The short version
Our Privacy Pledge
SyncTogether is designed around privacy by architecture. When synchronizing local files, your video bytes and absolute disk paths never leave your device. When using real-time facecams and voice chat, streams are end-to-end encrypted in transit and never recorded or stored on any server. We do not sell your personal data, and we do not track you across the web.
01Scope & Services Covered
This Privacy Policy governs your use of the SyncTogether platform, including:
- The SyncTogether desktop client applications (macOS and Windows).
- The official website, documentation, and subscription management portal located at https://synctogether.app.
- Our cloud infrastructure, authentication bridges, real-time synchronization channels, media sharing services, and serverless edge functions.
02Information We Collect & How We Process It
- Account Authentication (Google, Apple, or Email): When you sign in using Google OAuth or Sign in with Apple, we receive and store your email address and display name/avatar if provided. When you sign in using email OTP, we store your email address and generate a secure passwordless login token.
- Guest Authentication: If you use SyncTogether as a Guest without an account, we generate a temporary random anonymous identifier (e.g.
Guest-a1b2). Guest sessions use Cloudflare Turnstile tokens to verify human interaction and prevent automated abuse. - User Profiles: You may customize your public display name at any time in your profile settings.
- Local File Sync Mode: When syncing local video files, we process only the file's basic filename (basename, e.g.
movie.mp4), duration, and playback timestamps (position, play, pause, seek) over private real-time channels. Your absolute disk directory structure and raw video bytes remain on your local disk. - Cloud Media Sharing Mode (Optional Host Upload): When a host chooses to stream a file directly to room participants via Cloud Media Sharing, the video file is encrypted in transit and uploaded temporarily to our Cloudflare R2 object storage. We store file size and chunk metadata to generate time-limited, presigned download URLs for authenticated room members.
- YouTube Sync Mode: When synchronizing YouTube playback, we process the canonical YouTube Video ID, playback state, and timestamp coordinates.
- Voice & Video Facecams: Live audio and video streams are transmitted in real-time over encrypted WebRTC connections via LiveKit Cloud or a LiveKit server we operate ourselves (see the service providers list below). Voice and video streams are NEVER recorded, monitored, transcribed, or stored on our servers.
- Room Chat & Reactions: Text chat messages and emoji/Lottie reaction triggers are broadcast to room participants. In-room messages are temporary and tied strictly to the active room lifecycle.
Premium subscription payments are processed directly by our authorized Merchant of Record, Paddle Payments Ltd / Paddle.com. Paddle handles all credit card, debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and UPI transactions.
SyncTogether never sees, processes, or stores your credit card numbers, CVVs, or bank account details. We receive only billing status confirmations, subscription tier flags, transaction IDs, and renewal timestamps from Paddle via verified webhooks.
- Crash Reporting (Sentry): If an unexpected application failure occurs, Sentry captures stack traces, operating system version, app version, and breadcrumb execution context to assist our engineering team in resolving bugs.
- Product Analytics (PostHog): We collect aggregated feature engagement metrics (e.g. room creation, sync latency, upgrade flows). You can opt out of analytics at any time with a single toggle in the desktop app under Profile → “Share usage data”. Opting out immediately stops all analytics event collection.
- Web Analytics (Vercel Analytics): Our marketing website uses privacy-friendly Vercel Analytics to measure page view volume without tracking individual users or using invasive cookies.
03What We Explicitly DO NOT Collect or Do
04Media Playback Architecture & YouTube Disclosures
SyncTogether offers flexible media options with distinct privacy boundaries:
When all room participants have their own copy of a video file on their device, SyncTogether coordinates playback strictly via lightweight control messages (play/pause/seek). Zero video bytes are transmitted to any server or other user.
When a host uploads a video file to stream to participants, the file is uploaded to an isolated, encrypted Cloudflare R2 storage bucket. Access is granted solely to authenticated room participants via time-limited, signed URLs. Shared media is strictly ephemeral and is automatically and permanently deleted upon room closure or expiration.
SyncTogether enables synchronized playback of public YouTube videos using the official YouTube IFrame API (via privacy-enhanced mode youtube-nocookie.com). By using YouTube playback in SyncTogether, you agree to be bound by the YouTube Terms of Service and acknowledge Google's Privacy Policy.
05Hardware Permissions & System Access
The SyncTogether desktop app requests the following operating system permissions strictly on an as-needed basis:
Used solely to transmit your audio when voice chat is explicitly unmuted by you in an active room.
Used solely to capture and stream your video facecam when video is explicitly enabled by you in a room.
5bStreaks, Badges, Leaderboards & Shared Recaps
SyncTogether records how much time you spend watching with other people, so it can show you a streak, award badges and rank you on a leaderboard. This is the only part of the product that can publish anything about you, and it is off until you turn it on.
What is recorded. Minutes credited per day, which rooms they were in, which accounts you shared those rooms with, and the badges you have crossed. We never record what you watched: no file names, no file paths, no YouTube links or video IDs, and no chat content. Guest sessions record nothing at all.
What becomes public, and only if you say so. Leaderboards and public profile pages are strictly opt-in, from Profile in the desktop app. Turning it on publishes your display name, avatar, current streak, rank and badges. Turning it off removes you from every board and hides your profile page immediately. Your own rank stays visible privately either way, so the choice is an informed one rather than a blind one.
Shared recaps. When a session ends you may share a recap page. It carries session counts (minutes, reactions, messages) and the people who were there, but anyone in that room who has not opted into a public profile appears as an anonymous avatar with no name. Recap URLs are unguessable, excluded from search engines, and deleted automatically after 90 days.
Public pages carry no account identifiers. Avatars on shared pages are keyed to a one-way hash, not to your user ID.
One switch, not two. Turning off “Share usage data” in the desktop app stops product analytics and the watch records that streaks, badges and leaderboards are built from. They are the same records, so one switch governs both. A control that quietly left half of it running would not be much of a control. The app says so on the switch itself, and lists every single event it would otherwise send.
Deletion. Deleting your account removes your ledger, streak, badges, co-watch history and every recap you created, along with everything else described in this policy. You can also delete any individual shared recap at any time, from Profile in the app, and the link stops working for everyone immediately.
06Legal Bases for Processing (GDPR / UK GDPR)
Under European data protection laws (GDPR / UK GDPR), we process personal data under the following lawful bases:
- Contractual Necessity (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR): To authenticate your account, maintain room synchronization, manage subscriptions, and deliver the services you requested.
- Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR): To detect bot abuse via Turnstile, troubleshoot software crashes via Sentry, and safeguard platform security.
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR): For optional product analytics via PostHog (which can be toggled off at any time).
- Legal Obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR): To comply with applicable tax, financial, and regulatory requirements via our Merchant of Record.
07Authorized Third-Party Subprocessors
We partner with industry-standard, privacy-compliant infrastructure providers to securely operate SyncTogether. All subprocessors are bound by data protection agreements:
| Subprocessor | Purpose & Service | Location | Privacy Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supabase, Inc. | Authentication, user profiles, PostgreSQL cloud database with Row Level Security, private real-time synchronization channels, and serverless Edge Functions. | United States / Global AWS | Policy |
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Cloudflare Turnstile bot detection for guest signups, Cloudflare R2 Object Storage for temporary Cloud Media Sharing, DNS, and DDoS protection. | United States / Global Edge | Policy |
| LiveKit, Inc. (LiveKit Cloud) | Encrypted WebRTC real-time Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) media relay for voice chat and video facecams. | United States / Global Relays | Policy |
| Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (self-operated LiveKit server) | Hosts a LiveKit media relay that we run ourselves, used alongside LiveKit Cloud for the same voice and video facecams. A room uses one relay at a time and may move between the two while it is open. | India (Mumbai) | Policy |
| Paddle Payments Ltd / Paddle.com | Authorized Merchant of Record (MoR) handling payment processing, billing subscriptions, invoices, and sales tax / VAT compliance. | United Kingdom / United States | Policy |
| Functional Software, Inc. (Sentry) | Application stability monitoring, crash reporting, and diagnostics telemetry (error stack traces and OS versions). | United States | Policy |
| PostHog, Inc. | Privacy-conscious product analytics and feature engagement tracking (with full client-side opt-out support). | United States / European Union | Policy |
| Vercel, Inc. | Marketing website and account portal hosting, edge middleware routing, and privacy-friendly web traffic analytics. | United States / Global Edge | Policy |
| Apple Inc. | Sign in with Apple single sign-on authentication. | United States / Global | Policy |
| Google LLC | Google OAuth 2.0 single sign-on authentication and YouTube IFrame video player embeds. | United States / Global | Policy |
08Data Retention & Automatic Purge Schedules
We enforce strict automated data lifecycles to minimize data footprint:
Cascade-deleted permanently from the database immediately when a room is ended by the host or reaches its expiration time.
Media files in R2 storage are purged automatically via database triggers and recurring automated sweeps whenever a room is closed or expires.
Anonymous guest profiles inactive for more than 3 days without active rooms are purged daily via automated database routines.
Retained by Paddle Payments Ltd in accordance with statutory financial, tax, and accounting compliance requirements (typically 5 to 7 years).
09Cookies & Local Client Storage
SyncTogether minimizes cookie and local storage usage:
- Strictly Essential Website Cookies: We use secure, HTTP-only authentication session cookies (
sb-*-auth-token) to keep you signed in to your account portal. - Desktop Client Local Storage: The desktop app uses local storage (such as
SharedPreferencesand secure keychain tokens) to remember your login session, UI theme, volume preferences, and your analytics opt-out preference. - No Advertising Cookies: We do not use third-party advertising, retargeting, or cross-site tracking cookies.
10Your Privacy Rights (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, DPDP)
Regardless of your geographic location, SyncTogether provides full control over your personal data:
Export a complete JSON archive of your user profile, entitlement level, and subscription records anytime from your Account dashboard.
Permanently erase your account, profile, rooms, and all associated database records directly in the desktop app or website.
Toggle off product analytics telemetry with one click in the app profile. When disabled, zero usage events are queued or transmitted.
We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. You have the right to know what personal information is collected, request deletion, request correction, and not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights.
India Residents (DPDP Act 2023):In accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the right to access summary information, seek correction or erasure, nominate representatives, and access our grievance redressal mechanism.
11Children's Privacy (COPPA & Global Protections)
SyncTogether is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Union / UK). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data without parental consent, please contact us immediately at [email protected] and we will promptly delete the data.
12Data Security & Encryption
We implement comprehensive technical and organizational safeguards to protect your data:
- Encryption in Transit: All network communication is enforced over TLS 1.3 encryption. Real-time audio and video streams use DTLS/SRTP WebRTC protocols.
- Database Protection: PostgreSQL database security is enforced via strict Row Level Security (RLS) policies ensuring users can only access their authorized data.
- Signed URLs: Cloud media files utilize short-lived cryptographically signed presigned URLs accessible only to verified room members.
- Zero AV Storage: Audio and video streams are processed in transient memory by media relays with zero recording to persistent disks.
13Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect improvements to our app, changes in technology, or legal requirements. When updates occur, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. For significant material changes, we will provide additional notice through the application or website.
14Contact Us & Grievance Redressal
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or data deletion, please reach out to our Data Protection & Support Team: