Privacy Policy

Last updated 9 October 2026

Caravan lets everyone on a trip see where the others are along the way. That only works by sharing location, so this page explains exactly what is collected, who can see it, and how long it lasts.

The short version. Your location is visible only to the people in your caravan, only while a trip is running, and only your most recent position is kept. Nothing is sold, and nothing is used for advertising.

What we collect

Your phone number, used to sign you in. Caravan has no passwords.
Your name, vehicle nickname and avatar color, shown to the other people in your caravan. You choose these and can change them at any time in Settings.
Your location while you are in an active caravan, including your heading and speed so the map can show whether you're moving.
A notification token, so we can tell you when someone joins your caravan or arrives.
Usage statistics, such as how many caravans run, how long trips take and how accurate arrival times were. They are kept under a scrambled ID and never include your location, destination, name or phone number. We use them only to run and improve Caravan.

Who can see your location

Only the people in the same caravan as you, and only while that caravan is running. Nobody outside it can see your position. This is enforced by the database's access rules, not just by the app: only members can read a caravan's positions, and a caravan can be joined only while it's open, not locked, and only by someone the host hasn't removed.

Anyone with your caravan's join code or invite link can join while it's open, so share it only with your group. Hosts can lock a caravan and remove anyone who shouldn't be there.

Everyone in a caravan shares their location with everyone else in it. There is no way to see the group without also being visible to it.

When location sharing stops

When you leave the caravan.
When the host ends it, or everyone arrives.
When you arrive at the destination.
When the host removes you from it.
When you close the app.

In the first four cases your position is deleted from our systems, not merely hidden. When you close the app, sharing stops, but your last position stays visible to your caravan, marked with how long ago it was updated, until you leave or the trip ends.

While a trip is running, Caravan keeps sharing your location when it is not the app on screen: when you have switched to a navigation app, or your screen is off. That is the point of a caravan: the group can still see you while you drive. It is limited to a running trip you joined, it stops when you close the app, and your phone shows you it is happening: iOS displays a blue indicator, and Android an ongoing notification.

What is kept, and for how long

Only your most recent position is stored. Each update overwrites the last, so there is no history of where you have been and no route to reconstruct. To avoid fetching arrival times while you're parked, we also note where you last asked for one; that is deleted with your position when you leave or the trip ends.

A trip's destination is deleted when the trip ends. The rest of its record (its name, who took part, arrival times) is deleted 30 days after the trip. Caravans left running are closed automatically after 12 hours. Your profile is kept until you delete your account. Usage statistics have no name or location attached and are kept to see how Caravan is doing over time.

Who else is involved

Caravan runs on Google Firebase, which stores this data on our behalf and delivers notifications. Maps, place search and travel time estimates come from Google Maps Platform, which necessarily receives location coordinates in order to answer those requests.

We do not sell your data, we do not share it with advertisers, and Caravan contains no advertising or third-party analytics: the usage statistics above stay with us, on the same Google Cloud account that runs Caravan.

Deleting your account

Settings → Delete Account removes your profile, your caravan membership and your location. We ask you to confirm your phone number first, because deletion cannot be undone. Records of past caravans you took part in are removed on the 30-day schedule above.

Children

Caravan is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their information.

Changes

If this policy changes in a way that affects what is collected or who can see it, we will update the date at the top and note the change in the app.

Contact

Questions about any of this: support@joincaravan.co.