Anchak

Privacy Policy

Effective date: 2026-10-11 (previous version: October 3, 2026) · Operated by 프리랩(PRELAB) (Republic of Korea)

Policy update. Since October 3, 2026, this policy also covers the community (optional accounts, posts, photos, reports and visit checks). Visit checks start on October 12, 2026. If you don't join the community, you can keep using Anchak without an account, as now. From October 18, 2026, feedback you send in the app (your message and any contact you add) will also be emailed to the operator, so we can read and answer it sooner (sent by Resend, kept in our Google Workspace mailbox).

The short version

Anchak's main features need no account or sign-up, and there are no advertising or tracking SDKs. What you save in the app stays on your phone. Only a few things reach us: anonymous usage events (you can switch them off), feedback you choose to send, text you ask us to translate, crash reports, your location (only when you use a location feature and have agreed to it) and, if you join the community, your account and posts. We never sell data.

What we process, why, and for how long

  • Anonymous usage events. What: a random device ID the app creates on first launch, event names (for example "home opened", "guide opened"), time, app version, language, traveler type (tourist or student) and platform. Why: to see which features are used and decide what to build next. How long: 12 months, then deleted automatically. Switch it off anytime in Settings → Share anonymous usage stats; switching off also discards events not yet sent.
  • Feedback you send. What: your message, the email address or handle you choose to add (optional), the device ID, app version, language, traveler type and platform. Why: to read it, reply if you left a contact, and fix problems. How long: deleted 30 days after we handle it, and in any case within 12 months. From October 18, 2026, a copy of your message and contact is also emailed to the operator's mailbox (sent through Resend, stored in Google Workspace) so we see it right away; the email copy is deleted within 12 months.
  • Location (only if you agree, see "Location information" below). What: your phone's coordinates when you use a location feature. Why: to find the answer you asked for. How long: the coordinates are not stored. A location-use record (time, which feature and the device ID, without coordinates) is kept for 6 months as Korean law requires, then deleted automatically.
  • Text you ask us to translate. What: the text you type in "Translate & show" on Show Card, or the name of a place you add without a Korean name, plus the device ID (used only to limit how many requests one phone can make). Why: to translate it into Korean. How long: we do not store it. It passes through our server to Google Cloud Translation. Google does not keep it after translating and does not use it to train its models. Still, please don't type things you would not want to share, such as passport or card numbers.
  • Crash reports. What: error details, app version and basic device information (such as device model and OS version), sent to Sentry, our error-tracking service. No name, email, location or text you typed, and the app does not attach your IP address to reports. Why: to fix bugs. How long: up to 90 days at Sentry.
  • Community account (only if you join). What: depending on how you sign in, your email address (email code), or your Apple or Google account ID and that account's email (an Apple relay address if you choose Hide My Email), plus your nickname, language, confirmation that you are 14 or over, the version and time of the terms you agreed to, and any posting restrictions. Why: to identify you and keep you signed in, show your nickname on posts, record your consent and apply our rules. How long: until you delete your account. Other users see only your nickname.
  • Posts (community members). What: text, star ratings, photos, whether a visit was checked (yes or no only, no coordinates), likes, place hearts, block list, and translations of posts into other languages. Why: to run the community. How long: until you delete the post or your account. Posts and photos are public. Before uploading, the app shrinks each photo and removes details such as where it was taken (EXIF). If a post is hidden after reports or by a moderator, its photos are deleted 30 days later.
  • Reports. What: the reported post or member, the reason, any note, and the member who reported. Why: to manage posts. How long: handled reports are deleted 1 year after they were made. If the reporting member deletes their account, the link to them is removed right away.
  • Connection data. Like any internet service, our servers see your IP address and the time of each request. We don't save IP addresses in our database. For the daily limit on translations, we keep only a code made from your IP address and the date. It changes every day, cannot be turned back into your IP address, and is deleted after 2 days. Our server functions hold them briefly in memory to stop abuse (a limit on requests per minute and per day), and our hosting provider keeps short-lived request logs for security and troubleshooting.

We do not collect your name, phone number or payment information. The only photos we receive are ones you post to the community yourself. We do not build profiles about you for advertising.

What stays on your device

To personalize the app, the following is stored only on your phone:

  • Your traveler type (tourist or student), arrival and departure dates, and the city you chose
  • Your checklist progress and skipped items
  • Places you've saved with a heart, your trip plan and "My places" (addresses you saved)
  • Show Card settings (accommodation address, allergies, saved phrases), your currency, language and theme
  • Your choice about location use, and the last Today card (weather for your city or your location)

This data never leaves your phone. Deleting the app deletes it permanently. You can also reset your checklist anytime in Settings.

Location information

Anchak is a location-based service under Korea's Act on the Protection, Use, etc. of Location Information. Before any feature uses your location, the app asks you to agree to our Location-Based Services Terms, and then your phone asks for permission. We use your location only for these features:

  • "Where am I? Show it in Korean" (Show Card): the coordinates go to our server, which asks Kakao for the Korean address and the nearest subway station. If our server can't answer, your phone's own map service (Apple or Google) turns the coordinates into an address.
  • "Pharmacies & clinics nearby": the coordinates go to our server, which finds the closest pharmacies, clinics and emergency rooms in public data from Korea's National Medical Center (through the public data portal, data.go.kr).
  • Today card, "Use my location": coordinates rounded to about 1 km go to our server for the weather (Korea Meteorological Administration), sunrise and sunset (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute) and nearby weather alerts. Without your consent the card uses the city you picked during setup.
  • Places, "Near me": your position is used only on your phone to sort places by distance. Nothing is sent.
  • Community visit check: when a community member writes about a place and turns on "I'm here now", the coordinates go to our server only to calculate whether they are within 300 m of the place. Only the result (yes or no) is kept with the post, and the location-use record includes the member ID.

Coordinates are used only while answering the request and are not saved. To answer faster, our server may keep the result for an area of about 1 km in memory for a few minutes, with nothing that identifies you. The app never reads your location in the background, and we do not give your location to anyone for their own use.

Turning it off: Settings → Use location. When you turn it off, the app stops sending your location and asks our server to delete the location-use records for your device. You can also turn off location permission for Anchak in your phone's settings.

Children: location features are only for ages 14 and over. You confirm this on the consent screen before first use.

Other connections the app makes

  • Content updates: the app checks for updated in-app content through the Expo Updates service. These requests carry basic technical information (such as app version and platform) and are not used to identify you.
  • Today card and festivals: without location, the app asks our server for public information (festivals from the Korea Tourism Organization, weather from the Korea Meteorological Administration, air quality from AirKorea) for the city you picked during setup. Nothing about you is stored.
  • Exchange rates: the Won Calculator fetches current rates from ExchangeRate-API (exchangerate-api.com). The request carries no personal data.
  • External links: guides and the services directory link to other websites (official sites, maps, transport and travel services). When you open them, their own privacy policies apply.
  • Phone calls: emergency and helpline numbers dial through your phone's dialer. The app does not access your call history or contacts.

Companies that handle data for us

We use these services to run Anchak. They handle data only for the purposes below.

  • Supabase Pte. Ltd. (Singapore; privacy@supabase.com): runs our server functions and database. The database is in Seoul, Republic of Korea; server functions may run in the region nearest to you. Handles usage events, feedback, location-use records and requests in transit (coordinates, translation text). With the community, it also handles community accounts, posts, reports, photo files (Supabase Storage) and sign-in (Supabase Auth).
  • Functional Software, Inc. (Sentry) (USA; compliance@sentry.io): crash reports.
  • Google LLC (USA; support.google.com/cloud/contact/dpo): text you ask us to translate (Google Cloud Translation). Also translations of community posts, and the sign-in step if you sign in with Google. Also our business email (Google Workspace): emails you send us and, from October 18, 2026, feedback alert emails.
  • 650 Industries, Inc. (Expo) (USA; expo.dev/contact): delivers app updates; receives technical information only.
  • Apple Inc. (USA; apple.com/legal/privacy/contact): the sign-in step if you sign in with Apple (account ID, email or relay email).
  • Plus Five Five, Inc. (Resend) (USA; resend.com/legal/privacy-policy): sends the sign-in code email when you sign in with email (email address). From October 18, 2026, it also sends the operator an alert email with the feedback you send (your message and any contact you added).
  • Kakao Corp. (Republic of Korea): coordinates, to look up a Korean address and the nearest station.
  • Public data providers through data.go.kr (Republic of Korea): the National Medical Center, Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, AirKorea and Korea Tourism Organization receive coordinates, a city or a place ID, and nothing that identifies you.

Transfers outside Korea (Supabase, Sentry, Google, Expo, Apple, Resend) happen over an encrypted connection (HTTPS) each time you use the related feature, and the data is kept only as long as described above. You can refuse by not using that feature or by switching it off in Settings (for the community, by not joining); the rest of the app keeps working.

Permissions

Notifications: Anchak can show a few reminders around your arrival date (for example "3 days to Korea"). These are local notifications scheduled on your phone. There is no push server and no device token. You can decline, or turn them off later in your phone's settings, and the app works the same.

Location: only when you use a location feature and agree (see above). No camera, contacts or microphone. Saving a Show Card as an image goes through your phone's share sheet; the app does not read your photo library.

Photos: the app opens your phone's photo picker only when you add photos to a community post. It receives only the photos you pick and does not read your whole library.

Your rights

You can ask to see, correct or delete the data we hold about you, or ask us to stop processing it, including your location-use records. The main features have no accounts, so we find those records by the device ID shown at the bottom of the app's Settings screen, or by the email you left in feedback. Email young@prelabart.studio with that ID. You can delete a community account right away in the app (Settings → Community account → Delete account), or ask us from the email you signed in with. We reply within 10 days, usually within 7. See anchak.app/delete-data for step-by-step deletion. The switches in Settings (usage stats, location) take effect immediately.

How we protect data

All connections use encryption (HTTPS). Our database is closed to the public: only our server functions can write to it, with a key that never leaves the server, and only the operator can read it. The app keeps no secret keys. We collect as little as possible and delete data on the schedule above.

Children

Anchak is not directed at children. Location features and the community are only for ages 14 and over; you confirm this before first use (for the community, when you join). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 14. If you believe a child has joined or sent us data, email us and we will delete the account and the data.

Website

anchak.app uses no cookies and no analytics. Our web host keeps standard server logs (such as IP address and pages requested) for a short time for security.

Changes to this policy

If our data practices change, we will update this policy and the effective date before those features ship, and show a notice in the app when the change matters to you. If translations differ, the Korean version prevails.
History: 2026-10-18 feedback is also emailed to the operator (message and contact, sent by Resend, kept in Google Workspace), announced 2026-10-11; Resend's company name corrected · 2026-10-11 code for the daily translation limit (made from the IP address and date, deleted after 2 days) added; photos of hidden posts deleted after 30 days · 2026-10-03 community (accounts, posts, photos, reports, visit checks) and new processors (Apple, Resend) added; operator details; location features for ages 14 and over (the update planned for 2026-10-08, merged and brought forward) · 2026-10-01 new version with location information and processors

Contact

Operator: 프리랩(PRELAB) · Representative: Youngsoo Kim · Business registration no.: 379-22-02532
Address: Room 401 (Ga-10), 4F, 7 Bujeon-ro 96beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea (No walk-in visits. Please contact us by email.)
Email: young@prelabart.studio · Phone: 010-2193-2698

Privacy officer and location information officer: Youngsoo Kim (Representative) · young@prelabart.studio · 010-2193-2698

To see or delete your server-side data, see anchak.app/delete-data.

If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can contact Korea's Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee (+82-1833-6972, kopico.go.kr) or KISA's Personal Information Infringement Report Center (118 in Korea, privacy.kisa.or.kr).