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🔒 Privacy

Privacy Policy

How Gater processes personal data, explained clearly and organised by topic.

Learn which personal data Gater processes, why it is needed and what rights you have.

Version: 1 November 2026
Note: This Privacy Policy describes data processing when using Gater and Gater Premium. Changes will be published on this page.

1. Controller

Sebastian Kraft, a sole proprietor, is responsible for processing personal data in connection with Gater. Sebastian Kraft is the operator and the contact for privacy, moderation and security incidents. No formal data protection officer has been appointed.

Sebastian Kraft
Business establishment: Dresden, Germany
Business and postal address:
c/o IP-Management #11868
Ludwig-Erhard-Straße 18
20459 Hamburg, Germany

General support: support@gater-app.de
Privacy requests: datenschutz@gater-app.de or privacy@gater-app.de

Mail to the Hamburg business and postal address is received through the appointed address service. The actual business establishment is in Dresden.

2. General information

Gater is a social gaming app that helps people find teammates, create gaming profiles, organise crew calls and lobbies, and communicate with one another.

We process personal data only where necessary to operate and secure Gater and provide its features, or where users voluntarily provide the relevant information.

3. Registration, sign-in and account

An account is required for core Gater features.

This may include processing the following data:

Passwords are not stored in plain text.

If you use a passkey, the private key remains on your device or in your chosen password or device keychain. Gater does not receive biometric data and cannot read the private key. Sign-in uses only the technical WebAuthn evidence that Supabase needs to verify the passkey.

This processing is used in particular to create, manage and secure your account and provide Gater features.

Optional Gater newsletter (not currently active)

When registering, you may optionally indicate that you would like to receive occasional emails about Gater, new features and promotions. This choice is not required to create an account and can be withdrawn at any time. Newsletter processing is intended to rely on separate consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR; prior express consent is generally required for email advertising under section 7(2)(2) of the German Unfair Competition Act (UWG). Evidence of consent is documented separately only to the extent necessary. At first, a choice is stored only as pending consent linked to your account, the time and the version of the consent text used. Confirming your Gater account email address does not also confirm the newsletter subscription.

Newsletter delivery, a separate double opt-in confirmation link and a newsletter service provider have not yet been set up. No newsletter emails are currently sent, and a pending choice does not create an active subscription. Any future activation requires separate confirmation, appropriate safeguards for minors, and specific information about service providers and retention periods. The newsletter will remain inactive if the person’s capacity to consent is unclear or consent from a parent or guardian is required; no additional date of birth is collected for newsletter sign-up. Until separate confirmation, the subscription remains inactive; pending requests expire after 30 days and are deleted during a subsequent cleanup run. The retention period for confirmed consent and withdrawal records, and any newsletter provider, will be specified before activation.

4. Profile information

Users may choose to add further information to their profile.

This may include:

Which information is shown to other users depends on the feature and your settings in Gater.

The app does not continuously access your device location in the background. If you explicitly choose “Update location” in the profile editor, iOS may provide an approximate current location once. Gater uses it to determine a city; the selected city or region is stored, not a continuous location trail. Profile visibility is controlled separately. Apple’s system service is used for reverse geocoding and may receive the coordinates needed for that purpose.

Public profile search

Matching can search public display names and usernames to help registered users find one another. It includes only active profiles that may be shown under the app’s visibility and safety rules. Blocked users and private profile areas are excluded. Searching by email address is not possible.

Game catalogue and cover images

Gater obtains game data and cover artwork for its catalogue from IGDB. The app’s regular catalogue display and search use Gater’s backend and do not send queries directly to IGDB. A separate catalogue search limited to authorised administrative functions may be forwarded through Gater’s servers to Twitch and IGDB.

For cover images, the device may load the image file directly from IGDB’s image server over HTTPS. The iOS and Android apps use the URL from Gater’s game catalogue and do not make fallback cover requests to Twitch or Steam. The image server receives the usual connection data for an image request, including the IP address, time and technical request metadata. The app does not add account, profile, chat, matching or location data to the image request.

Cover images are stored only in a display cache: iOS uses an in-memory cache and a non-persistent network-cache configuration; Android uses a private, size-limited app cache that may remain until evicted or app data is deleted. These images are not permanently copied to a Gater account archive.

5. Matching, crew calls and lobbies

Gater processes information needed to find suitable teammates and organise games together.

This may include:

Features such as Matching, Find Teammates Now, Auto Crew, Need 1 More and Crew Memory may use this information to calculate recommendations or compatibility scores. Blocks always remain a strict exclusion rule.

Recommendations are used only to suggest suitable users and games. They are not automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects. No one is automatically excluded or assessed; users make their own decisions about requests, crews and lobbies.

Gater Assist

Gater Assist currently creates private, rules-based suggestions, such as crew call text, crew updates and reminders to start a game. These suggestions are generated from lobby and profile information already loaded in the app. Gater does not currently send profile, chat or lobby data to an external AI provider for this purpose.

Advanced filters, schedules and Gaming Insights

Where these features are available for your account and the active app/backend version, Matching filters and saved filter profiles may include your selected platforms, languages, play styles and shared games. Scheduled availability does not indicate live presence. Private Smart Crew schedules and Gaming Insights process availability or completed-game data; Insights are summarised on request for your own account and are not a public leaderboard. Suggestions do not automatically change your status or create invitations.

6. Chats and voice messages

Gater provides direct and group chats.

The following may be processed:

Messages are stored so users can access their conversations.

Regular text messages are generally stored until a user deletes them, the chat or account is deleted, or legal or safety reasons require a different retention period.

Voice messages are stored and delivered only to the intended participants in the relevant chat or game.

Regular voice messages may be up to 15 minutes long and have no separate expiry date. Like regular messages, they remain available in the chat until deleted, the chat or account is deleted, or retention is required for safety or legal reasons. Authorised chat participants may play them again.

Voice messages marked “Listen once” follow different rules: the recipient can play them only once and within the specified time window. They cannot be played after listening or expiry. Automated technical cleanup may take up to seven additional days because of a short safety and synchronisation period.

Local cache and encryption

To display content faster, the app may temporarily cache selected chat and preview data on the device. This is not an additional server copy; the cache expires within 24 hours at the latest and is removed on sign-out or account deletion where the operating system allows. The device may remove these temporary files sooner.

Separately, chat drafts, private profile notes and user-selected chat backgrounds may be stored only on the device. This content is not sent to other users or an external service. It remains there until deleted or overwritten, the app is removed, or the operating system clears local app data.

Gater does not currently offer end-to-end encryption for chats or voice messages. Data is transmitted using HTTPS/TLS encryption, and access is limited by authentication, access rules and moderation permissions. Authorised people may access content necessary for support, safety and handling reports.

Photos in direct chats

In direct chats, users can send photos as regular messages or as “View once”. Files are stored in private, access-controlled storage; public URLs are not used. Access is limited to authorised chat participants under the applicable authentication, blocking and access rules. Regular photos follow the retention of the associated message. “View once” photos are technically consumed when opened by the recipient and are not made available again. The app currently accepts compressed image files up to the technically configured upload limit.

Moments

Users may optionally share a short Moment with a photo and brief text. A Moment is visible for up to twelve hours, until replaced by a new Moment from the same user, or until deleted earlier. It is accessible to the account owner and others according to the app’s visibility and connection rules. The accompanying text is limited to 120 characters. Expired Moments and their files are removed by the active technical retention job, so physical cleanup may occur after the visible period ends.

Communities

The existing Community area is temporarily hidden in the public Gater 1.9 release. Hiding it has not deleted existing Communities, memberships, messages or media. The following describes data that remains stored or is required for operation; the feature is not advertised as publicly available in release 1.9.

For Communities, Gater may process the name, description, related game, Community cover, membership, role, member profiles and Community chat messages. The current Community chat is text-based; Community photo or voice messages are not currently enabled. Community messages and covers are visible according to public status, current membership and access rules. Access to protected content ends when a user leaves or loses the relevant permission.

Typing and recording indicators

While a direct chat is open, Gater may temporarily share a “typing” or “recording a voice message” status with the other participant. This transient status contains no message text, is not stored in chat history, and does not trigger a push notification or separate usage analytics.

7. Blocking, reports and moderation

Users can block other people and report content or users.

The following may be processed:

This processing is used to review reports, protect users, enforce the Terms of Service, meet applicable legal obligations and, where necessary, establish, exercise or defend legal claims. A report does not automatically result in content removal or an account restriction.

If a voice message is reported, authorised moderators may review the original file if it is still available, on a case-by-case basis. No additional raw copy is created. If a text record is necessary in an individual case, it should be limited to 300 characters. Full chats or adjacent messages are not copied as a matter of course. Review status, reasons, necessary technical metadata and delivery information may be processed to maintain an auditable record. Archiving or hiding a case does not automatically delete the underlying data.

You can report content in the app using its reporting feature. You can also report suspected illegal content by email, without a Gater account, to abuse@gater-app.de . Please identify the specific content and where it appeared, explain the suspected legal violation, provide your name and a reachable email address unless a legal exception applies, and confirm to the best of your knowledge that your report is accurate and complete. Send only the information necessary.

For general support and moderation enquiries, contact support@gater-app.de. The contact point for authorities under Article 11 of the DSA is legal@gater-app.de; communication with authorities is intended to be in German. The user contact point under Article 12 of the DSA is: support@gater-app.de.

After a moderation decision, the reporting person may receive an email with a case-status update. Reliable automatic delivery of the reasons for a decision to affected persons has not currently been established. This does not mean that any legally required statement of reasons is waived; until a reliable delivery channel exists, a moderation action must not be treated as if the affected person had automatically been notified. Other people’s confidential chat histories, evidence files and audio files should not be disclosed in push notifications or email.

For a voluntary enquiry or review, you can contact us using an existing case reference at support@gater-app.de . Where possible, contact us within 30 calendar days of the notice. The internal handling target for ordinary support appeals is 14 calendar days; it is not a statutory deadline or a guarantee of handling. Based on the operator-provided size information, the micro- or small-enterprise exemption under Article 19 of the DSA may apply; no binding legal assessment has been made. Where the exemption applies, Article 20 of the DSA is generally excluded. If Article 20 applies despite this preliminary assessment, the statutory internal complaint system must remain available for at least six months; this voluntary support option does not replace that system.

8. Push notifications

Gater may send push notifications, for example about:

A device-specific push token is processed for this purpose.

Push notifications are delivered through Apple Push Notification service (APNs).

Notifications can be managed in iOS settings and, in some cases, in Gater.

This also includes relevant crew call notifications and general notices initiated by an authorised Gater administrator. Push messages are limited to what is needed for the notification; full chat or audio files are not sent through APNs.

Push is used to deliver notifications to a registered device and is not used for advertising tracking. Gater cannot reliably recall remote push notifications after they have been delivered to a device.

9. Discord integration

Gater can optionally be connected to Discord.

If you choose to connect your account, the following may be processed:

The integration may be used, among other things, to associate Community roles or private lobby voice channels with the correct Gater account.

When you connect Discord, Gater retrieves only the basic information needed for this association through Discord OAuth. Access tokens are not stored as permanent Gater profile data. When a game starts, the Gater bot may create a private Discord voice channel and grant access only to linked lobby members. The channel is cleaned up when the game ends.

Public crew calls may also appear as a single embedded message in Gater’s “looking-for-players” channel. Only public information intended for the call is used, particularly the game, description, number of players sought, status and the host’s public display name. The message is updated when details change and removed when the call starts, ends or is cancelled. Private chats, precise locations and non-public profile data are not mirrored to this channel. Other app events are not forwarded to Discord as a rule. When a call is removed from Gater, the related Discord message is also deleted; Gater cannot fully control Discord’s own logs, backups or technical caches.

Connecting Discord is optional and can be undone.

10. Creator and social media features

Creators and streamers may choose to add links to external services, for example:

Simply adding a link does not generally retrieve additional data from the relevant platform.

11. Technical data and security

Technical data may be processed when the app operates, to the extent necessary for availability, stability and security.

This may include:

Website and Vercel

The website gater-app.de is hosted on Vercel. When it is accessed, the IP address, time and type of request, browser and device information, and technical log and security data may be processed where necessary for secure and stable operation of the website. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; our legitimate interest is the secure, reliable and abuse-resistant operation of the website.

If you select WhatsApp on the Support page, the external service opens. The link contains Gater’s support number and a pre-filled greeting. You send further messages only when you submit them in WhatsApp. WhatsApp’s own privacy information also applies to its processing.

The website stores your appearance preference in local browser storage (localStorage). The app hand-off page at /open uses session storage (sessionStorage). to prevent the app hand-off from starting more than once within a short period. These entries remain in the browser and are not stored as a website account.

12. Supabase

Gater uses Supabase as its technical backend infrastructure. The Gater project is configured in the Frankfurt (EU) region.

Supabase is used in particular for:

The data required for the relevant Gater feature is processed for these purposes.

Processing is subject to the applicable privacy and data processing agreements. Storage in the Frankfurt EU region limits the location of the relevant Supabase data to that region where supported by the specific service.

Authentication and account emails are sent through IONOS. Supabase Auth triggers account emails and passes them to the configured IONOS SMTP connection. Moderation notifications from Gater’s backend are also sent through IONOS SMTP. A message may include the report status or, for a moderation decision, the rule category, a short explanation and the action taken. The reported post, private chat histories and evidence files are not sent as email attachments. IONOS provides SMTP transport; Supabase remains responsible for authentication and triggering account emails.

13. Platform services and Premium

When using the iOS app, Apple services are used or may be used, including:

Apple processes data under its own privacy policy.

Gater Premium

If Gater Premium is offered for your account and region, it may be purchased as a monthly or annual subscription. If both terms are offered, they unlock the same Premium features. The account-specific Premium entitlement status is processed to provide the service. To verify an Apple purchase server-side, Gater receives signed transaction data and the store IDs needed for association; Gater does not receive full card or bank details. Apple processes payment and subscription management under its own privacy policy.

If you purchase a Gater Premium subscription through Apple, Apple processes payment and subscription management under its own privacy policy. Further information is available at Premium and subscriptions.

For push notifications, Gater receives a device- and app-specific push token from Apple. Apple processes payment data for App Store purchases and Premium subscriptions; Gater does not receive full payment details.

14. Legal bases

The legal basis depends on why the data is needed:

Reports may contain sensitive details or information about suspected criminal offences. Such information is processed only where necessary in the individual case and permitted by law, on an applicable legal basis and with appropriate safeguards.

15. Retention period

We retain personal data only for as long as needed for the relevant purpose or as required by law.

We do not publish blanket automatic deletion periods for these data categories. Deleting individual records does not necessarily remove copies from mailboxes, backup systems or other users’ devices at the same time.

16. Account deletion

Users can initiate deletion of their Gater account through the deletion feature in the app.

Alternatively, deletion requests can be sent to support@gater-app.de .

After deletion, personal data and files in the designated private user storage paths are generally removed, provided server-side deletion succeeds. Account deletion requires password confirmation again. This may not immediately remove content already made available to other chat participants, push notifications already delivered, backups or data still needed for a documented legal or safety reason from every system or device. If a technical error occurs, deletion will not be confirmed as successful; please contact support.

17. Recipients and service providers

Data may be shared with service providers where necessary to provide Gater.

These may include:

Data is not shared for advertising purposes without an applicable legal basis or consent.

18. Transfers to third countries

Some service providers may process personal data outside the European Union or European Economic Area.

Such transfers are made only in accordance with legal requirements, for example on the basis of an adequacy decision or appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.

The safeguard used in a specific case depends on the service provider actually involved and the applicable data processing or contractual arrangements. You can send privacy enquiries about service providers to datenschutz@gater-app.de or privacy@gater-app.de .

19. Your rights

Subject to the applicable legal requirements, users have in particular the following rights:

A self-service export of all account data is not currently available. For access or export requests, contact us at datenschutz@gater-app.de. This does not limit your statutory rights.

You can send privacy requests and exercise your rights by contacting datenschutz@gater-app.de or privacy@gater-app.de .

20. Right to lodge a complaint

Users have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority about the processing of their personal data.

21. Minors

Gater is intended for people aged 13 and over. Your exact date of birth does not have to be shown publicly to other users. Where processing is based on consent, statutory requirements for consent by minors apply; where required by law, consent from a parent or guardian is obtained for users under 16.

Age-restricted features are provided only to users who are eligible to use them.

22. Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated when new features are introduced or legal or technical conditions change.

The current version is published on this page. This version reflects changes as of 1 November 2026. Its publication does not prove that existing users have already been individually notified of a material change.