Guided by Sam App Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how GuidedBySam ("GuidedBySam," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares information in connection with the Guided by Sam mobile application (the "App"), available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

GuidedBySam is a small New Zealand based business, helping you get the best out of your trip to New Zealand. Guided by Sam is a self-guided audio driving tour app: you buy a tour, drive the route, and the App plays commentary automatically as you reach each point of interest along the way.

Because the App plays commentary based on where you are, it collects and uses your device's location, including while the App is running in the background. Section 1(a) below explains exactly what that means, why it is needed, and what happens to that data. By downloading or using the App, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

1. Information We Collect

a. Location information (including background location)

The App collects precise and approximate location data from your device, and continues to do so while the App is in the background or your screen is off, while a tour is active.

We use your location to:

detect when you arrive at a checkpoint on the tour route and automatically start the audio commentary for that point of interest;
show your current position and direction of travel on the tour map;
calculate the distance and bearing to the next checkpoint and to the end of the tour;
work out which parts of the tour you have already passed, so that commentary is not repeated or cut off part-way through.

Why background access is required. A driving tour is meant to be listened to while you drive, with your phone locked, mounted, or in your pocket, or with maps or music on screen. So that commentary still triggers at the right place, the App keeps receiving location updates while it is in the background, for as long as a tour is running. On Android you will see an ongoing notification while this is happening.

Background location collection happens only while you have a tour open and running. When you finish or close the tour, the App stops requesting location updates. The App does not track your location at other times.

What happens to your location data:

It is processed on your device. Location readings are used in real time, inside the App, to trigger audio and draw the map.
We do not upload your location to our servers. Your position is never written to our database, never attached to your account, and never logged.
We do not keep a history of where you have been. Readings are held in the device's memory only for as long as the tour is running and are discarded when it ends or when you close the App.
We never sell or share your location with anyone, and we never use it for advertising, profiling, or analytics.
The in-App map is provided by Google Maps Platform, so displaying the map and your position on it involves Google as our mapping provider, under Google's Privacy Policy. Driving directions between tour stops are requested from Google using the tour's own fixed start, checkpoint, and end coordinates — not your position.

You can refuse location access, and you can withdraw it at any time (see Section 6). Without it you can still browse, buy, and play tours manually, but commentary will not start automatically at each checkpoint.

b. Account information

To buy and access tours you need an account. When you register we collect your name and email address, and a phone number if you choose to provide one. You can sign in with an email address and password, or with Sign in with Google or Sign in with Apple, in which case we receive the name and email address associated with that account. Accounts and sign-in are handled for us by Firebase Authentication, a Google service. We use this information to identify you, to let you sign in, and to link your purchases to you so your tours are available on your device.

c. Purchase information

When you buy a tour we record the purchase: the tour purchased, the amount, any discount or voucher applied, tax, the date of purchase, and the name and email address on your account. This is our record of sale and is what tells the App which tours you own.

We never see or store your card details. Card payments are processed by Stripe, and by Google Pay or Apple Pay where you choose them. Your payment details go directly to those providers and are handled under their own privacy policies (Stripe, Google, Apple).

d. Information stored only on your device

Tour audio, images, and route data you download are saved on your own device so that a tour keeps working in areas with no mobile coverage, along with small settings such as your playback preferences. This data never leaves your device and is removed when you clear the App's storage or uninstall it.

e. Camera and photo access

The App can request camera and photo library access. This is used only by GuidedBySam administrators when uploading tour photographs through the tour management area. Ordinary users are never asked for it, and we do not access your photo library.

f. What we do not collect

The App does not include advertising, advertising identifiers, or third-party advertising networks. We do not build advertising or behavioural profiles about you, and we do not sell personal information.

2. How We Use Information

We use the information described above only to:

Play the right audio commentary at the right place along a tour route
Show the tour map, your position on it, and your progress through the tour
Create and maintain your account and sign you in
Process your purchases and give you access to the tours you have bought
Provide customer support and respond to messages you send us
Meet our tax, accounting, and other legal obligations
Keep the App secure and working correctly

3. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes. We use a small number of service providers that process data on our behalf so that the App can work:

Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Storage) — account sign-in, tour content, and purchase records. See Firebase's privacy information.
Google Maps Platform — the in-App map and driving directions between tour stops.
Stripe, Google Pay, and Apple Pay — payment processing.

We may also disclose information where we are required to do so by law or legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of GuidedBySam, our customers, or the public. If our business is sold or transferred, information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

4. Data Retention

Location data is not retained. It exists only in your device's memory while a tour is running and is discarded when the tour ends.

Account information is kept for as long as your account exists, and is deleted when you ask us to delete your account. Purchase records are kept for as long as we are required to keep them for tax and accounting purposes under New Zealand law. Content downloaded to your device is removed when you clear the App's storage or uninstall the App.

5. Data Security

Connections between the App, our service providers, and our payment processors use encrypted HTTPS/TLS. Account and purchase data is stored in Google Firebase with access restricted to authorised administrators. We maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Your Choices and Rights

You are in control of what the App collects:

Location: the App asks before it uses your location, and you can decline. To change or withdraw permission later — on Android: Settings › Apps › Guided by Sam › Permissions › Location; on iOS: Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Guided by Sam. You can also choose "While Using the App" instead of always-on access, though automatic commentary may then stop while your screen is off.
Camera and photos: decline or revoke the permission in your device settings; the rest of the App still works.
Downloaded content: clear the App's storage or uninstall the App to remove everything held on your device.

Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to access, correct, export, restrict the processing of, or delete the personal information we hold about you, and to withdraw consent or object to processing. To exercise any of these rights, email us at sam@guidedbysamnz.com. We will respond within the time required by applicable law.

7. Account and Data Deletion

You can ask us to delete your account and the personal information associated with it at any time. Email sam@guidedbysamnz.com with the subject line "Data Deletion Request" from the email address on your account. We will verify the request and delete the information within 30 days, except for records we are legally required to keep, such as completed purchase and tax records.

8. Children's Privacy

Guided by Sam is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us at sam@guidedbysamnz.com and we will delete it promptly.

9. International Users

GuidedBySam is based in New Zealand, and our service providers operate data centres in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and other countries. If you use the App from outside New Zealand, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in countries whose data protection laws differ from those in your own. By using the App, you consent to this transfer.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to the App or to legal requirements. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date above and, where the change is significant, provide notice within the App. Continued use of the App after an update means you accept the revised policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or about how your information is handled, contact us at:

GuidedBySam, New Zealand
Email: sam@guidedbysamnz.com
Website: guidedbysamnz.com

Guided by Sam — Privacy Policy