Location Privacy & Safety

Winklr takes a privacy-first approach to location. Your exact position is never shared with other users, and multiple layers of protection are built into the system to keep you safe.

Your exact location is never shared

When you use Discovery, Winklr determines your approximate area to find nearby profiles. However:

• Your precise GPS coordinates are never sent to or visible to other users. The location data is anonymised before being used for proximity matching.
• Distance display is permanently disabled. Unlike many other apps, Winklr does not show other users how far away you are. This is a deliberate anti-stalking safety measure and cannot be turned on.

Location update throttling

Your location is not tracked continuously. Winklr rate-limits how often your position is updated, regardless of how often you open the app or refresh Discovery. This limits the amount of location data generated and prevents real-time tracking.

Discovery mode as a privacy control

Discovery mode is not just a feature toggle -- it is a privacy control:

• When Discovery mode is off, you are completely hidden from the radar feed. No one can see you in Discovery.
• Turning Discovery mode off also prevents you from browsing others. This is an intentional anti-stalking measure: you cannot view profiles anonymously while remaining hidden yourself.
• You can toggle Discovery mode on or off at any time from Settings > Discovery or from the setup card on the Discovery screen.

What data is stored

• Only your approximate position is stored for proximity matching. No precise coordinates are exposed to other users.
• No location history is shared. Other users cannot see where you have been, only that you are generally in a nearby area when you are active in Discovery.
• When you turn off Discovery mode or revoke location permissions, your profile is removed from the radar feed entirely.