Privacy Policy

Location — never your exact spot

Watchfire never stores your GPS coordinates. When you place a light or find yourself on the map, your phone converts your position into a coarse location cell — about two city blocks wide — on the device, and only that cell identifier is sent to us. The raw location is discarded immediately and never leaves your phone. A light renders at the cell, not where you stood, and post times are fuzzed to the hour. There is deliberately nothing precise to leak.

What we collect

• A phone number or email — used only to sign you in and verify you, and kept as a one-way hash rather than stored in the clear.
• Your display name, and an optional contact email or phone you choose to add to your profile.
• The coarse location cells of the lights you place (never precise coordinates).
• The verse text or prayer you write, and content you post in the community.
• Basic, non-identifying usage needed to keep the service running and reliable.

We do not sell your data, and we do not show ads.

Service providers

We use a small number of trusted providers strictly to operate Watchfire: sign-in codes are delivered by Twilio (SMS) and Resend (email); subscription payments are handled by Stripe on the web and by Apple or Google for in-app purchases; and our infrastructure runs on Vercel and Neon. These providers process only what they need to perform their service and are not permitted to use your information for anything else.

User content & moderation

Verses, prayers, and community posts you share are public. All content passes an automated safety screen before it appears and may be reviewed by our volunteer shepherds. You can report any content in two taps — reports are anonymous, and flagged content can be hidden automatically pending review.

Notifications

If you opt in, Watchfire can send you notifications — including a gentle nudge when prayers have been lit near a place you're visiting. When this is enabled, the check happens on your device: your location is turned into a coarse cell locally and only that is used, consistent with the rest of the app.

Deleting your account

You can delete your account at any time from the You tab in the app. Deletion removes your profile and the lights, watches, and content tied to it.

Payments

Firekeeper subscriptions are processed by Stripe (on the web) or by Apple and Google (for in-app purchases). We never see or store your card details. Nothing spiritual is ever paywalled — the core of Watchfire is free.

Children

Watchfire is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will remove it.

Changes to this policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the date above and, where appropriate, let you know in the app. Continued use of Watchfire after a change means you accept the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about your privacy? Email privacy@watchfireapp.com.