KathaYatra ("the app", "we", "us") is a travel app for trekkers and pilgrims of India. It records your journey, stamps your photos, and tells the mythology & folklore of the places around you. This policy explains what data the app handles, why, and the choices you have. The app is designed to work offline and on-device first — your journeys stay on your phone unless you choose to back them up or share them.
Foreground: to show sacred places near you and your position on the map.
Background: when you start a yatra and grant "Allow all the time", the app records your route and altitude while the app is closed or your screen is locked, so your journey and elevation profile stay complete even without signal. Recording background location is the only reason we ask for this permission, and only while a yatra is active. You can decline it or choose "Only while using the app" — the app still works; tracking simply pauses when the app isn't open.
The barometer and motion sensors (where available) are used to measure altitude for your tracking and photo stamps.
If you use the stamp camera, photos are captured and saved to your device's gallery. They are not uploaded anywhere unless you back up the trip they belong to.
The app is fully usable without an account. If you choose to sign up to back up or share your trips, we store your email address and a securely hashed password on our own self-hosted server.
Trips, route points, steps, statistics and stamped photos are stored in a database on your device. They are uploaded to our server only when you are signed in and have turned on "Back up my yatras" in Settings.
To find and fix crashes, the app may send anonymous crash and error reports. These never include your location coordinates or personal content, and you can turn them off in Settings.
You may share a specific trip through a private, unguessable link. A shared trip is viewable by anyone who has the link, but is never indexed by search engines. You can unshare at any time, which immediately disables the link.
KathaYatra relies on a few services to function. They may receive the limited technical data (such as map coordinates) needed to perform their part:
We do not share your identity or trip content with advertisers or data brokers, and we do not sell your data.
On-device data remains until you delete it or uninstall the app. Backed-up data remains until you delete the trip or your account.
KathaYatra is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.
Passwords are stored hashed, connections use HTTPS, and on-device data stays on your device. No method of storage or transmission is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected here with a new "last updated" date.
Questions or requests about your privacy: [email protected]