provider, and Apple for purchases and push delivery); (c) to comply with law, legal process, or enforceable governmental request, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of Gather, our users, or the public; and (d) in connection with a sale or transfer of the business or its assets, subject to this Policy.
7. Third-Party Services
The Service links to or integrates third-party services, including payment applications you choose to use (e.g., Venmo, Cash App), mapping and review services (e.g., Apple Maps, Yelp), event sources you connect (e.g., Facebook, on a read-only basis), and Apple for subscriptions and in-app purchases. Your use of those services is governed by their own terms and privacy policies. We never post on your behalf without your action.
8. Invitations & Contacts
Invitations are sent through your own device’s messaging (for example, SMS) and you choose what to send and to whom. We do not upload, store, or sell your address book. If a feature ever offers to find contacts, it will request your permission first and use that access only to power the invitation you requested.
9. Photos & Shared Albums
Where you choose to add event photos, the app may request access to your photo library and, with your permission, to iCloud Shared Albums so photos can sync to the people you are gathering with. We access only the albums and photos needed to provide the feature you used, and only after you grant permission, which you can withdraw at any time in your device settings.
10. Push Notifications
If you enable notifications, we send alerts about activity relevant to you (such as event updates, friend requests, and announcements from organizations you follow). You can turn notifications off at any time in your device settings.
11. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When you delete your account, we delete or de-identify your associated personal information within 30 days, except where a longer period is required by law or for legitimate, documented business purposes (such as security, fraud prevention, or financial record-keeping).
12. Account Deletion & Your Controls
You can delete your account at any time from within the app (Account → Reset app data / Delete account). Deleting your account removes your profile and the personal content associated with it, including content you have shared with others, within the retention period described above; some records may persist in backups for a limited time before being overwritten. You can also edit your profile, control event and availability visibility per event, block other users, withdraw optional permissions in your device settings, and reset local app data. To make any other privacy request, contact us using Section 19.
13. Security
We use administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect your information, including authenticated access and access controls on stored data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by law.
14. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or obtain a portable copy of your personal information, and to object to or restrict certain processing. You can exercise many of these directly in the app; for others, contact us using Section 19. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights, and we verify requests before acting on them. You may use an authorized agent where the law allows.
15. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have the rights to know, access, delete, and correct your personal information; to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information and to limit the use of sensitive personal information; and to non-discrimination for exercising your rights. Gather does not sell or share personal information and does not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics, so there is nothing to opt out of, but you may still exercise your other rights by contacting us using Section 19. We honor recognized opt-out preference signals such as Global Privacy Control. Residents of other U.S. states with comprehensive privacy laws have comparable rights, which we extend to you on request.
16. EEA/UK Users & International Transfers
If you are in the EEA or UK, you have the rights described above and the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. Your information may be processed in the United States and other countries whose data-protection laws may differ from yours. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for international transfers, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses.
17. Children’s Privacy
The Service is intended for users 13 years of age and older (or the minimum age of digital consent in your jurisdiction), and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, and we do not sell or share the personal information of known minors. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us so we can delete it.
18. Do Not Track & Changes
We do not track you across third-party websites or apps for advertising, so we do not behave differently in response to a browser “Do Not Track” signal; where applicable law treats a recognized signal such as Global Privacy Control as an opt-out of sale/sharing, we honor it. We may update this Policy from time to time; material changes will be indicated by updating the “Last updated” date and, where appropriate, by additional notice within the Service. Your continued use of the Service after an update takes effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.
19. Contact Us
Questions or requests about this Policy or your personal information: email Gather at [email protected], or use the in-app Help Center (Account → Help & support).