Wherelings Privacy Policy
Effective September 5, 2026
Wherelings is made by IFWORLD Inc. It shows the people in your groups where you are, and shows you where they are. This page explains what the app does with your information. The short version: your data goes only to the people you choose, we never see it, and we don't sell or share it with anyone.
No account with us
Wherelings doesn't have accounts, passwords, or servers of its own. It runs on the iCloud account already on your iPhone. We never learn your email address, your phone number, or who you are, unless you write to us.
What your groups can see
When you join a group, the people in that group can see:
- Your location, and where you've been over the last 24 hours.
- Whether you're currently sharing, paused, or haven't opened the app in a while.
- Your name and the photo or Memoji you picked for yourself.
- Messages, notes, and photos you send to the group or to one person in it.
- Places the group shares, like a home or a school.
Nobody outside your groups can see any of this. Different groups don't see each other.
How it's protected
Everything above is encrypted on your phone before it leaves, using keys that live only on your devices and the devices of the people in your group. It travels through your iCloud account, but neither we nor Apple can read it. Apple stores it as scrambled data with no way to open it.
That's not a promise we ask you to take on faith. It's how the app is built, and the details are published in the app's source repository.
What stays on your phone
Some things never go to your groups at all:
- Your alerts, saved places that you keep private, privacy zones, and settings.
- Nicknames you give people, and photos you choose for them.
- Your notification and location choices.
Your settings are backed up to your own iCloud so they follow you to a new phone. That backup is encrypted with a key kept in your iCloud Keychain.
Your location
Wherelings asks for location permission when you first set up. You choose the level:
- While Using the App shares your location whenever the app is open.
- Always lets it keep your groups updated when the app is closed, and send alerts when someone arrives at a place.
- Trip mode shares for one hour after you turn it on, even with While Using.
You can pause sharing at any time from the Privacy tab. Privacy zones hide your exact location around places you choose, like home. You can change or take back location permission in Settings whenever you want.
Photos, camera, and contacts
Wherelings only receives the single photo, or the single contact, you pick. It uses Apple's pickers, which hand over just that one item. The app has no access to your photo library or your address book.
A photo you take for a note is resized on your phone and stripped of camera information, including the location the camera would normally stamp on it, before it's sent.
When you invite someone by email or phone, that address goes to iCloud so Apple can deliver the invitation. If you suggest someone to a group's owner, their contact is encrypted so only the owner can see it.
How long things last
- Your live location is replaced each time you move. The trail of where you've been is cleared after 24 hours.
- Messages fade a day after they're read, and a week at most.
- Notes pinned to a spot last until they're removed, or until the time you set. A photo goes with its note.
- Meetups clear a couple of hours after the meeting time.
When you leave a group, your location and trail are removed from it. When a group's owner deletes the group, everything in it is removed for everyone. Deleting the app removes everything stored on your phone.
What we don't do
- No ads.
- No tracking, analytics, or usage reports.
- No third-party services or code that collects data.
- No selling, renting, or sharing your information with anyone.
Children
Wherelings is not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them. Families do use it together. If you set up a phone for your child, you as the parent decide what's shared and with whom.
Changes
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new date. We won't change what the app does with your data without telling you in the app.
Contact
Questions about privacy go to IFWORLD Inc at feedback@wherelings.com.