This Privacy Policy describes how Naman Dadoo ("we", "us", "our"), operating under the brand Shops Near Me, collects, uses, and protects your information when you use the Shops Near Me mobile application ("the App") and related services.
By using the App you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.
1. Information we collect
1.1 Information you provide
- Name — entered at sign-in. Used to personalise the home screen.
- Mobile number (Indian 10-digit number prefixed with +91) — used as your account identifier. We do not send SMS or OTPs.
1.2 Information collected automatically
- Approximate / precise GPS location (foreground) — read on-device while the App is open and sent to our servers only as a pair of coordinates (latitude, longitude) at the moment of a nearby-shop search. Used to compute the distance between you and shops in the directory and to show them on the radar.
- Background location (only if you grant "Allow all the time" permission) — used strictly on-device to power proximity alerts when the App is closed or in Recents. Specifically:
- The OS registers up to 20 nearby shops as geofence regions. The OS wakes the App only on a region Enter event and the App fires a local notification ("Shop X is nearby"). The OS sends us no continuous location stream.
- A battery-aware background location task wakes the App roughly every 60 s (or every 25 m of movement) while the foreground service is active. It reads one GPS fix, checks distance to the cached shop list on-device, and fires a local notification on transitions from outside → inside the radius.
- No background location is ever transmitted to our servers. No movement history, no breadcrumb trail, no audit log of where you have been is stored — locally or remotely.
- Persistent foreground-service notification (Android only) — while background alerts are enabled, Android shows a small notification in the tray ("Shops Near Me is watching for nearby shops"). This is required by Android in order to keep the proximity check alive while you walk; it does not transmit data anywhere.
- Push notification token (when you grant notification permission) — used only to deliver proximity alerts about shops nearby. We do not use it for marketing.
- Local on-device cache — for performance and offline correctness, the App stores on your device: your session token, your chosen notification radius, your alerts on/off preference, the lookup table of the 20 nearest shops (name, category, offer, lat/lng, radius), and the set of shop IDs you are currently inside. This cache never leaves your device.
- Session token — a random string stored on your device to keep you signed in. Deleting the app or signing out removes it.
1.3 Information we do not collect
- No email addresses
- No payment or financial information
- No contacts, photos, microphone, or camera data
- No background location history, breadcrumbs, or movement trail
- No third-party analytics (Google Analytics, Facebook SDK, AppsFlyer, etc.)
- No advertising identifiers (AAID / IDFA)
2. How we use information
| Data | Purpose | Stored? |
|---|
| Name + mobile | Identify your account, personalise greeting | Server |
| Foreground GPS location | Find nearby shops within 10–500 m radius | Sent per-search, not retained |
| Background GPS location | Detect crossing into a shop's radius while the App is closed; trigger a local notification | On-device only, never sent |
| Push token | Send proximity notifications you opted in to | Server |
| Session token | Keep you signed in between visits | Device (secure store) + server |
| Cached shop lookup table | Power background proximity checks without a network call | Device only |
3. How we share information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.
We share data only with:
- Cloud infrastructure providers (Emergent / MongoDB hosting) — to store account and shop data securely. These providers act as processors under contract.
- Operating system services — when you tap "Take me there", your device opens Google Maps; when you tap "Call shop", your device opens its dialer. We do not transmit any data to these apps beyond the destination coordinates or phone number stored against the chosen shop.
- Legal authorities — only when compelled by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of our users.
4. Permissions used by the App
Location — While using the app (required to use the App) — lets us read GPS while you are looking at the radar. Without it, the App falls back to a fixed "Demo" location for the screen.
Location — Allow all the time (optional) — needed only to deliver proximity notifications while the App is closed or in Recents. We use this for geofencing and the periodic on-device proximity check described in Section 1.2. No location data is uploaded. You can revoke this at any time in your phone's Settings → Apps → Shops Near Me → Permissions; foreground alerts continue to work.
Notifications (optional) — used only to alert you when a subscribed shop is in range. Two channels are used on Android: a default app channel, and a high-priority "Nearby shop alerts" channel for proximity pings. Revoke any time.
Foreground service (Android only) — required by Android to keep the background proximity check alive. Shown as a small persistent notification while alerts are enabled.
Receive boot completed (Android only) — lets the App rearm geofences after your phone reboots, so background alerts keep working without you having to open the App.
5. Data retention
We keep your account data (name, mobile, sessions) for as long as your account is active. If you request deletion (see Section 7) we remove your account and all related sessions within 30 days. On-device caches (radius, alerts preference, cached shop list, inside-region set) are removed when you uninstall the App or clear its data from system Settings. We may retain anonymised, aggregate data (e.g. "X searches in city Y") for product analytics; this data cannot identify you.
6. Security
All data is transmitted over HTTPS/TLS. Session tokens are stored on your device in expo-secure-store (mobile) which is backed by Android Keystore / iOS Keychain. We follow standard industry practices, but no system is 100% secure — please do not share your account credentials with others.
7. Your rights
You have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of the data we hold about you.
- Correction — update your name or mobile number from the in-app Settings, or by email.
- Deletion — email us and we will delete your account within 30 days.
- Withdraw consent — revoke Location (foreground and/or background) or Notifications permissions any time in your device settings. You can also turn the "Nearby shop alerts" toggle off in the App's Settings to immediately stop all background proximity checks.
To exercise any of these rights, email dadoorfid@gmail.com.
8. Children's privacy
Shops Near Me is intended for users aged 13 and above. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe a child has signed up, please contact us and we will delete the account.
9. International users
The App is operated from India. By using the App you consent to your information being processed in India.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will revise the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, notify you in the App. Continued use after a change constitutes acceptance.
11. Contact
12. Governing law
This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India. Any disputes arising out of or related to this policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in India.