Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 28, 2026
Overview
VerticalClimb ("we," "us," or "our") operates the VerticalClimb mobile app and web app. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data.
Information We Collect
Account & Profile
- Email address (for sign-in). If you use Sign in with Apple and choose "Hide My Email," we receive an Apple relay address instead of your real one
- Your first and last name (required for every account, including to manage subscriptions and billing). If you sign in with Apple or Google and share your name, we take it from there; otherwise we ask for it
- Username (you choose it and can change it any time)
- Profile information (age, climbing experience, home gym, goals)
- Profile photo (optional)
- Bio (optional)
What Other People Can See
- Your username and first name are shown on your public profile and wherever your activity appears (feed, climbers list, leaderboards)
- Your last name is shown publicly only if you allow it. You can turn this on or off at any time in your profile settings. When it is off, your last name is visible only to you and to us for account and billing purposes
- Your profile (bio, location, home gym, goals, hardest grades) and the climbs you log, including their notes and any AI feedback on them, are visible to other signed-in VerticalClimb users
- Free Solo keeps you off the leaderboards. It does not hide your profile, posts or climbs
- If you take part in a competition run on VerticalClimb, the organiser's results, including competitors' names, may be published
Climbing Data & Content
- Climbs you log (grade, type, attempts, date, notes)
- Photos and videos you upload
- Your goals and progress tracking
- Leaderboard stats
AI Coach Conversations
- Messages you send to our AI Coach are sent to Anthropic (Claude API) for processing
- Anthropic may retain logs for safety and improvement purposes (see their privacy policy)
- We save your AI Coach conversation history to your account so you can see it again. Only you can read it, and it is deleted with your account
Usage Analytics & Diagnostics
- We use PostHog to understand how the app is used: which screens and features are used, and events such as signing up or logging a climb. These analytics are linked to your account, including your name, username and email, so we can support you and fix problems for specific accounts
- In the mobile app, PostHog may record sessions (how screens were used) to help us find bugs. Text you type into fields and images are masked in these recordings
- We use Sentry to collect crash reports and error diagnostics, linked to your account ID
- Our websites use Vercel Web Analytics, which is cookieless and does not identify you
- We do not sell your data or use it for advertising
What We Do NOT Collect
- GPS location
- Advertising identifiers (IDFA, Android Advertising ID)
- Data for ad targeting
- Biometric data (fingerprint, face ID)
Our analytics provider may estimate your approximate country and city from your IP address.
How We Use Your Data
- Authentication & account management — to let you sign in and manage your profile
- Subscriptions & billing — to link purchases to the right person and account
- Service delivery — to store and display your climbs, stats, and community profile
- AI Coaching — to provide personalized climbing advice via Claude
- Leaderboards & community — to show public rankings and connect climbers
- Notifications — to send push notifications you have allowed
- Product improvement & support — to understand usage, fix bugs, and add features
Data Retention & Deletion
You have the right to delete your account at any time. Deleting your account:
- Immediately and permanently removes your profile, name, climbs, AI Coach history, and other personal data from our database. This cannot be undone
- Removes your uploaded photos and videos from your profile and the app. To have the underlying files erased from our file storage as well, email us at the address below and we will do it within 30 days
Encrypted backups of our database are kept for 30 days for disaster recovery, so deleted data may remain in a backup for up to 30 days before it is gone for good. Competition results published by an organiser are not removed by deleting your account; contact us if you want your name removed from them.
To delete your account, open the app, go to Profile → Settings → Delete account.
Third-Party Services
Data Security
We protect your data using industry-standard encryption (HTTPS/TLS) and row-level security policies on our database. However, no system is 100% secure. If you suspect a breach, contact us immediately.
Children's Privacy
VerticalClimb is not intended for users under 13. If we become aware a child has created an account, we will delete it immediately.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of your personal data
- Correct — update inaccurate information
- Delete — remove your account and data
- Opt-out — of non-essential communications
To exercise these rights, contact us at admin@fullverticalclimb.com.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via in-app notification or email. Continued use of the app constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Us
Questions about privacy?
Email: admin@fullverticalclimb.com
Company: VerticalClimb