Privacy Policy

Coffee Guide app and coffeeguide.com.au · Last updated 4 October 2026

This policy explains what information the Coffee Guide app (the "app") and the Coffee Guide website at coffeeguide.com.au (the "website") handle, and why. Both are published by Coffee Guide Australia ("we", "us"). We've kept things deliberately simple: you don't need an account, and we don't ask who you are.

The short version

• No account, no sign-in, no name, email or phone number asked for.

• There's no advertising tracking in the app or on the website.

• The app and the website use Google Analytics to count visits and see which screens and pages are popular (see section 8). The website uses cookies for this; the app uses Google Analytics for Firebase.

• Your location, if you choose to share it, is used only to find cafés near you. In the app it never leaves your phone. On the website it's sent to our search service to find nearby cafés, then forgotten. It's never stored.

• "Rate our Coffee" ratings are anonymous. We store the café, the star rating and the time, and nothing that identifies you.

• The Bean Flicker game keeps your best score on your phone. If you beat the world record, only the score itself is sent to us, with nothing that identifies you.

• We earn a commission from some Amazon links, and Amazon's own privacy policy applies once you're on its site.

1. Information we don't collect

Neither the app nor the website asks for, collects or stores your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos, payment details or any account information. There are no user accounts. Neither the app nor the website contains advertising networks. Their only analytics is Google Analytics, described in section 8. We don't sell or share personal information.

2. Your location ("Near me")

In the app: if you tap Near me or sort cafés by Distance, the app asks your permission to use your device's location. If you allow it, your location is used only on your device to work out how far away each café is and to sort the list. It isn't sent to us or anyone else, and it isn't saved: it's forgotten when you close the app.

On the website: if you tap Near me, your browser asks your permission to share your location. If you allow it, your location is sent to our café search service (which runs on Google's servers, see section 7) so it can find the cafés near you. It's used for that one search and then discarded. We don't store it, log it or link it to you.

Using location is optional. If you say no, you can still search by suburb or café name. You can change this permission at any time in your phone's or browser's settings.

3. Searches on the website

When you search the website by suburb or café name, the words you type are sent to our café search service to find matching cafés, and to suggest suburbs as you type. To make repeat searches faster, a search and its results may be kept for a short time in a cache. This contains only the search words and the matching cafés, not anything that identifies you.

4. "Rate our Coffee" ratings

When you rate a café in the app, the app sends us three things: which café you rated, the number of stars (1–5), and the date and time. We store these to show each café's average "Coffee Rating". The rating isn't linked to your name, device or any other identifier, so we can't tell who submitted it.

To hide the "Rate our Coffee" button for cafés you've already rated, the app keeps a list of those cafés on your phone. This list stays on your device only. It's deleted if you uninstall the app or clear its data.

5. The Bean Flicker game

The app includes Bean Flicker, a game where you flick coffee beans into a cup.

• On your phone: the game keeps your best score, and where you've moved the lives holder to, on your device. These stay on your device only. They're deleted if you uninstall the app or clear its data.

• The world best score: the game shows one world best score shared by every player. To do this it checks the current world best from time to time. If you beat it, the game sends us just your new score. We keep only the highest score and the time it was set. It isn't linked to your name, device or any other identifier, so we can't tell who set it.

• Fonts: the game loads its lettering from Google Fonts. As with any internet request, Google receives your device's IP address and basic technical details to send the fonts. See section 7.

The game's music and sounds are built into the app and aren't downloaded or shared.

6. How the app and website get their information

Café and roaster listings, and our product shortlists, are kept in our own spreadsheets and served through Google's servers (Google Apps Script). Product photos are loaded directly from manufacturers' and retailers' websites, and some café photos load from Google. As with any internet request, these servers receive your device's IP address and basic technical details (such as your browser version) so they can respond. This is handled under those companies' own privacy policies, including Google's Privacy Policy. We don't receive or keep this information.

7. Services we use

We use Google services to run the app and website: Google Sites (which hosts the website), Google Apps Script and Google Sheets (our listings, café search, ratings and the Bean Flicker world best score), Google Fonts, and Google Analytics (Google Analytics for Firebase in the app). Google processes the technical information these services need under Google's Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy).

8. Analytics (and website cookies)

We use Google Analytics to understand how the app and website are used, so we can make them better.

On the website, Google Analytics records things like how many people visit, which pages they look at, how they arrived (such as from a search engine), roughly where they are (country or city, worked out from the IP address), and what kind of device and browser they use. It uses cookies (small files stored by your browser, such as _ga) to tell visits apart.

In the app, Google Analytics for Firebase records which screens are opened and a few things people do: searching (including the search words), using Near me (that it was used, not where you are), changing the sort order, opening the Bean Flicker game, viewing a featured café's photo, rating a café (the star rating), and tapping links to other sites (such as Amazon or Google Maps). It also collects standard app information such as the app version, the type of device and operating system, roughly where you are (country or city, from the IP address), and an app-instance ID that tells installs of the app apart.

Google Analytics doesn't tell us your name or contact details, and we don't use it to identify individual people or to show you advertising. Google processes this information under its own Privacy Policy.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser's settings, or install Google's opt-out add-on (tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout) to stop Google Analytics on websites. The website still works if you do. Google Sites may also use cookies it needs to run the site. The app doesn't collect your phone's advertising ID.

9. Links to other websites and apps

The app and website link to other services, including Google Maps, café and roaster websites, CHOICE reviews and Amazon. From the app, these open in your phone's web browser (such as Chrome or Safari) or its maps app, not inside the Coffee Guide app's own screens. Once you follow a link, the other site's privacy policy applies, and it may use cookies or collect information under its own terms. We don't control those sites and aren't responsible for their practices.

10. Amazon Associates

Coffee Guide Australia is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. When you tap an Amazon link, Amazon may use cookies or similar technology to record that you arrived from our link, so a commission can be credited to us. This doesn't change the price you pay. See Amazon's Privacy Notice for how Amazon handles your information.

11. Children

The app and website are a general-audience coffee guide and aren't directed at children under 13. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children.

12. Security and storage

The anonymous ratings, the search cache and the world best score are kept in private Google spreadsheets and settings that only we can access. Analytics are kept in our Google Analytics account, which only we can access. Because we don't collect information that identifies you, there is no personal information of yours for us to lose or disclose.

13. Your choices

• You can deny or withdraw location permission at any time in your phone's or browser's settings.

• You can block or delete website cookies in your browser, or use Google's Analytics opt-out add-on.

• You can remove the list of cafés you've rated, and your Bean Flicker best score, by clearing the app's data or uninstalling it.

• Because ratings and the world best score are anonymous, we can't identify which ones came from you. If you believe a rating or score is wrong or abusive, contact us and we'll look into it.

14. Changes to this policy

If the app or website changes in a way that affects your privacy, for example by adding a new feature that collects information, we'll update this policy and the "Last updated" date above before that change goes live.

15. Contact us

If you have any questions about this policy or your privacy, email us at coffeeguideaus@gmail.com.

We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If you're not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.