Ringzone Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 9, 2026

Ringzone ("we", "the app") is a messenger and geofencing app that alerts you when you approach places you have saved on the map. This page describes what data we collect, how we use it, and how you can control it. See also our Terms of Use.

1. Data we collect

Location

• The precise coordinates of your device, to show your position on the map and to detect entering and leaving your saved geofences.
• Location is processed locally on your device through the system CoreLocation API. The coordinates of your saved points are synced to our server only if you have created an account.
• We do not sell your location data to advertisers and do not use it for targeted advertising.

Account data

• Email address and/or phone number, to create your account and recover access.
• Your phone number is verified with an SMS code (Twilio Verify).
• Your password is stored only as a hash; we cannot see the password itself.

Map points (geofences)

• The name, note, coordinates and radius of the points you create.
• If you share a point with another Ringzone user, its content is sent to that user.
• Points shared between users are end-to-end encrypted; we have no technical ability to read them. Personal points (not shared) are stored on our server without end-to-end encryption.

Push notifications

• Your device token (APNs), so that we can notify you about new shared points and accepted invitations.

Telegram connection (optional)

• If you connect Telegram yourself, we store the link between your account and your chat with the Ringzone bot: the Telegram chat identifier, the language code of your Telegram interface (two letters), the time of connection, and your choice about announcements (off by default).
• By default only the message "You have a new message in Ringzone" is sent to Telegram, without the text of your conversations. Full text is sent only for announcements of the official Ringzone channel, and only if you turn that option on.
• Messages in the bot chat are not end-to-end encrypted: they pass through our server and are stored in Telegram, which processes them under its own privacy policy. Ringzone uses the official Telegram Bot API.
• We do not store or process the text you write to the bot, other than the commands /start and /stop, and we do not use Telegram data to train or run AI models.
• You can disconnect Telegram in the app (Settings → Telegram) or with the /stop command in the bot; the link is then removed from our server immediately.

Telegram account on this device (optional, beta)

• If you choose to sign in to your own Telegram account inside Ringzone (Settings → Telegram → Telegram account), the app uses the official Telegram client library (TDLib) and the Telegram API credentials (API ID and API Hash) that you enter. Ringzone is not affiliated with or endorsed by Telegram.
• Your Telegram messages, chat lists, contacts and login session are stored only on your device, in a local TDLib database that is excluded from device backups. Your phone number, login code and two-step verification password go directly from your device to Telegram and are not sent to or stored on Ringzone servers. Your API ID and API Hash are kept in the iOS Keychain on your device.
• Ringzone does not upload this data to our servers, does not analyse it, and does not use it to train or run AI or machine-learning models (including contact dossiers, semantic search, chat statistics, translation, transcription or classifiers). Telegram channels are not shown.
• Messages are marked as read in Telegram only for a chat you have opened while the app is on screen.
• You can disconnect at any time with Disconnect and erase data (Settings → Telegram → Telegram account). This signs out the session and deletes the local database. Deleting your API keys in the same screen does this too. Telegram processes your data under its own privacy policy.

Channels

• A channel is a one-way feed: the owner writes, subscribers read. You can create a channel only with a registered account whose phone number has been verified (so that channel owners are accountable); you can join only with an invite code or link. There is no public search or channel directory.
• We store: the channel's name, description and icon, and its invite code; posts (text up to 4,000 characters); polls (question, options, votes); attached files; your subscriptions (join time, whether notifications are muted, your choice about Telegram mirroring, last-read time); requests to re-send a file; and reports.
• Channels are not end-to-end encrypted. Our server can see posts, polls and files while they are stored. Private Ringzone chats remain end-to-end encrypted.
• A push notification about a new post contains the channel name and the beginning of the text (up to 140 characters) and passes through Apple's service (APNs). You can mute a channel in its settings.
• Who sees what. The owner sees the names of subscribers (the profile name, without phone number or email) and, because polls are not anonymous, who chose what. Subscribers see only the number of subscribers and vote totals, and cannot see other subscribers. When you ask for a file again, the owner sees your name.
• Files. A file is kept on the server for 60 days from publication (or less if the author deletes the post or channel), after which we delete it from the server; its record (name, size, checksum) remains. Downloaded files stay on your device until you delete them and may be included in your iCloud backup if you have it turned on. Links in posts are not opened automatically, so we do not expose your IP address through them.
• Telegram mirroring happens only at your choice for a specific channel: the text of that channel's posts (with its name) is then sent to you in Telegram, which processes it under its own policy. You can turn it off in "About channel" or by disconnecting Telegram.
• Moderation. You can report a channel or a post; the report is stored and reviewed manually, and the owner does not see who reported. The owner can remove a subscriber and block them from rejoining; a service record of the block is stored for this. Illegal, abusive and harmful content is prohibited, and we may remove such a channel or post.
• Retention and deletion. Posts, polls and file records are kept as long as the channel exists. A deleted post disappears from the feed immediately and its files are deleted from the server; the text itself may remain in our database until the channel or the author's account is deleted. When you leave a channel your subscription is removed, but your votes remain in the poll totals. Deleting a channel removes its posts, polls, subscriptions and files from the server (copies of files already downloaded to devices remain). Deleting your account removes your channels, subscriptions, votes, requests and reports.

Data we do NOT collect

• We do not use third-party advertising SDKs.
• We do not sell your data or share it with third parties for marketing.
• We do not track your activity in other apps.

2. How we use data

• To detect entering and leaving geofences and to send the alert.
• To sync your points between devices.
• To make sharing points with other users work.
• To verify your account (email/SMS).
• To send notifications to Telegram, if you connected it.
• To run channels: delivering posts and files to subscribers, polls, notifications about new posts, and handling reports.

3. Storage

Data is processed through Firebase (Google Cloud) and our own server infrastructure (Elixir/PostgreSQL). Personal data is kept as long as your account is active. You can delete your account and all related data by contacting us below.

4. Permissions the app requests

• Location ("Always") — required for geofencing to work in the background, even when the app is closed.
• Notifications — to show the alert when you enter a zone and for push messages about sharing.
• Contacts (optional) — only if you pick a phone number from your contacts when sharing a point; we do not scan or store your address book.
• Reminders (optional) — if you turn on sync with Apple Reminders.

5. Your rights

• See what data we hold about you.
• Delete your account and all related data.
• Stop location collection at any time via iOS Settings → Ringzone → Location.
• Turn off push notifications in your device settings.
• Leave a channel, mute its notifications or Telegram mirroring, delete downloaded files from your phone, and report a channel or post in the app.

6. Children

Ringzone is not intended for children under 13. We knowingly do not collect data from children under that age.

7. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The date of the last update is shown at the top of the page. Material changes will be announced in the app.