Privacy policy

Last updated October 24, 2026

5 Good Spots is a place to make short lists of good spots and share them. This page explains what we collect when you use the website or the iOS app, why, and what you can do about it. The short version: we keep what you need to have an account and publish lists, we don't sell it, and we don't run ads or third-party trackers.

What we collect

• Your account. You sign in with Apple. Apple gives us an ID for your account and, the first time you sign in, your name and an email address. If you choose “Hide My Email”, that address is a relay Apple forwards to you, not your real one. You also choose a handle, and can add a profile photo, a bio and links.
• What you make. Lists and their spots, tips, photos and captions, comments, +1s, saves, collections, follows, and reports you send us.
• Photos. When you add a photo, your device makes resized copies and uploads only those. They have no metadata, so the time and location the photo was taken are not uploaded. The original stays on your device.
• Sign-in sessions. While you're signed in we keep the IP address and browser or device type you signed in from, to keep your account secure. They're deleted when you sign out or delete your account.
• Your location, only when you ask. “Near me” and the map send your current location to find lists nearby. We use it to answer that request and don't store it. Checking in is different: see Visits below.

Visits: your check-in history

Visits is an optional, private history of the places you've been. Nothing is collected for it unless you import a history or check in, and only you can see any of it.

• What it keeps. For each check-in: the place, the time and your time zone, where you were when you checked in (and how accurate that was), and any note you added. From a Swarm import, also the visits your phone noticed (where and from when to when), the places you liked, and your check-in photos.
• Suggestions from your photos. The iPhone app can suggest places you've been from where and when your photos were taken. That's worked out on your phone; your photos and their locations aren't sent to us. Only the suggestions you confirm are saved, as check-ins, along with where the photos were taken. To leave out ones you've already logged, the app fetches your own check-ins for that time.
• Importing from Swarm. Your Foursquare export is read on your device. Only its check-ins, visits, photos and place ratings are sent to us; your contacts, payment details and devices never leave it.
• Photos. Check-in photos are resized on your device and stripped of metadata, including where they were taken. They're stored apart from public photos and only ever shown to you.
• Finding each place. To match an imported place to Apple Maps, we send Apple its name and the area you checked in from, without anything that identifies you. Places named like a home (“Home”, “Kate's House”) are never sent. A place Apple doesn't know stays a pin only you can see.
• What's shared. Once a Foursquare place is matched to an Apple Maps place, that pairing (the two place IDs) is reused for other people's imports, so their history comes in matched too. It says nothing about who went there, or when.
• Removing it. You can delete a single check-in, undo a whole import (which removes everything it added), or delete your account, which removes all of your Visits history and its photos.

What stays on your device

To show you the photos you took at a spot, the iOS app keeps an index of where the photos in your library were taken. It's built and kept on your phone and is never uploaded. The app only reads your library if you give it permission, and you can change that in iOS Settings at any time.

What's public

Your handle, name, profile photo, bio, links and published lists (with their spots, photos and tips) are public, as are your comments on public lists and the +1 counts they add to. If you make your account private, only followers you approve can see your lists. Drafts, saves, collections and your Visits history are only visible to you.

How we use it

To run the service: to sign you in, publish and show your lists, show you activity on your lists, keep the service secure, and review reports and enforce the terms. We don't sell your information, use it for advertising, or share it with data brokers.

Who else handles it

• Cloudflare hosts the website and API and stores the database and photos.
• Apple handles Sign in with Apple, and place searches, maps and matching imported places go through Apple Maps.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect people from harm. If 5 Good Spots is ever sold or merged, your information would move with it under this policy.

Cookies and local storage

The website sets one cookie to keep you signed in. There are no advertising or analytics cookies.

Keeping and deleting your information

We keep your information while you have an account. You can edit your profile at any time, and delete your account in the iOS app under Profile → Delete account, or by emailing us. Deleting your account removes your profile, lists, photos, comments, +1s, saves, follows and Visits history, and disconnects 5 Good Spots from your Apple ID. Copies can stay in our backups for up to 30 days before they're overwritten.

Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, export or delete your information, or to object to how we use it. Email support@5goodspots.com and we'll respond within 30 days.

Children

5 Good Spots isn't for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you think a child has an account, let us know and we'll delete it.

Changes

If we change this policy we'll update the date above, and tell you in the app before a significant change takes effect.

Contact

Questions or requests: support@5goodspots.com.