Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Beach is operated by Block 19 LLP ("Beach", "we", "us", "our"), a limited liability partnership registered in Singapore. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal data when you use the Beach mobile app and related services (the "Service").

2. When this policy applies

This policy applies whenever you use Beach — the iOS or Android app, the website at beachapp.co, and any other product we say it covers. Because Beach is only for people aged 18 and over, this policy assumes you are an adult.

3. Information we collect

3.1 Information you give us

When you create an account and set up your profile we collect:

• Authentication details — we sign you in using Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google. We receive a unique identifier from the provider and, in some cases, an email address.
• Profile details — a username, a display name, your date of birth, your gender (male, female, or non-binary), your country, the languages you speak, and your interests.
• Your avatar — an emoji you pick from a curated set, plus any profile image you choose to upload.

We use your date of birth to confirm you are 18 or older. We do not publicly display it.

3.2 Content you create on Beach

When you use Beach you create and share content: posts (text, photos, GIFs), comments on posts, direct messages (text, photos, GIFs, voice messages), and messages you send in chat rooms. We store this content on our servers so we can show it to the people you intend to reach.

• Photos are stored in secure cloud storage, capped at 5 MB each.
• Voice messages are view-once. Once the recipient listens, the audio file is deleted from our servers.
• If you are a Beach Pro subscriber and translation is enabled on a conversation, voice audio is sent to Google's Gemini API to generate a transcript and translation in the recipient's language. Google processes this audio as our service provider. See "Service providers" below.
• If you use the Report feature to flag a post, message, or user, we keep a record of your report so our moderation team can review it.

3.3 Location data

Beach has an optional Nearby feature that shows other users roughly within 100 miles of you. To make this work we need your approximate location. With your permission, we collect:

• Your current latitude and longitude, captured when you open the Nearby tab or the app. We do not track your location in the background.
• The timestamp of when your location was updated.

You can decline location access or revoke it at any time in your device settings. If you decline, the Nearby feature will not work, but the rest of Beach will. Other users see your approximate distance from them, never your exact coordinates.

3.4 Device and usage data

We collect limited information about your device and how you use Beach so we can keep the Service running, find bugs, and understand what works.

• Device information — device model, operating system version, app version, screen size, language, and time zone.
• Usage events — which screens you open, which features you use, session timestamps, and crash reports.
• Push notification tokens — a token issued by Apple (APNs) or Google (FCM) so we can deliver the notifications you've opted into.
• No advertising IDs. We do not collect Apple's IDFA or Android's Advertising ID, and we do not show the App Tracking Transparency prompt because Beach does not track you across other apps or websites.

3.5 Purchases

If you buy a Beach Pro subscription or a pack of Beach credits, the purchase is processed by Apple (on iOS) or Google (on Android), not by Beach directly. We receive a record that a purchase happened — its product ID, the entitlement you unlocked, and (for subscriptions) its current status — via our payments partner RevenueCat. We do not receive your card number, billing address, or any other payment credentials.

3.6 Communications with us

If you contact us by email at hi@beachapp.co or through an in-app report, we keep a record of your message and our reply so we can help you and improve our Service.

4. How we use your information

We use personal data to:

• Create and run your account, keep you signed in, and help you recover access if you need it.
• Show you the parts of Beach that should be visible to you (your feed, your chats, Nearby) and show other people the content you intended to share.
• Enforce our rule that Beach is for people aged 18 and over.
• Process purchases you make, track your subscription status, and maintain your credits balance.
• Send you push notifications for events you've chosen to be notified about.
• Investigate abuse, harassment, fraud, or attempts to violate our Terms or Community Guidelines, and take action on reports we receive.
• Fix bugs, measure performance, and improve Beach over time.
• Comply with our legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.

We do not use your personal data to show you advertisements, and we do not sell your personal data.

5. Who we share with

We share personal data only as described below.

5.1 Service providers

Beach is built on top of several trusted providers. Each receives only the data it needs to do its job and is contractually required to protect that data.

• Google Firebase — authentication, database (Firestore), realtime presence, file storage, cloud functions, and push notification infrastructure. Data here is stored in Google Cloud's us-central1 region (Iowa, USA).
• Amplitude — product analytics. Amplitude receives usage events and basic device information. Amplitude does not receive your messages or your photos.
• RevenueCat — in-app purchase processing and entitlement sync.
• Apple and Google — authentication, push notification delivery (APNs, FCM), and in-app billing.
• Google Gemini — for Pro subscribers using voice translation, Google's Gemini API processes voice message audio to produce a transcript and translation. Audio is processed on our behalf as a service provider.
• Klipy — provides GIF search results when you send a GIF.

5.2 Other users of Beach

Content and profile information you make available on Beach is, by design, shown to other users. This includes:

• Your public profile (username, display name, avatar, gender, country, languages, interests).
• Posts, comments, and public chat room messages you create.
• Your approximate distance from a viewer (if you've enabled Nearby) — never your exact coordinates.
• Your Beach Pro badge, if you have one.
• Whether you are currently online and when you were last active.

Direct messages are shown only to the participants of the conversation.

5.3 Legal and safety

We may share personal data when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with a lawful request (subpoena, court order, or similar legal process).
• Investigate, prevent, or take action against suspected fraud, abuse, or violations of our Terms or Community Guidelines.
• Protect the safety, rights, or property of any person, including reporting suspected crimes to the appropriate authorities.

5.4 Business transfers

If Block 19 LLP is involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganisation, or sale of assets, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. Your data will remain protected by terms at least as strong as this policy.

6. International data transfers

Beach's servers are hosted by Google Cloud Platform in the United States (us-central1, Iowa). If you use Beach from outside the United States, your personal data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using Beach you consent to this transfer for the purposes described in this policy. Where required by law (for example, for users in the EEA, UK, or other jurisdictions that restrict cross-border transfers), we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Google Cloud's Standard Contractual Clauses.

7. How long we keep information

• Your account and profile — for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, we hard-delete your profile, your posts, your direct messages, and your uploaded files. Messages you sent in public chat rooms are kept but stamped as "from a deleted user" so conversations remain readable.
• Voice messages — deleted from our servers as soon as the recipient first listens.
• Reports — retained for a reasonable period so we can investigate patterns of abuse, even after a reported account is closed.
• Backups and anti-abuse records — operational backups are kept for up to 90 days. Anti-abuse data may be retained longer where necessary to protect the community.
• Purchase records — retained for as long as required for tax, accounting, and audit purposes.

8. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you have rights over your personal data. We honour these rights for every Beach user regardless of location unless a legal exception applies.

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data. Most profile fields can be edited directly in the app.
• Deletion — ask us to delete your account and personal data. You can also trigger this yourself from the app's settings.
• Portability — ask for your personal data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Object or withdraw consent — object to certain uses of your data or withdraw consent where processing is based on it. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing before your withdrawal.
• Lodge a complaint — you can contact the data protection authority in your country. In Singapore that is the Personal Data Protection Commission.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hi@beachapp.co. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Security

We use commercially reasonable measures to protect your personal data — encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, access controls on our infrastructure, and regular review of our security practices. No system is perfectly secure; if we become aware of a data breach that affects your personal data, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

10. Children's data

Beach is an 18+ service. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If we learn that someone under 18 has created an account, we will suspend the account, delete the associated data, and block the user from re-registering until they reach the age of majority. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at hi@beachapp.co.

11. Third-party links

Beach may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. Please read their privacy policies before providing them with personal information.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the Service or by other reasonable means before the changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

13. How to contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how Beach handles your personal data, email us at hi@beachapp.co.

Block 19 LLP
Registered in Singapore