Hangabout — Privacy Policy

Effective 14 October 2026. Last updated 14 October 2026.

Hangabout is an app for climbing gyms and the people who climb at them. It shows a gym's routes, news and events, and lets you log the routes you climb and rate them. This policy explains what information Hangabout collects, why, who can see it, and how to delete it.

Hangabout is operated by Lachlan Dowd ("we", "us"). Each gym that uses Hangabout (for example, The Crux) runs its own content in the app. Where this policy says "the gym", it means the gym you are using Hangabout at.

One account works at every gym. You choose which gym you're looking at, and you can switch at any time. You join a gym the first time you log, rate, save or guess a route there. Each gym you've joined can see the things listed below for its staff; a gym you haven't joined sees nothing about you.

The short version

You can use Hangabout without an account. Browsing routes, walls and the gym's news needs no sign-up and collects nothing about you.
With an account we keep what you choose to put in: your username, email, an optional photo, your logbook, the routes you save, and your ratings.
We don't sell your information, show ads, or track you across other apps or websites.
The gym sees totals, not you. A setter sees how many people rated or climbed a route — not who.
You can delete your account in the app at any time: Me → Settings → Delete account.

What we collect, and why

If you browse without an account

Nothing that identifies you. The app downloads the gym's routes, photos and news like any website does.

If you create an account

What	Why	Who can see it
Email address and password	To sign you in and let you reset your password. Your password is stored hashed by our authentication provider; we never see it.	Only you.
Username	How the gym and its setters see you — on a setter's credit line for routes they set, and in the gym's staff list.	Staff at each gym you've joined; anyone, if you set routes.
Profile photo (optional)	Shown next to your username.	Anyone who can see your username.
Your logbook — routes you mark as tried, sent or flashed, the date, and an optional count of attempts	So you can keep a record of your climbing.	Only you. The gym sees totals only (for example "12 people sent this route").
Ratings — a thumbs up or down, and whether a route felt soft, right or hard	So setters know what's working.	The route's totals are shown to everyone; who rated isn't shown in the app.
Grade guesses on "Mystery" routes	A game for the week a route's grade is hidden, and feedback for the setter.	Only you. The gym sees how many people guessed each grade.
Saved routes	So the routes you want to come back to follow you to a new phone.	Only you.
Notification preferences	To respect which kinds of message from the gym you want.	Only you.
Gym membership and role (climber, setter, manager, owner) — one per gym you've joined	To decide what you can do in the app at each gym — for example, only setters can add routes.	Staff at that gym.

If you are a setter or gym staff

In addition to the above: the routes, wall photos and route photos you add, the holds you mark on them, and notes you write for climbers. These are the gym's content and are shown to everyone using the app, credited to your username.

Photos and the camera

Hangabout only uses your camera or photo library when you choose to — to set a profile photo, or (for setters) to photograph a route or wall. Photos are resized on your phone before upload. Hold detection on route photos runs on your phone; the image is not sent anywhere for it.

What we don't do

We don't sell or rent your personal information.
We don't show advertising or share data with advertisers or data brokers.
We don't track you across other companies' apps or websites.
We don't use your information to make automated decisions about you.

Only the service providers that run Hangabout, and only to run it:

Supabase — our database, authentication and file storage, hosted in Sydney, Australia (ap-southeast-2).
Expo (650 Industries) — builds and updates the app.
Apple and Google — distribute the app through their stores.
Cloudflare — hosts the Hangabout website and the gyms' web admin, and forwards email sent to our support address.

Each is bound to protect your information to a standard at least equal to this policy. We may also disclose information if required by law.

The gym is not a service provider — it is the organisation whose app this is. It can see what's described in the table above: your username, photo and role, and totals. It never sees your individual logbook or guesses, and Hangabout doesn't show it who rated what.

How long we keep it

We keep your account information for as long as you have an account. When you delete your account:

Deleted for good: your profile, photo, email and sign-in, your logbook, your saved routes, your notification settings and your gym memberships.
Kept, with your name removed: your ratings and grade guesses stay in each route's totals so the setters' feedback and the gym's numbers don't change after the fact. They can no longer be linked to you.
Routes you set stay on the wall, without your name on them.

We don't keep separate backups of the database, so deleted information is gone straight away.

Your choices and rights

See and change your information: Me → Edit profile, and Me → Settings.
Delete your account: Me → Settings → Delete account. It takes effect immediately.
Turn notifications off: Me → Notifications, or your phone's settings.
Ask us anything, or request a copy of your information: email support@hangabout.app. We'll respond within 30 days.

We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If you're unhappy with how we've handled a request, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

Children

Hangabout isn't directed at children under 13. Climbers under 16 should have a parent's or guardian's permission to create an account. If you believe a child has given us information without that permission, contact us and we'll delete it.

Security

Your information is sent over encrypted connections and stored with access controls that limit each person to their own data — enforced by the database itself, not just by the app. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and will tell you if a breach affects you, as the law requires.

Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we'll update the date at the top and tell you in the app before the change takes effect.

Contact

Lachlan Dowd · support@hangabout.app