Sesh — Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 27, 2026

Sesh is a social coordination app for spontaneous, same-day hangouts among trusted friends. This policy explains what we collect, why, and how it's shared. Sesh is currently in beta (TestFlight).

Questions? Email hello@getsesh.app.

What we collect

• Phone number — to sign you in (SMS verification) and as your identity so friends can invite you.
• Name — the display name friends see in a Sesh.
• Profile photo (optional) — if you add one, stored so friends see your avatar.
• Contacts (optional) — accessed on your device only to find and invite friends by name and, if you turn on Only my contacts can see my pin in Profile, to decide who may see your live location (matched on your phone). We do not upload your address book; only the number(s) of people you actually invite are sent, to add them to a Sesh's guest list, plus the resulting list of who may see your location pin.
• Location (optional) — sharing is controlled by your iOS location permission, so the group can see how far everyone is from the meetup. While permission is granted, your live location is shared into every Sesh you've committed to ("I'm In") — including while the app is in the background — until that Sesh ends or you decline or leave it. Your position (the pin on the map) is visible to the committed members of that Sesh — or, if you turn on Only my contacts can see my pin in Profile, only to those you have saved in your own contacts. That setting works both ways: with it on, you see other people's pins only if they have you saved in their contacts (each phone matches numbers on-device — neither address book is uploaded). People you've blocked never see your pin. Every committed member of that Sesh can see how far you are from the meetup spot — a rounded distance and an "at the spot" flag derived on our servers, never your coordinates. Neither is visible to people who haven't joined in or who declined. Declining or leaving removes your pin immediately, and re-joining briefly locks location for that Sesh (an anti-peek cooldown). Revoking location permission in iOS Settings stops all sharing. Location is never retained as history — pins are deleted when the Sesh ends.
• Notification token & preferences — a push token for your device and your notification settings, to send notifications you asked for.

How we use it

Only to provide the app's coordination features. We do not sell your data, use it for advertising, or share it with third-party advertising networks or third-party AI services.

What's shared, and with whom

People in a Sesh with you can see your name, photo, and status (In / Can't make it). If you opt into location, committed participants of that Sesh can see your live position on the map (only those saved in your own contacts, if you choose that setting — and then you likewise see only the pins of people who have you saved), and every committed participant can see your rounded distance to the meetup spot — both during that Sesh only; declining or leaving removes your pin (and the distance with it) immediately. A host's private contact name for a non-user invitee is never shared — it stays on their device.

Retention & ephemerality

• Seshes are ephemeral — they expire the next morning and disappear from the main list; Sesh is a coordination tool, not a chat log.
• Expired Seshes stay visible to their members in History for up to 30 days, then are permanently deleted — including names, RSVP status, and the meetup spot. Location pins never last that long: they are deleted when the Sesh expires.
• Location is never stored as history — it lives only for the active Sesh and is cleared when you stop sharing or it ends.
• You can remove your profile photo or sign out anytime.

Service providers

Sesh runs on Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Cloud Storage, Cloud Messaging, Cloud Functions) and Apple APNs for push, which process this data only as our infrastructure providers. They are contractually required to protect it to at least the standard described here and to use it solely to provide these services — not for their own purposes.

Your choices & deleting your account

Location, notifications, and contacts access are all optional and can be changed in iOS Settings anytime.

You can delete your account and personal data at any time from within the app: go to Profile → Delete Account. This permanently removes your directory entry, name, profile photo, and push tokens. You can also email the address at the top of this policy to request deletion.

Children

Sesh is not directed to children under 13 and we don't knowingly collect their data.

Changes

We may update this policy; material changes are reflected by the "Last updated" date above.