Privacy Policy
Effective date: July 23, 2026 · Last updated: July 23, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Raymond Jacob Velez ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares information when you use the APERra mobile application (the "App"). By using the App, you agree to the practices described here.
Summary
- We collect the information needed to run the App: your account details, your precise location (to show nearby experiences and unlock regions), the content you create (chat messages, saved places, preferences), and — if you use voice — microphone audio for speech-to-text.
- We use a small number of trusted service providers to operate features: Supabase (hosting and database), Anthropic (the AI that powers your travel companion), and Mapbox (maps and navigation).
- We do not track you across other apps or websites, we do not use advertising, and we do not sell your personal information. We do not use analytics or crash-reporting SDKs.
- You can delete your account and all associated data at any time, directly in the App.
Information we collect
Account information
When you create an account, we collect your email address and a display name. If you sign in with a third-party provider (such as Apple or Google), we receive basic profile information from that provider to create your account. You may optionally add a profile photo from your device's photo library or camera.
Location information
With your permission, we collect your device's precise location to show cultural experiences near you, render maps, provide navigation, and unlock regions as you explore. You can grant or revoke location access at any time in your device settings; some features will not work without it. Your precise coordinates are used to look up nearby places and to render maps, and to record which regions you have unlocked. We do not build an ongoing history of your movements for advertising or profiling.
Content you create
- Messages you send to your AI travel companion (whether typed or spoken).
- Saved places and generated itineraries.
- Traveler preferences and companion settings you choose.
- Progress such as badges earned and regions or discoveries you have unlocked.
Date of birth
Some content in the App is intended only for adults. If you choose to access age-restricted content, we ask for your date of birth to confirm you meet the minimum age. Your date of birth is stored privately on your account, is visible only to you, and is used solely to determine your eligibility for age-restricted content. Providing it is optional — you can use the rest of the App without it. It is never shared with our AI provider or used for advertising or profiling.
Voice and audio
If you choose to speak to your companion, the App accesses your microphone and uses your device's built-in speech-recognition service (provided by Apple on iOS or Google on Android) to convert your speech into text. That conversion may involve your operating-system provider processing the audio under their own terms. We do not store raw audio recordings — only the resulting text becomes a message, handled like any other message you send.
Information we do not collect
We do not use third-party analytics, advertising, attribution, or crash-reporting tools. We do not collect your contacts, browsing history, or device advertising identifiers.
How we use your information
| Purpose | Information used |
|---|---|
| Create and secure your account | Email, display name, sign-in identifiers |
| Show nearby experiences, maps, navigation, and region unlocks | Precise location |
| Power your AI travel companion's responses | Your messages and related place/context |
| Save your places, itineraries, and preferences | Content you create |
| Confirm eligibility for age-restricted content | Date of birth |
| Enable voice input | Microphone audio (converted to text) |
| Enforce fair-use limits and keep the service reliable | Counts of activity, such as daily message usage |
We do not use your information for third-party advertising or to track you across other companies' apps or websites.
How your AI companion works
To generate your companion's replies, we send the content of your conversation, along with relevant context (such as the general place or region under discussion, the companion or "lens" you have chosen, and nearby points of interest) to Anthropic, the provider of the Claude AI models. Anthropic processes this information on our behalf to produce a response. We do not send your email address, your account username, or your precise GPS coordinates to Anthropic — location is first resolved into place names within our own systems. Anthropic's handling of API data is governed by its commercial terms; Anthropic does not use data submitted through its API to train its models by default.
Maps and navigation
We use Mapbox to display maps and provide turn-by-turn navigation. To do this, your location and map interactions are processed by Mapbox on our behalf, subject to Mapbox's privacy practices.
Service providers
We share information only with providers who process it on our behalf to deliver the App, under contractual confidentiality and security obligations:
| Provider | Role | Information involved |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Hosting, database, authentication, storage | Account data, content, location-derived data |
| Anthropic | AI companion responses | Conversation content and place/context (not email, username, or precise coordinates) |
| Mapbox | Maps and navigation | Location and map interactions |
| Apple / Google | Operating-system speech recognition; app-store sign-in and billing | Microphone audio for transcription; sign-in and (if applicable) purchase processing |
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing.
Data retention
We keep your account information and content for as long as your account is active. Your messages and saved content remain until you delete them or delete your account. We do not retain raw voice audio. When you delete your account, we delete your associated data as described below.
Your rights and choices
- Access and correction: You can view and update your display name and profile photo in the App.
- Permissions: You can grant or revoke location, microphone, camera, and photo access in your device settings at any time.
- Account deletion: You can permanently delete your account and all associated data from within the App (see below). You may also contact us at privacy@aperra.app.
Depending on where you live (for example, under California, USA law), you may have additional rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict the use of your personal information. To exercise them, contact us at privacy@aperra.app.
Deleting your account
In the App, open Settings and choose Delete Account. After a two-step confirmation, your account and all data owned by it — including your profile, messages, saved places, and progress — are permanently deleted. This action cannot be undone.
Children's privacy
APERra is not directed to children. You must be at least 16 years old to use the App. Some content is intended for adults and is gated accordingly. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the applicable minimum age. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us at privacy@aperra.app and we will delete it.
Data storage and international transfers
Your information is stored and processed on infrastructure located in the United States, and by the service providers listed above. If you access the App from another country, your information may be transferred to and processed in these locations, which may have different data-protection laws than your own.
Security
We use industry-standard safeguards, including encryption of data in transit (TLS) and access controls, to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice in the App.
Contact us
Questions about this policy or your information? Contact Raymond Jacob Velez at privacy@aperra.app.