ParkRank · Privacy Policy · effective October 4, 2026

Privacy

ParkRank has no accounts. There is nothing to sign up for and no password to remember. This page says exactly what leaves your device, what never does, and how to remove what you have sent.

What leaves your device

• A random install id. Made on your device the first time you open ParkRank. It is not your name, email, phone number or any Apple identifier, and it is scrambled one way before it is stored in our database, so the stored value cannot be turned back into the original.
• Your ranking, saved as you rank. Once you have placed 3 parks, your list of parks in order, the trip-style tags you chose, and how many parks you picked and head-to-heads you answered are sent so they join the crowd totals. Only parks you have placed are sent. After that the list is saved again as it grows, when you move a park by hand, and when you change your tags. Each save replaces the last one; we keep one list per install id.
• Your daily picks. Which park you chose in Today's Pick and the bonus round, the day, and whether you had visited the parks (both, one, neither, or unknown).
• Your Coin flip answers, if you give one. When you tap "Settle it" on a Coin flip in Crowd Picks, which of the two parks you would go to first (the button only shows for two parks you haven't been to). Answering never changes your ranking.
• Your interests. The interests you pick in your profile (up to five), sent with each daily pick so the crowd's verdicts can be grouped by interest. They are stored with the install id only.
• Your trail name. Trail names are made up by ParkRank from a fixed list of words and can be re-rolled. It is the name other people see, on the boards and in friends' activity, unless you sign in to Game Center (below).
• Your Game Center name, only if you sign in to Game Center. The app asks Apple to confirm the sign-in is real, and we store your Game Center name and player id with the install id. Once Apple confirms it, other people see your Game Center name instead of your trail name. Turn off "Show my Game Center name to others" in Me and they see your trail name again.
• The parks you have marked visited. The count is stored with the install id and can appear beside your trail name on a board. The list itself is sent when the app loads Today's Pick, to choose a bonus question between parks you have been to, and is not stored.
• Your time zone offset and your light or dark setting. The offset tells us which day it is for you.
• How the iPhone app is used. Which screens you open, the main things you tap (for example starting a ranking, answering Today's Pick, sharing), and how long a visit lasts, with the install id and app version. This goes only to our own server, is never shared or used for ads, and is deleted after 13 months. The website uses Google Analytics instead.
• Supporter purchases and tips, if you make any. Which tier you bought (Supporter or Deluxe Supporter), any tips you give (Extra Tip or Extra Deluxe Tip), what each cost, and Apple's transaction numbers, stored with the install id so we can confirm each purchase with Apple and show your star next to your name. If you send us a message, it arrives with your supporter tier and your lifetime support total, so we can weigh feedback from supporters. Only we see this. It is never shown to other users. Apple handles the payment; we never see your card, name or Apple ID.
• A support message, if you send one. Only what you type in the support form, plus a reply address if you choose to give one. A supporter's message also carries their supporter tier and lifetime support total, as described above.
• The friend codes you have added. Sent when the app checks for what is new, so it can show your friends' recent activity. The list is used for that one reply and is not stored.
• Your app version, and whether you are on iPhone or the web. Sent with the same check, so you only get content your version can show.
• A notification address, only if you turn on News from ParkRank. Apple gives the app an address for sending notifications to your phone. It is stored with the install id and used only to send those notes. Turn the switch off in Me and we stop using it.

What friends can see

Anyone who has your friend code can see your trail name (or your Game Center name, if it is showing), your ranking, when you last updated it, challenges you finished, and whether you and they picked the same park in Today's Pick. Your code is printed on the cards and links you share, so treat it like something you would post. There is no public profile and no search by name.

When you share a card, it goes straight from your phone to the app you pick (Messages, Instagram, Facebook or another). We never receive the image. Shared links carry a short tag, such as "via=story", so we can count how many people open them.

What never leaves your device

• Your profile photo. It is stored only on your phone.
• Your contacts, location or photo library.
• Your Game Center picture, if you sign in. It is shown only on your own phone.
• Your ranking before you have placed 3 parks.

What we do with it

Rankings, daily picks and Coin flip answers are combined into crowd totals. These feed Crowd Picks, the boards and Next for you. The "People like you" recommendations are shown only when at least 20 people share your interests, so one person's answers are not singled out. We do not sell data, run ads, or share data with anyone except the hosting provider that stores it (Supabase).

Content updates

The app fetches new content from our own server: notes from us, daily questions, challenges and wording. It downloads content only, never program code.

Analytics

The iOS app contains no analytics or advertising software. The website park-rank.com uses Google Analytics to count visits.

Removing your data

In the app, Me → Delete my data removes everything you have sent us. It is deleted 29 days after you confirm, and you can cancel any time before then. Me → Reset this phone only removes your ranking, visited list, profile and settings from your phone and leaves what you already sent. You can also ask through the support form in the app or at park-rank.com/support; include the name shown on your Me tab so we can find your data, and we will delete it within 30 days.

Children

ParkRank is rated 4+. It does not ask for your name, email or location.

Changes and contact

If this policy changes, the date at the top changes and the app shows a note. Questions go through the support form. ParkRank is an independent project and is not affiliated with the National Park Service.