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Location Safety

Last updated: October 12, 2026

Spotary does not track or share your real-time or background location. This page explains how location works across the App.

How location works in Spotary

All locations attached to posts in Spotary are:

  • Optional — you choose whether to add one to your post.
  • Confirmed by you — in a regular post you place or drag a marker on a map yourself; the App may suggest a location found in your photo's metadata, but it is used only if you accept it. In Quick Post, your current device location (or the location stored in your photo) is pre-filled for speed. You can switch it off with "Include location in post" or change its source before you save or publish.
  • Not verified by Spotary — we do not verify the accuracy, safety, or legality of any location submitted by users.

Visibility of post locations

  • All profiles, public and private: you may optionally share the location of a post with your followers. This must be explicitly enabled per post and is off by default. People who do not follow you cannot see it. Private profiles approve follow requests; public profiles can be followed by anyone.

Community map

The Community map displays location markers for posts from users you follow and sponsored content, but only for posts whose authors have allowed their location to be shown to followers. Tapping a marker opens the post details. You can view it in two ways:

  • Nearby — shows content near you. For this, the App may request your approximate current location.
  • Users — shows content from up to 5 people you follow, selected by you. Your location is not needed.

Hidden posts, posts still within their 24-hour visibility delay, and anything not shared with you are never shown, whichever mode is active.

  • In Nearby mode your location is used only to filter which content is shown to you on the map.
  • It is sent to our server as part of that request and is not stored, logged, or shared with other users.
  • You must agree to this Location Safety page before using the Community map.
  • You can turn off the use of your current location for the Nearby filter at any time in the settings. While it is off, Nearby cannot be used because it has no starting point, but the Users mode still works.

Drafts

You can save location drafts and Quick Post drafts while offline for later use.

  • Drafts are stored only on your device until you publish them.
  • Location drafts are never synced to our servers or shared with anyone. When you share a post using a draft location, only the location coordinates you confirmed at posting time are included — not the draft title or notes.
  • A Quick Post draft (photo, settings and the location, if included) is uploaded to our servers only when you press "Publish" while online.

Routes

The App lets you build routes from points on the map.

  • Routes are private to you. You can choose to share a route with your followers. If a point comes from one of your posts, followers see that post's details only if they are otherwise allowed to view it.
  • The path, distance and duration are calculated by a third-party directions service (Mapbox) from the coordinates of the route's points. The calculated path is not stored by Spotary, only the points and their order.
  • If you use "my location" within a route, your current device location is used on your device and, together with the route's points, sent to the directions service when you request directions. Spotary does not store it.
  • Calculated paths are estimates. They may be inaccurate, unsuitable for your mode of travel, or pass through closed, private, restricted or unsafe areas. Always check the route yourself before setting out.

Sharing locations with others

When you share a location with other users (for example, by enabling location visibility on a followers-only post), you are solely responsible for ensuring that the location does not contain sensitive, restricted, or security-related information. Please follow all applicable safety, privacy, and legal requirements when sharing any location data.

Navigating to locations

If you choose to navigate to a location shown in the App by opening it in an external maps application, you do so at your own risk. Always evaluate the accuracy, accessibility, and safety of any place before visiting it. Spotary accepts no responsibility for conditions at locations shown in any post.

Place names and other geographic information shown in the App come from a geographic database. Such data may still be incomplete, outdated or inaccurate, so research a place and its current conditions before you go there.

Background tracking

Spotary never tracks your location in the background, stores your movement history, or shares your real-time position with other users without your explicit action. Routes you plan yourself are stored as described in the Routes section above and in our Privacy Policy.

Our responsibility

Spotary is not responsible for:

  • Incorrect, inaccurate, or misleading locations submitted by users;
  • Private, sensitive, or restricted places shared by users;
  • Any harm, loss, or damage resulting from visiting locations shown in posts;
  • Any decisions or actions taken based on location information in the App.

Questions

Contact us at [email protected]