Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Festival Wayfinder is an independent mobile application for browsing theme park food festival booth menus, building tasting wishlists, and navigating the park. Currently supporting all four EPCOT food festivals, with additional parks planned. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle information when you use the Festival Wayfinder app.

Questions? Contact us at privacy@festivalwayfinder.app.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

We collect information you actively enter into the App:

• Display name: an optional name you choose, used only within the App for shared wishlist sharing.
• Wishlist items: dishes and drinks you save across supported festivals and parks.
• Ratings and comments: personal star ratings (1 to 5) and tasting notes you write for menu items.
• Share codes: codes you generate or enter to link wishlists with a travel partner or load recommendations.
• Optional account link (Apple or Google): if you choose to sign in with your Apple ID or Google account, we receive a unique account identifier and, depending on your sharing preferences, your name and email address. This is used to enable cross-device cloud syncing and Festival Pass purchase recovery. Account linking is never required to use the App.

Information Collected Automatically

• Anonymous session ID: a randomly generated, anonymous identifier created on first launch via Firebase Anonymous Authentication. This is not linked to your name, email, or any external identity.
• Location data: your GPS coordinates, used to display your position on the park map and trigger proximity alerts for nearby wishlisted booths. Location data is processed on-device and is not transmitted to our servers.
• App usage data: basic crash reports and performance metrics collected via Firebase Crashlytics to help us fix bugs. This data is anonymized and contains no personally identifiable information.

Information We Do Not Collect

• Your name, email address, or phone number (unless you contact us directly)
• Payment or financial information
• Social media credentials
• Browsing history outside of the App
• Advertising identifiers

3. How We Use Your Information

• Providing core app functionality including displaying your wishlist, ratings, and tasting notes, and enabling GPS map features and proximity alerts.
• Partner wishlist syncing: when you activate the Partner Link feature, your wishlist items are synced to Firestore so your travel companion can view and edit them in real time.
• Recommendations: when you enter a Recommendation share code, the recommender's saved ratings and notes are displayed alongside your own for comparison. This data is read-only and does not merge with your wishlist.
• Cross-device cloud sync: when you link your Apple or Google account, your wishlist, ratings, and tasting notes are synced to the cloud so they are available across all your devices.
• Purchase recovery: your Festival Pass purchase is tied to your linked account, allowing you to restore it on a new or replacement device.
• App improvements: anonymized crash reports help us identify and fix bugs. We do not use this data for marketing or profiling.

4. Data Storage

On-Device Storage

The majority of your data including wishlist, ratings, comments, allergy preferences, filter settings, and GPS toggle is stored locally on your device using device storage (MMKV). This data does not leave your device unless you use partner sharing features.

Cloud Storage (Firebase / Firestore)

The following data is stored in our Firebase project hosted on Google Cloud:

• Your wishlist items, keyed to your anonymous session ID, when a Partner Link is active
• Recommendation snapshots (items, ratings, comments) linked to a recommendation share code
• A minimal user document containing your anonymous ID, creation timestamp, and wishlist reference
• If you link an Apple or Google account: your account identifier and, if provided, your name and email address, used to associate your data across devices and support purchase recovery

Additionally, all wishlists are stored in Firestore to support future aggregate and anonymized usage metrics, for example to understand which booths and items are most popular across the app. This data is always associated with your anonymous session ID only and is never linked to your identity.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• With your travel partner: when you activate the Partner Link feature, your wishlisted items are visible to the person you share your code with.
• With Google / Firebase: as our backend service provider for anonymous authentication, Firestore database, and Crashlytics. Google's use of this data is governed by their Privacy Policy.
• With Apple: if you choose to sign in with Apple, your authentication is handled by Apple's Sign in with Apple service. Apple's use of this data is governed by their Privacy Policy.
• When required by law: if we are required to disclose information by applicable law, court order, or government authority.

6. Location Data

Festival Wayfinder requests access to your device's location to support GPS map features and proximity alerts for wishlisted booths.

• Location access is used in two ways: displaying your live position on the Map tab, and running a background task that monitors your proximity to wishlisted booths and triggers alerts when you get close.
• The background proximity task requires location access to remain active when the app is not in the foreground, so alerts fire even when you are not actively viewing the map.
• Location data is processed on-device in real time. Coordinates are not stored persistently or transmitted to our servers.
• Location access is optional. Booth browsing, wishlisting, and all other features work without it.
• You can revoke location permissions at any time through your device's Settings app. Revoking permission will disable both the map display and proximity alerts.

7. Children's Privacy

Festival Wayfinder is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at privacy@festivalwayfinder.app and we will promptly delete it.

8. Data Retention

On-device data is retained until you uninstall the App or clear its data. Cloud data associated with your anonymous session is retained for up to 12 months of inactivity, after which it may be automatically deleted. You may request deletion of your cloud data at any time by contacting us.

9. Your Rights

• The right to access what data we hold about your anonymous session
• The right to request deletion of your cloud-stored data
• The right to withdraw consent for location access at any time via device settings

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@festivalwayfinder.app.

10. Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information, including using Firebase's built-in security rules to ensure that users can only access their own Firestore data. However, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will provide notice within the App. Continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact