Privacy policy

Last updated: 1 November 2026

This policy explains which personal data the RunBrella app processes, why, on what legal basis, and what your rights are. The German version is legally binding; this is a translation.

1. Controller

RunBrella is run by a private individual. No data protection officer is appointed or required.

2. Data we process

Account

E-mail address and password (stored only in encrypted form by Firebase Authentication; we never see it). Purpose: sign-in. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (contract).

Profile

Display name, gender (used only for women-only runs and never shown to other members), verification status, role, number of completed runs, optionally your favourite kinds of runs (e.g. long run, intervals; visible to others), the time you accepted the terms including your confirmation of being an adult. Optionally a profile photo. Photos are resized and re-saved on your device, which removes metadata such as GPS coordinates. A photo becomes visible to others only after review. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

Runs

Title, description, kind of run, time, distance, pace, maximum number of runners, the general area (public, rounded to about 1 km), and the exact meeting point plus an optional backup point with coordinates. Only people taking part in a run see the exact meeting point. Signed-in members see who is taking part (display name, photo, verification, run count if shown). Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

Check-ins and reports

After a run you can tell us privately whether everything was okay and report incidents. Only you and moderation see this – the reported person never learns who reported them. Purpose: community safety and review of misconduct. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in a safe platform) and Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

Notifications

For push notifications we store a technical device token, your app language and which notifications you want. You only receive notifications if Android allows them; each kind can be switched off in the settings. Every notification is also kept in your activity history (the bell) – visible only to you, with its kind, the run title and, for joins and cancellations, the other member's display name. You can clear the history at any time; entries are deleted automatically after 90 days. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR and § 25(2) TDDDG.

Confirming that you ran

A run counts for your run count, points and medals only once your attendance is confirmed. There are three ways: (1) "I am here": if you tap it around the start and allow location access, the app determines your location once and sends it to our server, which compares it with the meeting point. Only the result ("confirmed") is stored, not the location. (2) The run's host ticks who came after the run. (3) Optionally your watch via Health Connect: only if you tap "Confirm with my watch" and agree in Health Connect does the app read workout sessions of type running and the distance covered around this run. Only the start, end and distance of that one session are sent to us and stored – no heart rate, no route, no other health data. We use Health Connect data only for this confirmation and your statistics, never for advertising, and do not share it. You can revoke access in Health Connect at any time. Other participants of a run see who is confirmed for it. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR; for Health Connect your consent (Art. 6(1)(a), Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR).

Running companions and bookings

If you offer yourself as a running companion, we store your offer: price, description, weekdays, times of day, an area rounded to about 1 km with its place name, whether only women may book you, the review status and who reviewed it. Approved offers are visible to all signed-in members together with your public profile. To check the requirements we use your verification, profile photo, run count and whether problems were reported. For a booking we store who requested whom for when and how long, the optional message, price and commission, and the status (requested, confirmed, declined, cancelled). Only the two people involved see a booking. Confirmed bookings have a chat that is deleted automatically 7 days after the appointment. If you delete your account, we delete your offer, your bookings and their chats. Once paid bookings are introduced we will add the payment service provider and statutory retention and reporting duties to this policy. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

Progress and medals

From your finished runs, runs you hosted, check-ins you completed (not their answers) and the monthly challenges you joined we calculate points, a level, your weekly streak and medals. For this we store the challenges you joined and your device's time zone (so that e.g. "runs before 7 am" count in your local time). Only you see the result – unless you switch on "Show my achievements" in the settings; then other members see your level and medals on your profile. There are no rankings. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR; for showing it to others, your choice in the settings.

Following and messages

You can follow other members. Only you see whom you follow; the person you follow sees that you follow them. Direct messages are only possible between members who follow each other. Every run has a group chat that only its participants can read and write; it is deleted automatically 7 days after the run, and the host can delete it earlier. For this we store the sender, text and time of each message and who has read what. You can delete your own messages at any time. If you report a message, we keep a copy of its text for moderation. When you delete your account we remove your follows, every message you wrote and your direct chats. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) and (f) GDPR.

Maps and place search

Maps and meeting-point search use Google Maps and Google Places. The map area, search terms, your IP address and technical device data are sent to Google. RunBrella only accesses your device location in the cases described below (your area for finding runs, "I am here"). Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) and (f) GDPR.

Your area for finding runs

To find runs near you, you choose a place (searched via Google Places) and a radius. Only if you explicitly tap "Use my location" and grant the permission does the app determine your approximate location once, plus the place name for it. Only the place name, a centre rounded to about 1 km and the radius are stored – on your device only. We do not send this to our servers and we do not track your location. Place search and turning a position into a place name are handled by Google or your device's geocoding service. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) and (b) GDPR, § 25(2) TDDDG.

Usage statistics (only with consent)

Only if you turn on "Share usage statistics" in the settings do we collect pseudonymous usage data with Google Analytics for Firebase (e.g. screens viewed, device type, approximate region). Without consent, collection is off. You can withdraw consent at any time in the settings, which also resets the analytics data stored on your device. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG.

Crash reports (only with consent)

Only if you turn on "Send crash reports" in the settings does the app send a technical report to Firebase Crashlytics when it crashes (stack trace, app version, device model, Android version, time and a random installation ID). Your name, email address or other profile data are not included. Without consent, collection is off. Withdrawing consent deletes reports that have not been sent yet. Reports are deleted automatically after 90 days. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG.

Identity check

Joining and hosting runs requires a confirmed identity. At present moderation confirms it; no identity documents are stored in the app. If an identity provider is added in future, we will inform you beforehand and update this policy.

Technical logs

Running the servers produces technical logs (e.g. IP address, time, error messages) for secure operation and troubleshooting. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.

3. Recipients and storage location

We use services of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (Firebase Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, Firebase Cloud Messaging, Firebase Hosting, Google Analytics for Firebase, Firebase Crashlytics, Google Maps Platform) as processors. The database, server functions and photos are stored in data centres in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (region europe-west3). Some services (in particular sign-in, push notifications, analytics, crash reports and maps) may also process data in the USA. Google LLC is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework; the EU Standard Contractual Clauses also apply.

Other members only see what section 2 describes as visible. We do not sell data and show no ads.

4. Retention

We keep your data while your account exists. When you delete your account we remove your account, profile, photos, settings, your own check-in answers, your participation in upcoming runs and the upcoming runs you host. Runs that have already ended remain, without a link to an active profile. Reports about other members are kept as long as needed for community safety and possible legal claims.

5. Your rights

• Access (Art. 15 GDPR) and data portability (Art. 20) – in the app under Settings → "Download my data"
• Rectification (Art. 16) – display name in your profile, otherwise by e-mail
• Erasure (Art. 17) – in the app under Settings → "Delete account", or as described on Delete your account
• Restriction (Art. 18) and objection (Art. 21)
• Withdrawal of consent with effect for the future (Art. 7(3))

You may also lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, for example the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information North Rhine-Westphalia, Kavalleriestraße 2–4, 40213 Düsseldorf, Germany.

6. Minimum age

RunBrella is only for people aged 18 and over.

7. Changes

We update this policy when the app or the law changes. The current version is always available at this address.