Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 11, 2026

Scout & Seek ("Scout & Seek," "we," "us," or "our") makes a real-world photo scavenger-hunt app for children ages 5–12 and their families. We care deeply about protecting kids and respecting your family's privacy. This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

A Note for Parents & Guardians (Please Read)

Scout & Seek is a game that encourages kids to explore the world around them. It is not a babysitter, supervisor, or safety device. Children should always be supervised by a responsible adult while using the app and while exploring. Kids should never go to unfamiliar places, leave a safe area, approach strangers, enter streets or water, touch wildlife or plants, or take any risk to complete a hunt. Adults are responsible for choosing safe locations and supervising all activity. By letting your child use Scout & Seek, you agree to provide appropriate adult supervision at all times.

Information We Collect

We collect only what we need to run the app:

  • Parent account information. When a parent creates an account, we collect an email address and a display/scout name to set up and secure the account.
  • Child profile information. Parents can create child profiles with a first name or scout name, an avatar, and a private PIN (stored in a scrambled form). Children do not sign in with an email; they use a parent-provided code and PIN.
  • App activity. Quests started and completed, points, badges, streaks, nature-journal entries, and similar in-app progress tied to a profile.
  • Discovery photos. Photos your child takes during a hunt (see the section below for exactly how these are handled).
  • Purchases. If you buy a subscription, Apple processes the payment and our subscription provider (RevenueCat) records purchase status so we can unlock features. We never see or store your full payment-card details.

Discovery Photos

When your child photographs a scavenger-hunt find, the photo is sent securely to our verification service to check whether it matches the item in the hunt. If your child chooses "Ask a grown-up to approve," the photo is saved to your family's account so a parent can review and approve it. These photos are used only to run the hunt and the approval feature. We never use them for advertising, never sell them, and never use them to build a profile of your child. A parent can delete approved or pending finds (and their photos) at any time.

How We Use Information

  • To provide and operate the app and its features.
  • To verify scavenger-hunt finds and enable optional parent approval.
  • To save progress, points, badges, and journals across a family's profiles.
  • To process subscriptions and unlock premium features.
  • To respond to support requests and keep the app secure.

Children's Privacy (COPPA)

Scout & Seek is designed for families and built to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). We collect only the limited information needed for the app to work, we do not show third-party advertising to children, and we do not track children across other apps or websites. Purchases and account changes are kept behind a grown-ups-only gate. Parents can review or request deletion of their child's information at any time by emailing us at the address below.

How We Share Information

We never sell or rent personal information. We share data only with trusted service providers who help us run the app, and only as needed:

  • Hosting & backend — to store accounts, profiles, and app data securely.
  • Photo verification service — to check whether a hunt photo matches the item.
  • Apple & our subscription provider — to process and manage subscriptions.

We do not use advertising SDKs, and we do not allow these providers to use your family's information for their own marketing.

Data Retention & Deletion

We keep information for as long as your account is active. You can delete child profiles and finds in the app, and you can request full deletion of your account and associated data by emailing us. We will delete it within a reasonable time, except where we must keep limited records to meet legal obligations.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information. PINs are stored in a scrambled form, and access to family data is restricted. No method of storage or transmission is 100% secure, but we work hard to safeguard your family's data.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.

Contact Us

Questions, requests, or concerns? Email us at scoutandseekapp@gmail.com and we'll respond, usually within a day or two.