Privacy Policy

Effective 28 September 2026

This privacy policy applies to the Rancher app for mobile devices, together with any related services operated by Nick Mirchandani (collectively, the "Application"). Nick Mirchandani is hereby referred to as the "Service Provider".

Information Collection and Use

The Application collects the following information.

Account information: your email address (or the sign-in you use with Sign in with Apple or Google), the ranchername you choose, and your birth year. The birth year is used only to confirm that you are at least 13 years old. You may also choose to add your home state or country.
Profile information: an optional profile photo, an optional bio (your "ranch philosophy"), and the background icon you choose.
Content you create: your ranchings, including the restaurant, chain, or bottle, your scores, your written review, your tasting notes, and your food pairing. It also includes your reactions to other ranchings, the ranchers you follow, and any reports or feedback you send.
Device and usage information: a push notification token, so the Application can notify you about follows and reactions. It also includes usage analytics collected through Google Analytics for Firebase, such as the screens you view, the features you use, your device model, your operating system version, and an app instance identifier. Service providers may process your device's IP address to deliver the service.

To create an account you must provide an email address or a supported sign-in, a ranchername, and your birth year. Everything else is optional.

What Other Users Can See

Other signed-in users can see your ranchername, profile photo, bio, background icon, follower count, and ranchings. They can also see your reactions to ranchings and whether you follow or are followed by other ranchers. Your email address, birth year, home state or country, and push notification token are never shown to other users.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Application or its third-party SDKs may use cookies, SDKs, pixels, and similar technologies to support functionality, analytics, or service delivery. Where required by applicable law, the Service Provider will obtain consent before using non-essential tracking technologies.

Location Information

If you allow it, the Application uses your device's location to show restaurants near you and to center the map. Your location is used on your device and sent to Apple's MapKit service to find nearby places. The Service Provider does not store your device's location. Location access is optional: if you decline it, you can search for places by name.

A ranching records the location of the restaurant you rated, not your own location.

Your Rights

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data held by the Service Provider. To exercise these rights, or to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, contact the Service Provider at rancherapp@gmail.com.

Your California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights. To exercise your CCPA/CPRA rights, contact the Service Provider at rancherapp@gmail.com.

The Service Provider may use the information you provide to send you important information and required notices. The Service Provider does not sell your personal information, does not show you advertising, and does not track you across other companies' apps or websites.

Third Party Access

The Service Provider uses the following service providers to operate the Application. They process your information on the Service Provider's behalf:

Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions, Cloud Messaging, App Check, and Google Analytics for Firebase), which stores your account, profile, and content, delivers notifications, and provides usage analytics
Google Sign-In, if you choose to sign in with Google
Sign in with Apple, if you choose to sign in with Apple
Apple MapKit and the Apple Push Notification service, for place search and notifications

Each of these providers is required to protect your information with the same or equal protection as described in this privacy policy and as required by the App Store Review Guidelines. The Service Provider does not share your information with any other third party except as described below.

International Data Transfers

The Service Provider or its third-party service providers may transfer personal data to countries outside your country of residence, including outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Where applicable law requires safeguards for international transfers, the Service Provider will use appropriate mechanisms, such as:

Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
Adequacy decisions or other legally recognized transfer mechanisms
Your consent, where required and legally permitted

Data protection laws in other countries may differ from those in your jurisdiction. Where required by law, the Service Provider will apply appropriate safeguards and obtain any consent required for the transfer.

Please note that the Application utilizes third-party services that have their own Privacy Policy about handling data. Below are the links to the Privacy Policy of the third-party service providers used by the Application:

The Service Provider may disclose User Provided and Automatically Collected Information:

as required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, or similar legal process;
when they believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect their rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request;
with their trusted services providers who work on their behalf, do not have an independent use of the information the Service Provider discloses to them, and have agreed to adhere to the rules set forth in this privacy statement.

Opt-Out Rights

You can control what the Application collects from within the Application and from your device's settings:

Location: change the Application's location access in your device's Settings app.
Notifications: change the Application's notification settings in your device's Settings app.

Uninstalling the Application stops it from collecting data from your device, but it does not delete information that has already been sent to the Service Provider. To delete that information, delete your account as described below.

To withdraw consent to usage analytics or to exercise any of your rights, contact the Service Provider at rancherapp@gmail.com.

Data Retention Policy

The Service Provider retains personal data based on its necessity for the stated purposes:

Account, profile, and content data: Retained while your account is active and deleted when you delete your account
Usage analytics: Retained for no more than 14 months from collection
Reports and feedback: Retained as long as needed to review them and keep the Application safe
Aggregated and anonymized data: Retained indefinitely, because it no longer identifies you
Data required for legal compliance: Retained as long as required by applicable law

Deleting your account: You can delete your account at any time in the Application under Settings > Delete Account. This permanently deletes your profile, profile photo, ranchings, follows, activity, and login. Copies held in service providers' logs may remain for a limited period before they are removed. You can also request deletion by contacting the Service Provider at rancherapp@gmail.com.

Children

The Application is not intended for children under 13 years of age, or such higher age as required by applicable law. When creating an account, users must enter a birth year showing that they are at least 13, and the Application does not allow younger users to create an account. The Service Provider does not knowingly solicit data from children or market the Application to them.

Where parental or guardian consent is required under applicable law, the Application is not intended for use without that consent. The Service Provider does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13 years of age in violation of applicable law. In the event the Service Provider discovers that a child has provided personal information, the Service Provider will immediately delete this from their servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided the Service Provider with personal information, please contact the Service Provider at rancherapp@gmail.com so that they will be able to take the necessary actions.

Security

The Service Provider is concerned about safeguarding the confidentiality of your information. The Service Provider provides physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect information the Service Provider processes and maintains.

Data Breach Notification

If a data breach occurs that affects your personal data, the Service Provider will notify you in accordance with applicable legal requirements, including, where required, providing information about the nature of the breach and the steps being taken to address it.

Changes

The Service Provider may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The Service Provider will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Privacy Policy with an effective date. Where required by law, the Service Provider will seek your consent to material changes before they take effect.

Previous versions of this Privacy Policy will be maintained and made available upon request by contacting the Service Provider at rancherapp@gmail.com.

This privacy policy is effective as of 2026-09-28.

Your Consent

Where processing is based on consent, you provide that consent by affirmatively opting in to the relevant feature or action. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting processing carried out before withdrawal. Processing based on other lawful bases is carried out as described above.

Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding privacy while using the Application, or have questions about the practices, please contact the Service Provider via email at rancherapp@gmail.com.