Belowtown Privacy Policy
Last updated 5 October 2026 · WileyWorx LLC, Montana, USA
Belowtown is a 3D map, live-transit and directions app for New York City, made by WileyWorx LLC ("we", "us"). This policy explains what the app does with information about you. The short version: your location stays on your phone, there are no ads and no tracking, we do not sell or share data for advertising, and you do not need an account.
1. What stays on your phone
- Location, motion and altitude. If you allow it, the app uses GPS and your phone's motion and altimeter sensors to put you on the map and move directions along, including underground. This is processed only on your device. We do not receive or store your location history.
- Saved trips, Home & Work, favourite lines, settings, language, your habits (which trips and stations you use, so the app can suggest them) and offline copies of data are stored on your device and deleted when you delete the app.
2. What is sent to us, and why
| What | When | What it contains | Kept for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anonymous device ID | With any report, vote, suggestion, shared trip or feedback | A random ID created by the app. It is not your Apple ID, name, email, phone number or advertising ID. | As long as the items it is attached to |
| Rider reports ("Report") | When you report something at a station, answer "Still there?", or report a post | Station, kind of report, optional note (140 characters), time, device ID | Shown for up to 4 hours; deleted after 90 days |
| Suggestions (Contribute) | When you send a suggestion | What you wrote, the station or map spot it is about, app version, device ID | Until reviewed and, if approved, while it is shown in the app (approved tips are shown without any link to you) |
| Crew points and level | Calculated from your approved suggestions and confirmed reports | Points, level, device ID | While your suggestions are kept |
| Shared live trip | Only when you tap "Share live trip" | Your planned route (station and stop names, times), trip status, the first name you choose (optional). Never your GPS location. | Ends on arrival; deleted 7 days after |
| Feedback | When you send feedback | Your message; if you leave the box ticked, what is on screen (map position, selected station, app version, device type) | 24 months |
| Address search | When you search for an address | The text you typed, sent through our server to NYC GeoSearch, the City of New York's public address search. Not linked to you. | Not stored by us |
| Live transit data | While the app is open | Requests for public MTA, NYC Ferry and bus feeds through our server. Nothing about you. | Not stored |
| Notification token | Only if you turn on delay alerts | Apple push token and the lines you star, used only to send those alerts | Until you turn alerts off |
Like any internet request, these reveal your IP address. We use a one-way scrambled form of it only to stop spam and abuse (rate limits) and never to identify or locate you.
3. Rider reports, moderation and blocking
Notes on reports are filtered automatically for abusive language, links and contact details. Any rider can report a post; reported posts are hidden and reviewed. We may remove content and block a device from posting if it breaks the community rules. We keep the minimum needed to do this (the post, the reports about it, the device ID).
4. Purchases
Belowtown Plus is an optional subscription sold and billed by Apple through the App Store. We never receive your payment details, name or Apple ID; the app only learns from Apple whether Plus is active on your device.
5. No ads, no tracking, no selling
Belowtown has no advertising, does not track you across other companies' apps or websites, does not use data brokers, and does not sell or share personal information. We do not use third-party analytics SDKs.
6. Who processes data for us
- Supabase (database and server functions for reports, suggestions, shared trips, feedback) · Vercel (web pages and data relays) · NYC GeoSearch (address search, NYC Planning) · Apple (App Store, purchases, notifications). Public transit data comes from the MTA, MTA Bus Time, NYC Ferry and the Port Authority (PATH). Events near stations come from Ticketmaster when you open a station.
Data is stored in the United States.
7. Your choices and rights
- You can use the whole map without sending anything: just don't report, suggest, share or send feedback.
- Turn off location, motion or notifications at any time in iPhone Settings.
- Delete or access your data: email jack@wileyworx.com. Because we hold no name or email, include the "Device ID" shown in the app under View › Belowtown Crew (tap your level) so we can find your items. We respond within 30 days. Residents of California, the EU/UK and other places with privacy laws have these rights by law; we give them to everyone.
8. Children
Belowtown is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. Rider reports and suggestions are anonymous and moderated.
9. Changes and contact
If this policy changes we will post the new version here with a new date. WileyWorx LLC · jack@wileyworx.com
Belowtown is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Transit, MTA Bus, NYC Ferry, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, or NJ Transit.