Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Ringer ("we," "us," or "our"). Ringer is operated by Scott Bromley. We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and visit our website at www.findmyringer.co.uk (the "Service").

Ringer is a platform that helps social sports teams find substitute players ("ringers") and helps players find games near them. By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

When you register for an account or use the Service, we may collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Profile photo (if provided)
• Account credentials (managed securely by our authentication provider, Clerk)
• Sport preferences, positions, and skill level
• Gender preference for games
• Availability preferences (preferred days and time slots)
• Messages sent through our in-app messaging feature

2.2 Location Information

To provide location-based features, we collect:

• Home location: An approximate home location you provide to find games near you
• Travel radius: Your preferred travel distance for games
• Game locations: Locations of games you post or apply to

We do not continuously track your real-time GPS location. Location data is only collected when you explicitly provide it (e.g., setting your home area or posting a game location).

2.3 Information Collected Automatically

When you access the Service, we automatically collect certain information, including:

• Device Information: Device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers
• Push Notification Token: A device-specific token used to send you push notifications (see Section 5)
• Usage Data: Features used, pages visited, and interaction patterns
• Log Data: IP address, access times, and error logs

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Provide and maintain the Service: Match you with relevant games, manage your applications, and facilitate communication between team captains and players
• Location-based matching: Show you games within your preferred travel radius and show your postings to nearby players
• Push notifications: Notify you about new games matching your profile, application updates, and new messages
• Communicate with you: Send account-related notifications and respond to enquiries
• Improve the Service: Analyse usage patterns to enhance features and user experience
• Security: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Legal compliance: Comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the Service. Each has its own privacy policy governing the use of your information:

• Clerk — Authentication and user account management
• Vercel — Hosting, deployment, and web analytics
• Expo / Apple Push Notification Service / Firebase Cloud Messaging — Push notification delivery
• Google Maps / Places API — Location search and geocoding
• Neon — Database hosting

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We only share information with third-party services as described above and as necessary to provide the Service.

5. Push Notifications

With your permission, we send push notifications to your device to keep you informed about:

• New games near you that match your profile and preferences
• Updates to your applications (accepted, declined)
• New messages from team captains or players

To deliver push notifications, we store a device-specific push token associated with your account. This token is unique to your device and does not contain personal information. You can disable push notifications at any time through your device settings.

When you sign out of the app, your push token is cleared from our servers so you will no longer receive notifications for that account on that device.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. If you close your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal information within 90 days, unless we are required to retain it for legal, accounting, or regulatory purposes.

Game postings and associated data (applications, messages) are retained while active and may be archived after the game date has passed. Archived data may be deleted periodically.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure authentication through Clerk
• Token-based API authentication
• Regular security reviews and updates

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal information ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction: Request that we restrict the processing of your information
• Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Objection: Object to the processing of your personal information for certain purposes
• Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at scottbromley17@gmail.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

8.1 UK GDPR

If you are located in the United Kingdom, you have rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Our legal bases for processing your personal information include: performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and consent. You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.

8.2 EEA / EU GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area, you are protected under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and have the rights listed above. You may lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at scottbromley17@gmail.com, and we will take steps to delete such information.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than the country in which you reside. These countries may have data protection laws that are different from the laws of your country. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure that your personal information remains protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy, including the use of Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: