Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026
In short
FestMates has no sign-up and no account, and the content you create in the app stays on your phone. This page lists the cases in which personal data is processed and what we do with it.
What we process, and why
Anonymous error and usage data
When you use the app, we collect anonymous error reports and aggregated usage signals so we can fix bugs and improve the app. No advertising identifier is collected, no user identifier is set, and the data is not tied to you. Legal basis: legitimate interest in keeping the app reliable.
Location
If you grant the permission, the app uses your approximate location on your device to centre the map on where you are. This is not sent anywhere. Since version 2.0.0, if you choose to use Crew, the app's optional feature for sharing your live location with friends at a festival, your location is encrypted on your device and shared only with that Crew for as long as sharing is on, and only while the app is open. It's shared under a nickname you choose for that Crew, never tied to a real name, email, or profile. All Crew data is automatically deleted no later than 72 hours after the festival ends. You can decline location access and the rest of the app still works.
Adding your own festival
If you submit a festival that isn't in the app yet, the details you provide (including any photo you attach) are sent to us so we can review and add it.
Contact form
If you write to us through festmates.com/contact/, we receive your name, email, subject, and message, and we use them only to reply. The form is protected by a captcha to keep out spam. We do not add you to any mailing list. Legal basis: consent (you chose to send us the message). Messages are kept for as long as necessary to handle the conversation.
Who else sees the data
We rely on a few service providers to operate the app and the contact form. Each acts as a processor on our behalf, under its own privacy policy. Categories:
- App distribution (Apple App Store, Google Play Store).
- Map rendering (Apple Maps on iOS, Google Maps on Android).
- Anonymous error and usage diagnostics.
- Captcha and form routing for the website contact form.
- A server we operate to relay encrypted Crew locations between the members of a Crew.
Children
FestMates is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Your rights
Under the GDPR you have rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and data portability with regard to personal data we hold about you. Because there is no account and no server-side user record on our side, in practice the only personal data on file would be a contact-form message you sent us. To exercise any of these rights, write to us through festmates.com/contact/. To clear everything the app has ever stored on your phone, uninstall the app.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected here with a new last-updated date.
Contact
The data controller is the company named in the Impressum at festmates.com/impressum/. For privacy questions, reach us through the contact form at festmates.com/contact/.