Wainkum Privacy Policy
Last updated: 5 September 2026 (v1.3)
1. The short version
Wainkum is a social map: its whole point is letting you choose to share where you are with people you choose. You decide when to check in, who can see you, and you can hide from specific friends, go friends-only, block anyone, or delete your account — all inside the app. We do not sell your data and we do not show ads.
2. What we collect
Account: your mobile phone number (used to sign in via SMS code), display name, username, WainTag, avatar (emoji or photo), your date of birth (to confirm you are 18 or older), and optionally your gender, languages, favourite activities, and a favourite song.
Location: your precise device location while you use the app (to show the map, find nearby places, and detect check-ins). While you are checked in, we also collect location in the background and periodically update your live position — this powers "people here", lets friends see where you are, and automatically checks you out when you leave. When you are not checked in, we do not report your live position. We also note the country you are using the app in, so we can show you events near you and apply the content rules that apply there.
Activity and content: your check-ins (place, time, optional vibe and rating), stamps, Wains (short photos and videos with captions), comments, messages and reactions in chats, events you create or RSVP to, friendships, and reports you file.
Usage: which screens you open, which features you use, and how long the app takes to respond — as categories and timings only. This never includes the text of a message, a caption, a name or a place.
Technical: device model, app version, push notification tokens, and basic logs needed to run and secure the service (including limited device signals used to prevent abuse).
3. How we use it
To run Wainkum: show your pin and check-ins to the people you allow, deliver messages and notifications, surface nearby places and events, award stamps, and keep your session secure. To improve Wainkum: understand which parts of the app are used and where people get stuck, from the usage categories above. To keep the community safe: enforce our Terms, review reports, and prevent spam and abuse. We do not use your data for advertising, and we do not sell it.
Automated content checks: things you post where other people can see them — your display name, event titles and details, Wain captions and comments, messages in place, hangout and event group chats, and the images and video frames of Wains and event covers — are checked automatically by an AI system so the app stays safe and stays within the law of the country it is used in. The rules differ by country: for example, content that is unlawful in Kuwait is treated differently from content posted in Azerbaijan. When the system is unsure, the content is published and a member of our team may look at it later; only clear violations are held back, and you are told when that happens. Private (direct) messages are never sent to this system — group rooms and private messages are separate in our service, and the check only ever sees group rooms.
4. Who can see you
Visibility is under your control. "Everyone" shows your pin and profile to Wainkum users while you're checked in; "Friends only" shows your real identity only to accepted friends — everyone else sees an anonymous "Wainkum User" card. You can additionally hide your location from specific friends (they see only an anonymous presence and none of your activity), and blocking someone removes you from each other entirely. Check-in notifications go to your accepted friends only, and never to friends you've hidden from. Your phone number is never shown to other users.
5. Who we share data with
We use trusted service providers to run Wainkum, and they only process data on our behalf: Supabase (database and authentication hosting), Apple (push notifications, song previews, the app platform), Twilio (SMS verification codes), and OpenAI (the automated content checks described in section 3 — it receives only the piece of content being checked, with no phone number, account identifier or location attached, and under its API terms that content is not used to train its models). We may disclose data if required by law, or to protect the safety of users. There is no third-party advertising or analytics resale.
6. How long we keep things
Check-ins automatically close (within 24 hours at the latest), Wains disappear after 24 hours, and your activity feed shows only recent days. Place chats expire after the visit ends. Your profile, friendships, stamps and message history are kept while your account exists. When you delete your account, your profile, check-ins, messages, friendships and related records are permanently deleted from the service; residual copies in secure backups are purged on a rolling basis.
7. Your rights and controls
Inside the app you can: change visibility (Everyone / Friends only), hide your location from specific friends, block and report users, control every notification type, edit or remove profile details, and permanently delete your account (Profile → Account → Delete account). You can also contact us at support@wainkum.app to ask about, correct, or delete your data, or to question a content decision.
8. Security
Data is encrypted in transit, access is protected by row-level security rules on our database, and sensitive visibility decisions are enforced on the server (not just in the app). Each device signs in separately, and you can sign out any device from that device. No service can promise perfect security, but we design for privacy by default.
9. Children
Wainkum is not for children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect data from them. If you believe a child under 18 has an account, contact us and we will remove it.
10. Where data is processed
Our infrastructure is hosted by our providers and may store data outside the country where you live, including outside Kuwait and Azerbaijan. Wherever your data is processed, it is protected under this policy.
11. Changes to this policy
If we materially change this policy, we'll tell you in the app before the change takes effect. The latest version always lives in the app and at wainkum.app/privacy.
12. Contact
Privacy questions or requests: support@wainkum.app