Underway Privacy Policy

Underway Privacy Policy

Effective date: July 29, 2026

Underway is a community app for reporting and viewing recreational boating hazards. This policy explains what information the app collects, how it is used, and the choices you have. The short version: we collect only what the app needs to function — an anonymous account identifier, your location when you use the app, and the reports you choose to share — and we never sell data, show ads, or track you across other apps and websites.

Questions? Email us at support@joinunderway.com.

Information we collect

Account identifier (Sign in with Apple). Underway requires Sign in with Apple. We deliberately request no personal scopes from Apple, so we never receive your name or email address — only Apple's stable anonymous identifier for your account. We use it to create your Underway account and to associate your reports with it.

Optional display name. You may set a display name in Settings. It is optional, chosen by you, and stored with your account.

Device identifier. The app generates a random identifier on your device (it is not Apple's advertising identifier or any hardware identifier). Our servers store only a cryptographic hash of it. We use it to attribute reports, apply rate limits, and enforce bans against abusive accounts.

Precise location. With your permission, the app uses your location while you are using it to center the map, tag the spot where you report a hazard, show nearby hazards and places, and fetch local marine conditions. Hazard reports include the reported position and the GPS accuracy at the time. If you enable hazard alerts, you also choose a "home waters" area (a point and radius) that is stored with your push registration so we know which new hazards to notify you about. The app never accesses your location in the background, and you can decline or revoke location access in iOS Settings (you can still browse the map without it).

Content you submit. Hazard reports (category, position, timestamps), confirmations and "gone" votes, comments, and any photos you attach to comments. Photos are re-encoded on your device before upload, which removes embedded metadata such as the camera's recorded location.

Push notification token. If you opt in to notifications, we store your device's Apple push token together with your home-waters area and your per-type notification preferences, solely to deliver the alerts you asked for.

Data stored only on your device. App settings (units, alert sounds, map preferences), your session credentials, and a local cache of reports are stored on your device and are not collected beyond what is described above.

Information we do not collect

We do not collect your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos library (beyond the individual photos you choose to attach), health data, financial data, or browsing history. The app contains no advertising, analytics, or crash-reporting SDKs, does not track you across other companies' apps or websites, and we never sell or rent your information.

IP addresses are used transiently in server memory to rate-limit abusive traffic; they are not stored in our database or logs.

Apple provides us aggregated, anonymized app-usage statistics (such as download and crash counts) through App Store Connect, drawn only from users who have opted in to share analytics with developers in iOS Settings. That data is collected by Apple under Apple's privacy policy and never identifies you to us.

How we use information

• Operate the app: display hazards on the map, sync your reports, show conditions and nearby places.
• Deliver the notifications you opt in to.
• Moderate content and keep the community safe: review flagged reports and comments, and ban accounts that abuse the service.
• Maintain security and prevent abuse (rate limiting, duplicate detection).

We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, or any purpose unrelated to running Underway.

What other users see

Hazard reports, confirmations, and comments are visible to all Underway users immediately, including the reported position and time. They are shown without your name or any personal identifier. Do not include personal information in report comments or photos.

Sharing and service providers

We share information only with the service providers that run Underway, and only so they can provide their service to us:

• Apple — Sign in with Apple (account verification) and the Apple Push Notification service (delivering alerts). Alert payloads describe the new hazard, not your location.
• Fly.io — hosts our servers and managed database.
• Tigris — stores uploaded photos.

Marine conditions come from NOAA / the National Weather Service, and official notices come from the U.S. Coast Guard; we fetch that data server-side and your location is never sent to those agencies.

We may disclose information if required by law, or to protect the safety of users and the public. If Underway is ever acquired or merged, user data may transfer as part of that transaction under this policy's protections.

Data retention

• Your account and reports are kept while your account is active.
• Sessions expire after 180 days of inactivity.
• Temporary hazards expire automatically after their category's lifetime or when enough boaters mark them gone.
• Unattached photo uploads are deleted after 7 days.
• Moderation records (flags, ban status) are kept as long as needed to keep the community safe.

Deleting your account

You can delete your account at any time in Settings → Delete Account. Deletion removes your profile, revokes your Sign in with Apple connection, deletes your comments and any hazards that only you contributed to, and anonymizes (permanently unlinks from you) hazards that other boaters have since confirmed or commented on — those remain on the map for safety, with no connection to your account. You can also email support@joinunderway.com to request deletion.

Your choices

• Location — grant, deny, or revoke access in iOS Settings; the map remains browsable without it.
• Notifications — entirely opt-in; disable them in the app or in iOS Settings at any time.
• Display name — optional; set, change, or clear it in Settings.
• Account — delete it in Settings as described above.

Depending on where you live, you may have legal rights to access, correct, or delete your personal information. Because we hold so little — no name, no email — the account deletion above covers essentially everything we store about you; contact support@joinunderway.com to exercise any right and we will respond as required by applicable law.

Security

Data is sent over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Session tokens and device identifiers are stored server-side only as cryptographic hashes, and credentials on your device are kept in the iOS Keychain. No system is perfectly secure, but we design the app to hold as little personal information as possible.

Children

Underway is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact support@joinunderway.com and we will delete it.

Safety disclaimer

Underway is a casual community layer, not navigation-grade safety software. Reports are user-generated and may be inaccurate, outdated, or missing. Always rely on official charts, notices to mariners, and your own judgment.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will update it at this address and revise the effective date. Material changes (for example, if advertising is ever added) will be highlighted in the app.

Contact

Underway · support@joinunderway.com

Last updated: August 5, 2026