Operator: NAMAVI TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED
Website: https://near-buddy.com
Effective date: the date this Privacy Policy is first published on the official website (https://near-buddy.com)
Last updated: the date this Privacy Policy is first published on the official website (https://near-buddy.com)
1. Who we are
NearBuddy ("NearBuddy", "we", "us", "our") is a dating application that helps you meet people near you. NearBuddy is operated by NAMAVI TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED ("the Company"), the data controller responsible for your personal information.
- Company: NAMAVI TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED
- Registered office: DOOR NO: 13/350, MALIYEKKAL, MADAKKATHARA P O, THRISSUR, KERALA – 680651, INDIA
- Website: https://near-buddy.com
- Contact: namavitech@gmail.com (see Section 18)
- App: NearBuddy (Android package com.nearbuddy.mobile)
This Privacy Policy explains what information NearBuddy collects, why, how it is used and shared, and the choices you have. The same policy applies to the NearBuddy mobile app and the NearBuddy website; the app may show a shorter summary that links to this full version.
2. Our privacy approach
NearBuddy is built to collect as little as possible about you:
- Your NearBuddy account is anonymous. We do not ask for your email address, phone number, real name, password, one-time passcode, or any government ID to create or use an account.
- NearBuddy's free experience is supported by advertising; you can remove ads with the optional Ad-Free Subscription (see Section 12). We do not sell your personal information.
- We do not send push notifications and do not collect notification tokens.
- We use your location only to show you people nearby, and we never share your exact location with other users — only an approximate distance.
The rest of this policy explains the details.
3. Information we collect
We collect only the information needed to run NearBuddy's features:
a. Account and session data. When you create an account, we generate an anonymous account for you and a session that keeps you signed in. This is not tied to an email, phone number, or name.
b. Profile information you provide. During onboarding you provide profile details such as a display name, date of birth (used to confirm you are 18+ and to show your age), gender, the kind of people you are looking for, height, weight, body type, and where you would like to meet. You choose what to enter within the app's options.
c. Photos. You may add profile photos, taken with your camera or chosen from your photo library. Before a photo leaves your device, NearBuddy re-encodes it and removes embedded EXIF/location (GPS) metadata. NearBuddy also performs on-device face detection to help crop a thumbnail; this face detection happens entirely on your device and the result is never uploaded or stored.
d. Location. With your permission, NearBuddy uses your device location while you are using the app to show how near other people are. Your precise coordinate is used only to calculate distance on our server; it is never returned to other users or shown in the app — others see only an approximate distance. NearBuddy does not use background location.
e. Matching and activity data. To operate the discovery and matching features, we store your matching preferences and the actions you take — the people you like, dislike, block, or report, and the mutual matches you form. We also record whether you are currently active (your online status), shown to others only as a simple "active" indicator.
f. Messages. If you form a mutual match (or use an eligible pre-match message), the messages you send are stored so they can be delivered to the other person.
g. Referral data. Each completed account is given a referral code so you can invite friends. The referral link you share contains only this code and no tracking parameters.
h. Subscription and payment data. If you choose to purchase NearBuddy's optional Ad-Free subscription, we store your subscription status and a record of the purchase event needed to keep your benefit accurate. Payments are handled by the app store (Google Play or Apple) and verified through our payment provider, RevenueCat — see Sections 12–13.
i. Device data. To help prevent abuse (for example, rapidly creating throwaway accounts on the same device), NearBuddy derives a value from a device identifier. This value is converted to an irreversible hash on your device before it is sent, and the raw device identifier never leaves your device.
j. Limited operational records. Our systems keep minimal, non-identifying records of certain account lifecycle events (such as account creation and acceptance of our terms) to operate the service securely.
Information we do NOT collect. For clarity, NearBuddy does not collect or use: your email address, phone number, real name, or government ID; contacts or address book; analytics or usage-tracking data through third-party analytics SDKs; crash-reporting data through third-party crash SDKs; push-notification tokens; background location; or your payment card or bank-account details.
4. Why we collect information (purposes)
We use the information above to:
- create and secure your anonymous account and keep you signed in;
- build your profile and show you to, and match you with, suitable nearby people;
- calculate approximate distance between users;
- operate likes, dislikes, blocks, reports, mutual matches, and messaging;
- provide the referral link feature;
- provide and verify the optional Ad-Free subscription;
- protect NearBuddy and its users from abuse and misuse;
- operate, maintain, and improve the service and respond to your requests.
5. How your information is used and shared
With other users. Other people using NearBuddy can see the information shown on your NearBuddy profile (such as your photos, display name, age, and gender), your approximate distance from them, and whether you are currently active. They never see your exact location, your date of birth, or your contact details (we do not collect contact details).
With service providers (processors). We share information with the limited set of service providers that operate NearBuddy on our behalf (Section 13). They may process your information only to provide their service to us.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.
Legal and safety. We may disclose information if required by law, or where necessary to protect the rights, safety, or security of NearBuddy, our users, or the public.
6. Permissions we use
NearBuddy asks only for the device permissions its features need, and only when needed:
- Camera — so you can take a profile photo.
- Photo library — so you can choose a profile photo.
- Location (while using the app) — so we can show how near other people are.
NearBuddy does not request background location, microphone/audio, Bluetooth, or screen-overlay permissions. You can decline location and still use other parts of NearBuddy, and you can change permissions at any time in your device settings.
7. Cookies and similar technologies
The NearBuddy mobile app does not use cookies. The NearBuddy website is a static informational site and does not set advertising or analytics cookies or use third-party tracking technologies. If this ever changes, we will update this policy and, where required, ask for your consent.
8. Where your information is stored and how we protect it
Your information is stored using our backend provider, Supabase (Section 13), and your profile photos are stored in secured file storage. Connections between the app and our backend use encrypted transport (HTTPS/TLS), and your sign-in session is kept in your device's secure storage (the Keychain on iOS, secure storage on Android). On Android, app data is not included in automatic device backups.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so while we take reasonable measures to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. Data retention
We keep your information for as long as your account exists and as needed to provide NearBuddy. When you delete your account, your personal data and user content are removed as described in Section 10 and in the NearBuddy Account Deletion Policy. Certain limited records — such as reports made for safety, records needed to meet legal or operational needs, and the minimum non-content record needed to honour an already-paid benefit until the end of the period you already paid for — may be retained as described in the Account Deletion Policy, to keep the service safe and to meet operational and legal needs.
10. Account exit and deletion
- Sign out / exit. You can sign out of NearBuddy on your device at any time.
- Account and data deletion. You can permanently delete your account yourself, from within the app, using the Delete Account control while you are signed in. A single confirmation appears; when you confirm, deletion begins immediately and is permanent. Your account, personal data, and user content are removed, and this cannot be undone. Because accounts are anonymous, a deleted or lost account cannot be recovered, restored, transferred, or rebound, and using NearBuddy again creates a new, separate account. If you delete your account while you have an already-paid benefit, only a minimum, non-content record needed to honour that benefit until the end of the period you already paid for may remain; and for anyone you had messaged, a former conversation may remain only as a non-content "This chat is unavailable" marker. Full details, including how an active paid benefit and your store subscription are handled, are in the NearBuddy Account Deletion Policy.
If you have a question or request about your personal information, please contact us at namavitech@gmail.com (Section 18).
11. Your choices
- Profile. You can edit much of your profile information in the app (some fields, such as certain personal details, may be limited to a set number of changes).
- Photos. You can change or replace your profile photos.
- Location. You can decline or revoke the location permission in your device settings; some proximity features will not work without it.
- Blocking and reporting. You can block or report other users from their profile (Section 16).
- Subscription. You can manage or cancel a subscription in your Google Play or Apple account (Section 12).
- Deletion. You can permanently delete your account from within the app (Section 10).
- Requests. You can contact us at namavitech@gmail.com with questions about your information.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights over your personal data (such as rights to access, correct, or request erasure, and to raise a grievance). To exercise any such right, contact us at namavitech@gmail.com or our Grievance Officer in Section 18.
12. Subscriptions
NearBuddy offers an optional Ad-Free subscription in different durations. If you choose to subscribe, the purchase is made and billed through the app store (Google Play or Apple), and the store manages renewals, cancellations, and refunds. You can view, manage, or cancel your subscription in your Google Play or Apple account subscription settings. NearBuddy stores your subscription status and a record of the purchase event, so your benefit stays accurate.
13. Third-party service providers (processors)
NearBuddy relies on a small number of providers that process information on our behalf:
- Supabase — our backend platform, which provides authentication (anonymous accounts), database, and file storage. It stores the account, profile, photo, matching, messaging, referral, and subscription-status data described in this policy.
- RevenueCat — our subscription-verification provider, used only if you purchase a subscription. To verify entitlements, it processes technical and transaction data such as your app account identifier and the store's purchase token/receipt. RevenueCat acts as our processor and stores data on Amazon Web Services in the United States. NearBuddy does not send your card or bank details to RevenueCat, and NearBuddy never receives them.
- Google Play / Apple App Store — the app stores that host the app and process any subscription payment. Their handling of your payment is governed by their own privacy policies.
- Google ML Kit (on-device) — the face-detection component used to crop photo thumbnails runs on your device; it does not send your photos to Google for this feature.
Aside from advertising used to support the free experience, we do not use analytics, crash-reporting, or tracking providers.
14. International data transfers
Some of our service providers process information in other countries. For example, our subscription-verification provider, RevenueCat, stores data in the United States. Where your information is transferred and processed internationally, it is handled subject to that provider's applicable protections.
15. Children
NearBuddy is intended only for adults aged 18 and over. During sign-up you must confirm your date of birth, and accounts for people under 18 are not permitted. NearBuddy does not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. Age is self-declared; we do not verify identity documents. If you believe a minor is using NearBuddy, please report the profile in the app or contact us (Sections 16 and 18).
16. Community safety and reporting
You can help keep NearBuddy safe:
- Block — you can block another user; you will no longer see each other. Blocking is permanent.
- Report — you can report a profile (including a suspected underage user). Reports are recorded so they can be reviewed; the person you report is not told that you reported them.
Please be aware that NearBuddy does not actively monitor, scan, or moderate the content of messages, and reporting a user does not by itself remove them.
17. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make a material change, we will update the "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, notify you or ask you to review and accept the updated policy in the app. The current version is always available on the NearBuddy website at https://near-buddy.com.
18. How to contact us
For any question or request about this policy or your personal information:
- Company: NAMAVI TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED
- Registered office: DOOR NO: 13/350, MALIYEKKAL, MADAKKATHARA P O, THRISSUR, KERALA – 680651, INDIA
- Support / privacy contact: namavitech@gmail.com
- Grievance Officer: Grievance Officer, NAMAVI TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED, namavitech@gmail.com
Appendix A — Privacy at a glance
*This is the shortened version the app may display; it links to the full policy above and changes no meaning.*
Your privacy on NearBuddy — the short version
- Your account is anonymous — no email, phone, real name, or password.
- We use your location only to show distance; your exact location is never shared — others see approximate distance only. No background location.
- Photos have their location (EXIF/GPS) data removed; face detection runs on your device.
- Free and ad-supported — remove ads with the optional Ad-Free Subscription; no push notifications; we never sell your data.
- We never receive your card or bank details — subscriptions are billed and refunded by Google Play / Apple.
- You can permanently delete your account in the app; deletion is immediate and cannot be undone, and a lost or deleted anonymous account cannot be recovered.
- We do not monitor or scan your messages. You can block and report users.
- 18+ only. Questions? namavitech@gmail.com. Read the full Privacy Policy on near-buddy.com.