Privacy

Updated 10 October 2026

Who we are

Packmates helps dog owners aged 18 or over in the United Kingdom arrange shared walks. It is run by Renacer Enterprises Ltd (company number [Company number], registered office [Registered address], ICO registration number [ICO registration number]). We are the controller of your personal data, which means we decide how and why it is used. Contact us at privacy@packmates.co.uk. For help with your account, use support@packmates.co.uk.

What we collect

Account: your email address, your mobile number, whether each is verified, and your confirmation that you are 18 or over. Profile: your name, a short bio and an optional photo. Dogs: each dog’s name, birth date or estimate, size, energy, lead behaviour, comfort around other dogs, notes you choose to add, an optional photo and, for puppy walks, your declaration that the dog is vaccinated (we do not check it). Please keep health details about people out of dog notes. Walks: the walks you post or join, your requests and bookings, the private arrangement, attendance, messages, favourites, blocks, photos and feedback. We also keep your notification settings, a rough home area, and technical data such as your device’s push token, app version and the IP address your requests come from.

Why we use it

To run Packmates for you, which is the basis for most of what we do (contract). To keep members safe, prevent fake sign-ups and abuse, secure the service and fix faults (our legitimate interests in running a trustworthy service). To send push notifications and any marketing email, and to use an identifiable photo in marketing, only where you have said yes (consent), which you can withdraw at any time. To meet legal duties and respond to lawful requests. We do not sell your personal data and we do not use advertising trackers.

Location and postcodes

When you set your home area we send the postcode you type from our servers to Postcodes.io, a third-party postcode lookup service. It tells us the nearest town or village (using Ordnance Survey Open Names data), the local authority area and the centre of the outward part of your postcode (for example SG1). We store the town or village name as your rough home area (or the local authority area if no town or village is found) and the outward-code centre as your rough coordinates. We do not store your full postcode, and we never show your home area or coordinates to other members. If you search for walks on our website or in the app, the place name or postcode you type is also sent to Postcodes.io, which uses Ordnance Survey Open Names data for place names. Exact meeting points are only visible to people allowed to see that walk’s private arrangement.

Proof of woof

At sign-up you take a photo of your dog. It is private and is never used as a profile photo. We shrink it and remove camera details, then Cloudflare Workers AI looks at it to judge whether it appears to show a real dog rather than artwork, a toy, a figure or a picture on a screen. The model sees only the photo and fixed instructions, not who you are, and it does not prove ownership or that the photo was taken live. The decision is automatic, there is no human review queue, and if a genuine photo is rejected you can retake it or contact support. We keep a record of when the check happened and which model and rules were used. The photo is deleted after your first attended walk, 90 days after you took it, or when your account is deleted, whichever comes first.

Photos

Walk photos are Public (visible to signed-in members) unless you choose Private (visible only to people booked on that walk). You can change the setting or delete a photo at any time. Photos are stored in private Cloudflare storage and are only served to people allowed to see them. Public photos may be considered for our marketing, but we will ask your permission before using yours.

Messages and who sees what

Public walk discussions can be read by signed-in members who can see that walk. Private messages and repeat-group chats are limited to the people in them. Pending requests, exact times and meeting points are visible only to those taking part. Favourites, blocks, verification details, Proof of woof photos, no-show records and reports are never shown to other members. Our moderators can see reported content and surrounding context when they review a report.

Safety records

We keep reports you make or that are made about you, moderation decisions and actions, account restrictions, attendance and no-show records, and any dispute about them. A repeated pattern of undisputed no-shows is reviewed by a person before any action. Reports may be reviewed by a human moderator, and we may email a report to our moderation team. These records are not public. We keep them where needed to protect members, handle disputes and meet legal duties, including after an account is deleted, for [Safety record retention period].

Notifications

If you turn on push notifications we store your device’s Expo push token and a device name such as the phone model, and send messages through Expo and then Apple or Google. Push messages are deliberately generic (for example “You have a new private walk message”) and do not include names, messages or meeting details. We may also email you about your account. Marketing email is off unless you opt in. You can change notification settings in Profile, and the token is turned off when you sign out or delete your account.

Support, feedback and error reports

If you report a problem or send feedback, we store what you tell us, such as the category, your message, an email address if you give one, the page you were on and your browser or device details. We may email these to our team. When the app hits an error it can send a short error report (a message, the screen, app version and platform) with your account ID. These go to our Cloudflare logs and are used only to fix faults.

Cookies and local storage

Our website sets no cookies of its own and uses no analytics or advertising trackers. The app keeps you signed in by storing your session on your device (secure storage in the iOS and Android apps, browser local storage on the web). It may also keep an unfinished sign-up draft on your device for up to seven days (never your full postcode, age confirmation or Proof of woof), and briefly remember the page you were opening when you signed in. These are needed for the service to work, so they do not need consent. Your sign-up progress is also saved with your account on our servers so you can carry on from another device.

Who processes data for us

Supabase hosts our database and handles sign-in, so it holds your account, profile, dogs, walks, messages and safety records. Cloudflare runs our website and API (so it handles requests, IP addresses and logs), stores photos in private R2 storage, resizes and cleans photos with Cloudflare Images, and runs the Proof of woof check with Workers AI. Resend sends our emails, including sign-in links and emails to our team, so it receives email addresses and message content. Vonage sends the text message with your sign-in code, so it receives your mobile number. Expo, Apple and Google deliver push notifications. These providers act on our instructions.

Other services we call

Postcodes.io receives postcodes and place names as described above. On the web, the map for choosing a meeting point loads map tiles from OpenFreeMap and a map library from unpkg, which see your IP address and the area you view. In the iOS and Android apps, maps are provided by Apple Maps and Google Maps. These services have their own privacy policies.

International transfers

Our database is hosted by Supabase in Frankfurt, Germany (the European Union). Cloudflare runs from servers around the world, so your data may be processed outside the UK. Some of our other providers (including Resend, Vonage, Expo, Apple and Google) are based in or may process data in the United States or elsewhere. Where personal data leaves the UK we rely on [Transfer safeguards, for example the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK-US data bridge, to be confirmed for each provider] so that it stays protected.

How long we keep it

We keep your account, walk and message records while your account is active. We do not yet delete walk or message history on a timer, so tell us if you want something removed sooner. Proof of woof photos follow the rule above. Backups are kept for [Backup retention period] and then expire. Logs are kept by Cloudflare for a limited period.

Deleting your account

Request deletion from Profile. It happens after a 7-day grace period, and you can cancel in that time. We then close your sign-in, delete your Proof of woof, profile, dog and walk photos, favourites and blocks, replace your name with “Deleted walker”, clear your bio and home area, and turn off your push tokens. Your dogs are renamed and their notes cleared, your future walks are cancelled, you are withdrawn from open bookings, and your private and public walk messages and booking notes are replaced with a removal notice. We keep what safety and fairness need: reports and moderation records, attendance and no-show records, feedback you sent us, the basic details of walks you organised, and your messages in repeat-walk group chats. These show only as from “Deleted walker”.

Children

Packmates is only for people aged 18 or over. We ask you to confirm your age when you sign up and we do not knowingly offer accounts to children. If you think a child is using Packmates, tell us and we will act.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask for a copy of your data, to correct it, to have it erased, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive your data in a portable form. Where we rely on your consent you can withdraw it at any time. Email privacy@packmates.co.uk and we will reply within one month. We may need to check it is you. Some of these rights have exceptions, for example for safety records we must keep.

Complaints and changes

If you are unhappy with how we use your data, please tell us first so we can put it right. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. If we change this policy we will update the date above and tell you about material changes in the app.