fitkin privacy policy

Effective: August 2026, updated October 2026. fitkin is operated by PathoBrainSeq Inc. (contact: pathobrainseq+fitkin@gmail.com).

what we collect

• Your first name, the sports you pick, your training preferences, the days you're available, and your area: a US ZIP code you type, or — only if you tap "use my location" — a coarse ~5km area code computed on your device.
• If you choose to sign in with Apple or Google, we receive your name and email address from that provider, used only to keep your account signed in across devices. Guest mode collects neither.
• If you choose to add a profile photo or share a workout moment, we store that photo and show it to other fitkin users — your profile photo appears wherever your card appears, and workout moments are visible to users near your area. Photos are screened automatically on your device before upload whenever the screening model is available, every photo can be reported in one tap, and every report is reviewed by a human within 24 hours, and you can delete your photos (and your whole account) in the app at any time.
• If you choose to, you can add an age range (e.g. 25–34) and how you identify (woman / man / non-binary) to your card. Both are optional, shown on your card to other users, and used only so people can filter for kin near their age or a group they're comfortable training with. You can leave either blank or change it any time.
• If you allow notifications in the fitkin app, we store the push token your phone issues for fitkin so we can notify you about waves, messages, and new kin near your area. It is removed when you delete your account.
• Messages you send to a kin are stored so the conversation shows up for both of you. Only the two of you can read them; we do not show them to anyone else or use them for anything other than delivering them (a human may look at a specific message only if it is reported).
• If you rate a kin after training together (stars, a few tags, an optional one-line comment and an optional level check), we store that review. It is shown on their card to other fitkin users 14 days after you post it. You can edit or delete your own reviews.
• If you report someone or send us a message from the help screen, we store what you wrote (and, for reports, who you reported) so a human can review it.
• If you log a workout (the sport, how long, an optional distance and a short note, with the date), we store it so you can see your own history and weekly summary. Your workout log is shown only to you and to kin you have connected with by waving back and forth — never to people nearby or to the public. You can edit or delete any entry, and all entries are deleted with your account.
• If you cheer someone's workout moment, we store that you did so you can undo it. Other users see only the number of cheers, never who gave them. Cheers you gave are removed when you delete your account.
• That's it. We do not collect your phone number, your contacts, or your precise location. Location is optional: if you grant it, your phone converts the coordinates into a rough ~5km area code on-device and only that area code ever leaves your phone — exact coordinates are never sent or stored.
• To show you the name of your area (e.g. "near Palo Alto"), the app looks up the ~5km area's center point (never your exact location) or your typed ZIP against a public geocoding service (Zippopotam.us for ZIP codes, BigDataCloud for area centers). Like any web request this reveals your IP address to that service, but nothing about your identity or exact location is sent.

what we do with it

• Your kin card (name, sports, preferences, area) is visible to other fitkin users near your area — that visibility is the product: it's how kin find each other.
• Kin connections happen when you deliberately share your kin code (QR), and messages are private between the two of you.
• The QR scanner uses the camera only to read kin codes, entirely on your device — scanner frames are never uploaded or saved. Photos enter fitkin only when you deliberately choose one for your profile or a workout moment.
• You can block any kin (they can no longer message you) and report anyone from inside a chat.

what we never do

• No selling data. No ads. No trackers or analytics SDKs.
• No precise location: we store only the 5-digit ZIP code you choose to type (your card shows other users just its first 3 digits) or an optional ~5km area code computed on your device — never GPS coordinates. Cards can only be read by signed-in fitkin users.

storage & deletion

Data is stored in Google Firebase (Firestore, US). To delete your account, tap "delete my profile" inside the app — it removes your card and your sign-in from our servers immediately. You can also email pathobrainseq+fitkin@gmail.com from any address with your first name and ZIP or area; we delete within 7 days.

Deleting in the app also removes your kin connections, waves, workout log, cheers, push token and kin code. What it does not remove on its own: blocks, reports and help messages you sent, and messages already delivered to a kin's chat (none of these are shown under your name once your card is gone). Email us and we remove them too within 7 days.

community rules

• fitkin is for finding workout partners. harassment, hate, sexual content, spam, or using fitkin for anything other than meeting people to train with gets your profile removed.
• every report is reviewed by a human. blocked users can never message you again — enforced on our servers, not just your phone.
• meet smart: first workouts in public places, tell a friend where you're going.