TLSHUTL ("SHUTL", "we", "us") is a badminton scoring, team, and tournament management application available on Android and iOS. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the SHUTL mobile app and our websites at shutl.in (together, the "Service"), how we use it, and the choices you have. By using SHUTL you agree to the practices described below.
Contents
1. What we collect
Information you give us
- Account details — your name, mobile number and country when you register. Your password is stored only as a salted, one-way hash; we never see or store the original.
- Profile information — profile photo, skill level, playing style, city/area, gender and age, plus discovery preferences (who can find you, when you like to play, what you are looking for). All optional except your name.
- Personal health details (optional) — date of birth, weight and blood group, if you choose to add them. Weight is used only to estimate calories burned in your matches. These three fields are visible only to you, never to other players.
- Team, tournament and venue information — team name, logo and members; tournament name, banner, venue and dates; venue details, courts, prices and photos that you add.
- Court bookings — the venue, court, date and time of bookings you make or cancel, shared with that venue's owner so they can host you. No payment details are collected; you pay the venue directly.
- Match data — every point scored, the player it was attributed to, event type (smash, drop, net fault, etc.), rally count, server side, and the final result. This is the core data the app exists to capture. From it we calculate your statistics, rating and fitness estimates (intensity, calories).
- Posts and requests — open-match posts you publish on the match wall (including any message you write) and requests to join other players' matches.
- Reports — if you report a post, message or player, we keep your report and a copy of the reported content so our team can review it.
- Social connections — the players you follow and who follow you.
- Feedback and communications — anything you send us through in-app feedback (including screenshots or photos you attach) or by email.
Location
When you use a nearby feature (nearby players, venues, tournaments or open matches) and allow location access, the app sends your device's current coordinates to our server. We store them to work out distances and to find your city and area. Other users never see your coordinates — they see only your city/area or a rough distance such as "~5 km away". Location is used only while you are using the app, never in the background, and you can turn discovery off or deny location access at any time and set your city by hand instead.
Information collected automatically
- Push notification token — when you grant notification permission, we receive a Firebase Cloud Messaging token so we can deliver match and tournament notifications. The token is linked to your account and removed when you sign out or delete your account.
- Error reports — when the app hits an error while you are signed in, it sends us a technical error report (error message, part of the stack trace, app screen) linked to your account, so we can fix it.
- Server logs — our servers record technical details of each request (such as IP address, time and the endpoint called) to keep the Service running, secure and free of abuse. Logs are kept only for a short time.
What we do not collect
- Background location.
- Contacts, SMS, or call logs.
- Microphone or camera in the background — the camera is used only when you choose to take a photo or scan a player's QR code, and we ask for permission first.
- Financial or biometric information. SHUTL has no in-app payments.
- Advertising identifiers. We don't show ads and don't use advertising or tracking SDKs.
2. How we use it
We use the information described above only to:
- Provide the core features of the app — accounts, scoring, teams, tournaments, venues, stats, and live match broadcasting.
- Verify your mobile number with a one-time code when you register or reset your password.
- Show nearby players, venues, tournaments and open matches, and let other players find you according to your discovery settings.
- Show your match history, statistics, rating, fitness estimates and rankings within the app.
- Send you notifications related to matches, tournaments, followers, or your account.
- Investigate and resolve bugs, crashes, and abuse.
- Comply with applicable laws.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it for advertising.
3. When and with whom we share it
Your information is shared only in these limited situations:
- With other SHUTL users — your name, profile photo, skill level, city/area, public profile details, statistics and match results are visible to other signed-in players, subject to your discovery settings. When you play in a match or tournament, the scores and your name are visible to the other participants and to spectators following that match or tournament (including on our live score pages). Open-match posts you publish are visible to players nearby.
- With service providers who process data on our behalf, only as needed to operate the Service:
- Our hosting provider — a virtual private server that runs the SHUTL servers and database.
- Google Cloud Storage — storing photos you upload (profile, team, tournament and venue photos). Uploaded photos are served from public links so they can be shown in the app.
- Meta (WhatsApp Business Platform) — sending the one-time verification code to your mobile number.
- Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) — delivering push notifications.
- OpenStreetMap Nominatim — our server sends it coordinates (not your identity) to look up the city and area name.
- OpenFreeMap — supplies the map tiles shown in the app; your device requests them directly, which reveals your IP address and the map area being viewed.
- If required by law — in response to a valid legal request from authorities with proper jurisdiction.
- In a business transfer — if SHUTL is acquired or merges, your information may transfer to the new entity, but your privacy rights will remain protected to at least the level described here.
4. Storage, retention & security
Your data is stored in our database on a server we rent from our hosting provider, and uploaded photos in Google Cloud Storage (Mumbai region). All traffic between the app and our servers uses HTTPS, passwords are hashed with a strong one-way function, the database is not reachable from the internet, and backups are kept private. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to keep yours protected.
Retention: we keep your account and the matches/tournaments you participate in for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account (see section 5), we permanently remove your profile, profile photo, location, health details, notifications, push tokens, and personal identifiers. Tournaments, teams, and matches that you created and that involved other participants are retained without your name attached, so other players' history is not lost. Database backups are overwritten within 14 days.
5. Your rights and how to exercise them
You have the right to:
- Access the information we hold about you — open the app or email us.
- Correct inaccurate information — edit your profile in the app.
- Delete your account and personal data — in the app, open Profile → Delete Account; deletion happens immediately and is permanent. If you can no longer use the app, email info@dsonix.com with the subject "SHUTL account deletion" and include the mobile number (with country code) registered to your account. We will confirm the request with you on that number and delete the account within 7 days.
- Control your location — change your discovery settings in the app or deny location access in your device settings.
- Withdraw consent for notifications — turn them off in your device settings; you can keep using the app without them.
- Object to specific uses or request a copy of your data — email us.
If you are in a region with applicable laws (such as the GDPR, India's DPDP Act 2023, or similar), you have the rights granted by those laws and we will honour them.
6. Children's privacy
SHUTL is not directed at children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect information from children under that age. If you believe a child has registered with us, please contact us and we will delete the account.
7. International data transfers
Our servers and service providers may store and process your data outside your country of residence. By using SHUTL, you consent to this transfer. Where required by law, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) to protect your data during transfer.
8. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If a change is material, we will notify you in the app or by email before it takes effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page always reflects the current version.
9. Contact
Questions, complaints, or data requests:
info@dsonix.com
Help and support: shutl.in/support