Loci Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Loci is an audio guide app for iPhone, made by Enes Akar (“we”). This page explains what information Loci uses, why, who else handles it, and how to have it deleted.
The short version
- There are no accounts. We never ask for your name, email address or phone number.
- There are no ads, no analytics and no tracking. We don’t sell or share your information.
- If you allow it, your location is used to find places near you. We use it to answer that request and don’t store it.
- The app makes a random device ID. It is how we remember your free guides, the places you listened to and liked, and whether you have Premium.
- The services that make the guides never see anything about you.
What we collect and why
A random device ID
The first time you open Loci, the app creates a random ID and keeps it in your iPhone’s Keychain, so it stays the same if you delete and reinstall the app. It is not your Apple ID, your phone’s advertising identifier or anything else that names you. The app sends it with every request to our server, and we use it to:
- count the free guides you play each month;
- keep your Listened list and your Liked places;
- know whether you have a Premium subscription;
- stop a single device from overloading the service.
Your location
Only if you allow it in iOS, and only while you use the app. The app sends your latitude and longitude with requests for nearby and popular places, and with searches and place pages so it can show how far away things are. Our server uses them to answer that request and does not save them. Your iPhone also asks Apple for the name of your city to show at the top of the Explore screen; that request goes from your phone to Apple, not to us.
You can turn location off at any time in iOS Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Loci. You can still search for places without it.
What you listened to and liked
Stored with your device ID:
- the places whose guides you played this month, to count your free guides;
- your last 100 played places and when you played them, for the Listened list;
- up to 500 places you liked and when, for the Liked list.
We store which places, not where you were when you played them.
Your subscription
Purchases are handled by Apple. We never see your name, Apple ID, email address or payment details. When you subscribe or restore a purchase, the app sends Apple’s signed purchase records to our server. We check that they are genuine and keep only the date your Premium access ends. The app tags the purchase with your device ID, so Apple can tell our server about renewals, cancellations and refunds.
Searches
What you type in search is used to find matching places and is not stored.
Technical logs
Like most online services, our hosting provider automatically records basic details of each request: the time, your IP address, the address requested (which can include your coordinates or device ID) and the app version. These logs are used only to keep the service running and fix problems, and are deleted after 1 day. To stop overuse, our server also briefly counts requests per device ID, or per IP address when there is no device ID; each count expires after about a minute.
On your iPhone only
The app keeps a few settings on your phone: your guide language, whether you have seen the welcome screen and which Library tab you last opened. These never leave your device.
What we don’t collect
- Your name, email address, phone number or any account details.
- Your contacts, photos, microphone or other files on your phone.
- Your advertising identifier. We don’t track you across other apps or websites.
- Location history. We don’t keep where you have been.
The app contains no advertising, analytics or third-party tracking code.
Guides
A guide is made once for each place and language and then played to everyone who asks for it. Making it uses only public information about the place, never your device ID, location or anything else about you.
Who else handles data
We use these service providers. They handle data only to provide their service to us.
| Provider | What they do and what they receive |
|---|---|
| Hosting provider | Hosts our server, so it receives every request the app makes (see Technical logs). |
| Database and storage provider | Holds the data listed above under your device ID, plus places, photos and guide audio. Also runs place search. |
| Services that make the guides | Write and voice the guides. They receive only public information about places, never anything about you. |
| Apple | Handles purchases and subscriptions, and looks up your city name. Apple’s own privacy policy applies to that. |
Place information and photos come from public sources, credited on each place page. Our server fetches them; your phone contacts those sites only if you tap a link to read more there, where their own privacy policies apply.
Our server runs in the eastern United States. The data stored under your device ID is kept in the eastern United States, with a copy in Frankfurt, Germany, so the app answers faster in Europe. Requests may pass through the hosting provider’s network near you on their way to our server. If you use Loci outside the United States, your data is sent to and processed in the United States.
How long we keep it
| Location and search text | Not stored. |
| This month’s played places | Deleted automatically a day after the month ends. |
| Premium end date | Deleted automatically when your subscription ends. |
| Listened list and Liked places | Kept until you ask us to delete them. Only your last 100 played places and 500 likes are kept; you can unlike a place in the app at any time. |
| Request counts for overuse | About a minute. |
| Hosting logs | 1 day. |
Deleting your data
Because we don’t know who you are, your device ID is the only way to find your data. To have it deleted, email support@hearloci.com with your device ID, which you can find in the app under Settings › About › Device ID (tap it to copy it). We will delete everything stored under it within 30 days and confirm by email.
Please note:
- Deleting the app does not delete data on our server, and the device ID can survive a reinstall because it is kept in the Keychain.
- Deleting your data does not cancel a subscription. Cancel in iOS Settings › your name › Subscriptions. While a subscription is active, the app tells our server again so Premium keeps working.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, including the European Union, the United Kingdom and California, you may have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, to object to or restrict how we use it, and to receive a copy of it. Email support@hearloci.com with your device ID to make a request. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
We use your device ID and the data stored with it to provide the service you asked for, including your subscription; your location only with your permission; and technical logs and request counts because we have a legitimate interest in keeping the service secure and working.
Children
Loci is not directed at children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has used Loci and want their data deleted, contact us as described above.
Security
All traffic between the app and our server is encrypted with HTTPS. Access to our database and service providers is limited to the people who run Loci.
Changes to this policy
If we change how Loci uses data, we will update this page and the date at the top.
Contact
Enes Akar
support@hearloci.com