This Privacy Policy explains how Guide Labs LLC ("Guide Labs," "we," "us," or "our") handles personal information in the Guide Labs mobile apps that link to this policy (each an "App" and collectively the "Apps"), and their related purchase, recovery, account deletion, and support services.
The Apps covered here include iOS and Android versions where available. Features vary by App, platform, and release, including test versions. Descriptions of a feature or service apply only where that feature or service is available.
The privacy rights and choices below apply across the covered Apps.
At a glance
- No advertising: We do not show ads, sell personal information, build advertising profiles, or track you across other companies' apps and websites for advertising.
- Limited collection and retention: We limit the personal information we collect, use, and retain to what is reasonably needed to provide and protect the Apps, support you, and meet legal obligations.
- No device location access: The App does not request your device's location. Map coordinates describe guidebook destinations, not your position.
- Local reading records: Bookmarks, recent searches, recently viewed history, and preferences are stored on your device, rather than synchronized to a Guide Labs account. Your device backups may include these records.
- No continuing login to read: You can read already downloaded guidebooks without staying signed in to a recovery account.
- Payment details stay with payment providers: We do not receive your complete payment card or bank account details.
- You have choices: You can ask us to remove personal information or withdraw a submission without deleting an account.
Information we handle
Submissions and support
A "submission" is a correction, suggestion, photograph, or other material you send us for editorial review. We receive the material, the name and email address you provide, the relevant book or content item, and submission times. We use this information to review and respond to submissions and improve the guidebook. Guide Labs and the guidebook publishers, authors, and editors we work with may review the submission and its contact details when authorized to work on the relevant guidebook, for those purposes. We do not use submission contact details for marketing.
When you contact support, we receive the information you provide, such as your email address, message, platform, or purchase receipt. We use it to answer you, verify or restore purchases, and handle refunds, disputes, or legal obligations.
Recovery accounts
We use your email address and account identifiers to verify you, recover eligible purchases, and provide account support. Our authentication service helps us verify your email. This information is not used for unrelated marketing. Reading already downloaded guidebooks does not require a continuing login.
Installation security and connections
The App sends an installation identifier and technical information used to verify genuine installations, prevent fraud, and protect the service and guidebooks. Our servers and service providers also receive connection information, such as an IP address, when handling requests.
Diagnostics
We use crash and reliability reports to find and fix problems. Reports can include error details, app and operating system versions, update information, operation timings, and limited context about the affected guidebook item or network request.
We work to keep personal information out of these reports. We disable optional personal information collection in the app's diagnostic configuration and apply filters designed to remove contact details, credentials, request contents, precise location fields, device names, and IP addresses. We also use server-side data scrubbing.
Some device-level crash and session reports do not pass through all of these filters. They may still contain pseudonymous app or device identifiers and approximate geography, such as city, region, or country, inferred from a network connection. Filtering cannot guarantee that every report is free of personal information. We do not use these reports for advertising.
Maps and weather
The App downloads map resources and offline maps from a mapping provider. The App sets its optional map telemetry preference to off. The provider still receives map requests and may receive basic device, network, session, and usage information needed to operate and account for the service. This preference does not prevent all mapping service data processing.
If you open directions in another map app, we send it the selected guidebook destination. Guide Labs does not receive the route you request from that app. Where weather is available, it is requested for a fixed guidebook location, without sending your device location.
Information on your device
The App stores downloaded guidebooks and maps, local reading records, preferences, saved submissions and contact details, cached weather where available, and recovery or security information on your device. Your operating system's backups may include some of this information, depending on its settings.
Uninstalling generally removes local app data, but device backups and some secure storage information may remain. Uninstalling does not delete submissions or other records already sent to Guide Labs.
Purchases and restoration
Guidebook purchases are currently limited to the United States. Payments are processed by payment providers or your app store under their own terms and privacy policies. They receive the payment information you supply; Guide Labs does not receive your complete payment card or bank account details.
We receive purchase identifiers, status, and access information needed to provide the purchased book, restore the same purchase on supported platforms and devices you own, provide support, and handle refunds or chargebacks. Restoration uses email verification and preserves the original thirty-day expiry.
A full refund or chargeback invalidates the purchase. If the payment provider confirms that a disputed payment is valid again, we restore eligible access under the original conditions and expiry, subject to any separate full refund or restriction for material abuse. Devices apply these changes when they next successfully check purchase status with us. Reinstatement does not restart or extend thirty-day access.
Optional product emails
We send occasional useful product updates and other Guide Labs announcements only when you affirmatively opt in using an optional, unchecked checkbox or another clear choice. Marketing is not required to buy, restore, or use a book. Purchases, restoration, submissions, support contacts, and deletion requests do not automatically enroll you in marketing.
You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using their unsubscribe link or by emailing support@guidelabs.guide. We honor prior unsubscribe choices; a later purchase or support request does not enroll you again.
Necessary receipts, verification codes, and account notices are transactional messages, separate from marketing. They do not depend on marketing consent. We do not use email tracking to measure opens or link clicks.
Who receives your information
We limit the personal information we share to what is reasonably needed for the features and purposes explained above:
- Editors and publishers: Publishers, authors, and editors authorized to work on the relevant book may receive your submission and its contact details to review it, respond to you, and improve the book.
- Service providers: We use providers for hosting, databases, storage and network delivery; diagnostics and security; maps, app distribution and updates; payments; account verification; and transactional or opted-in marketing emails. We limit the information shared with each provider to what is reasonably needed for its work.
We may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to protect rights or safety, investigate abuse, comply with law, or complete a merger, financing, reorganization, or transfer of the relevant business, subject to appropriate protections. Providers may operate in multiple countries. We require appropriate data protection obligations when using or replacing service providers.
How long we keep information
- Submissions: We may retain submissions and associated contact details indefinitely for ongoing editorial purposes, subject to the removal and withdrawal rights below and applicable law.
- Purchase and support records: We keep the minimum records needed to provide purchased access, handle refunds and disputes, and meet accounting, fraud-prevention, or legal obligations. On account deletion, we remove recovery and contact information that is no longer needed for those purposes. Any information we retain after account deletion has a specific purpose and limited scope, with a retention period or criteria for reviewing and deleting it. Payment providers may keep records they are legally required to retain. We explain any retained information or deletion work still in progress and do not delay deletion of data we can remove while separate provider work is pending.
- Marketing choices: We keep active marketing membership only while you are opted in. Account deletion removes that membership. We keep a minimal record of unsubscribe choices to prevent accidental marketing sends. That record is used only to honor your choice and is removed when no longer needed.
- Installation security: We automatically delete installation security records after 12 months of inactivity. Temporary verification information expires within minutes and is deleted through automatic cleanup. This does not limit applicable privacy rights.
- Diagnostics: Diagnostic events stored by our crash-reporting service are retained for 30 days.
- Other operational records: Service logs, security records, and backups are retained only as long as needed for an operational, security, recovery, or legal purpose, then removed.
- Local information: Uninstalling the App generally removes its local data. Device backups and some secure storage information may remain. You can manage backup copies through your device and backup settings.
Your privacy choices
Email support@guidelabs.guide to ask to access, correct, delete, or deidentify personal information, or to make a submission removal or withdrawal request. You do not need to create or delete an account to make these requests.
Guide Labs may ask for information reasonably needed to verify that a request relates to you and locate the records, such as the email address you used, a submission reference, or proof of purchase. We will explain if we cannot reasonably identify the records or must retain information for a lawful reason.
Submissions and removal requests
You can ask us to remove identifying details while retaining deidentified editorial substance, delete the stored submission itself, or withdraw permission to use photographs or original wording, including material already incorporated into a guidebook.
On a reasonably verified deletion or withdrawal request, we stop new uses of those originals, promptly remove photographs and edited versions from publications and assets we control, and make reasonable efforts to remove or replace original wording in editorial material we control. The license you give Guide Labs to use your submission ends for the withdrawn or deleted original material, including material already incorporated, except for limited permission necessary to carry out its removal or replacement. This permits neither new editorial use nor unrelated retention. Required deletion and applicable deadlines still govern; reasonable efforts do not limit those obligations.
Verified non-identifying facts and factual corrections may remain in independently written guidebook content so that deletion does not reintroduce known errors. Legally required deletion or deidentification of personal information still applies to incorporated material, metadata, and other copies we control.
We cannot recall every copy already downloaded or distributed beyond our control; we address versions and future distribution we control. Deletion does not clear copies on your devices or in device backups. If a saved copy is uploaded again after deletion, contact us and we will remove it again; a retry does not renew withdrawn permission.
Account deletion
You can request account deletion through the deletion link in the App, which opens our account deletion page. We verify your existing account's email and ask you to separately confirm the request. Email verification alone does not submit a deletion request.
We handle deletion manually, begin promptly, and aim to finish within 30 days of your verified, confirmed request, subject to any shorter deadline required by applicable law. We tell you what has been deleted, what must be retained and why, and whether any required deletion work is still in progress.
Account deletion removes your recovery account, associated personal information, attributable submissions, and marketing membership, subject to lawful retention and the minimal unsubscribe record described above. It includes the submission withdrawal process above, including incorporated photographs and original wording, without a separate withdrawal request.
Deleting the account ends normal email-based purchase recovery. It does not itself refund a purchase or revoke guidebooks already downloaded to your device. Downloaded access keeps its original expiry and the conditions for refunds, chargebacks, and material abuse in the Terms. If you later need help restoring a purchase, email support@guidelabs.guide with proof of purchase. We will review your proof of purchase and make every reasonable effort to restore eligible access, but restoration is not guaranteed.
Other rights and settings
We will not discriminate against you for exercising a privacy right. Depending on where you live, applicable law may give you additional rights, including receiving a portable copy, objecting to or restricting processing, withdrawing consent, appealing a response, or complaining to a data protection authority. Guide Labs may reasonably verify such requests, and lawful exceptions may apply. You can control app permissions and device backups through your device settings.
Children
The Apps are general-audience products and are not directed to children under 13. Children under 13 may not use the Apps or send submissions. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
Protecting your information
We use organizational and technical safeguards to protect your personal information, including encrypted connections, restricted access, and filtering of diagnostic reports. No service can guarantee absolute security.
International processing
Guide Labs is based in California, United States. We and our providers may process information in the United States and other countries where they operate. Where required, we use appropriate measures for transfers of personal information across borders.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the Apps, our providers, or legal requirements change. The stable privacy policy URL displays the current revision, and we preserve dated revisions in a public archive. We update the "Last updated" date and provide additional notice in the App when a change is material.
Contact us
Privacy questions, removal requests, and support: support@guidelabs.guide
Guide Labs LLC
2261 Market Street #65115, San Francisco, CA 94114, United States
Phone & SMS: +1 (415) 915-0459