Privacy policy
What we collect, why we collect it, who can see it, and how you can delete it.
The short version. We collect what the app needs to work: your phone number and email to sign in, your profile, the Scenes you post and join, and your location while the app is open. We don't sell your data, we don't show ads, and we never track your location in the background. You can delete your account, and everything with it, from inside the app.
1. Who we are
SceneHai is a hyperlocal meetup app and this website, scenehai.com. It is owned and operated by Abhishek Dhabas, based in India ("SceneHai", "we", "us"). For anything about your data, write to hello@scenehai.com.
This policy covers the SceneHai app on Android and iPhone, and this website. It follows India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
2. What we collect
Things you give us
- Sign-in details: your phone number, your email address and a password. We confirm your phone number and email with one-time codes.
- Your profile: name, username, photo, a short bio, date of birth, gender, your interests and the area you call home.
- Scenes you host: the title, description, photo, time, place, tags, group size, who it's for, who pays, and "the clue" or join link you write for accepted guests.
- What you do with other people: requests to join, Scenes you save or mark as interested, questions you ask on a Scene, messages in a Scene's group chat, who you follow, who you block, and reports you send us.
- Waitlist (this website): your email address and the city you pick.
Things the app records as you use it
- Your location, while the app is open. It is used to show Scenes and venues near you, and to confirm you arrived when you tap "Check in". We do not collect your location in the background, and we do not keep a history of where you have been.
- Attendance: when you check in to a Scene, we store that you did, the time, the method (location or the host's code) and how far you were from the spot. After a Scene, the host can mark who came, and guests can say whether the host came.
- A push token for your phone, so we can send you notifications.
- Basic technical logs that our hosting providers keep to run the service and fix errors.
Things we don't collect
- We don't read your contacts, your messages outside SceneHai, or your photo library beyond the photos you choose.
- We don't use advertising trackers, in the app or on this website.
3. Why we use it
- To create and secure your account, and stop one person holding many accounts.
- To show you Scenes near you and Scenes that match your interests.
- To let hosts decide who joins, and to run the group chat.
- To build the Shows up score from check-ins and roll calls, so people can see who keeps their plans.
- To send notifications you'd expect: requests, replies, reminders before a Scene, and, if you leave them on, new Scenes you may like.
- To keep people safe: reviewing reports, enforcing blocks, and applying limits that stop spam.
- To email waitlist members when SceneHai opens in their city.
We rely on your consent, which you give when you create an account or join the waitlist, and you can withdraw it by deleting your account or asking us to remove you.
4. What other people can see
| Information | Who can see it |
|---|---|
| Name, username, photo, bio, interests, home area, age range, whether your phone is verified, your Shows up score | Signed-in SceneHai users |
| Your exact date of birth, phone number, email | Nobody. Only you. |
| Your live location | Nobody. It is never shown to other people. |
| Scenes at a public place | People nearby in the app |
| A Scene at a private place (someone's home) | Everyone sees only the area. The address and exact spot go to the host and accepted guests. |
| "The clue" or an online Scene's join link | The host and accepted guests |
| Group chat messages | The host and accepted guests of that Scene |
| Whether you were marked present or absent | You and that Scene's host |
| Who you blocked or reported | You. Reports are seen by us. |
5. Who we share it with
We don't sell your data. We use a small number of companies to run SceneHai, and they only get what their job needs:
- Supabase stores the app's data, photos and sign-in records.
- MSG91 sends the SMS code to your phone number.
- Resend sends emails, such as your email code.
- Expo and Google Firebase deliver push notifications to your phone.
- Google Places answers venue searches. It receives the search words and an approximate location, not your identity.
- Sentry receives crash reports from the app (what failed, the app version and the phone model) so we can fix errors. We have turned off sending your name, contact details or IP address with them.
- Vercel hosts this website.
Some of these companies process data on servers outside India. We may also share information when the law requires it, or when it is needed to protect someone from serious harm.
6. How long we keep it
- Your account and everything in it stays until you delete your account.
- When you delete your account, your profile, photos, Scenes, messages, check-ins and sign-in details are removed. See Delete your account.
- Reports and safety records may be kept for a limited time after deletion where we need them to deal with abuse or meet a legal duty.
- Waitlist emails are kept until SceneHai has opened in your city and we have told you, or until you ask us to remove you.
7. Your choices and rights
- See and correct your details in the app under Profile and Settings.
- Control who finds you with "Let people find you" in Settings.
- Choose your notifications, including quiet hours, in Settings.
- Turn location off in your phone's settings. Nearby Scenes and check-in by location will stop working; you can still check in with the host's code.
- Delete your account in Settings, or by emailing us.
- Ask for a copy of your data, withdraw consent, or name someone to act for you, by emailing hello@scenehai.com.
8. Age
SceneHai is for adults. You must be 18 or older to use it. If we learn that someone under 18 has an account, we remove it.
9. How we protect it
Data travels over encrypted connections. Passwords are stored hashed, never in plain text. Database rules decide what each person can read: for example, a Scene's exact location and a private address can only be read by the host and accepted guests. No system is perfectly secure, so if we ever learn of a breach that affects you, we will tell you and the authorities as the law requires.
10. Changes to this policy
If we change something important, we will update the date above and tell you in the app before it takes effect.
11. Contact and grievances
Grievance officer: Abhishek Dhabas. Email hello@scenehai.com with the subject "Privacy". We acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and aim to resolve them within 15 days. If you are not satisfied, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India.