Privacy Policy

Last updated 8 August 2026

Epicenter is built to need as little about you as possible. There is no account, no sign-up, and no name, email or phone number. This page explains, in plain language, the few things the app does handle and why.

Your location

Epicenter is a proximity app: conditions, warnings and nearby incidents are all scoped to where you are, so it asks for your location. You can decline, and the app still works — it simply cannot rank hazards by distance.

• Your precise location stays on your device and is used to sort and filter what you see.
• To fetch the events, incidents and weather near you, the app sends approximate coordinates to its own service and to Apple Weather. These requests are not tied to any identity.
• Weather is provided by Apple Weather, which receives location to return a forecast, under Apple's terms.

Reporting shaking you feel

If you tap to report that you felt shaking, the app sends a report so that enough nearby reports can surface a possible earthquake before an agency confirms one. That report contains:

• A location rounded to about one kilometre — never your precise position.
• The time you felt it, and an optional strength you chose.
• A random identifier created on your device, so many taps from one phone count once. It is tied to no account and to nothing else about you.

Reports are not sold, shared, or used to build a profile. They exist only to corroborate an event.

Notifications

If you turn on alerts, push notifications are delivered through OneSignal, which handles a device push token on our behalf so we can send you an alert. You can turn this off at any time in iOS Settings.

Subscriptions

Premium is an auto-renewing subscription sold through Apple. Apple handles the payment — we never see your card or billing details. Your subscription is tied to your Apple Account, which is how it follows you across your devices; Epicenter simply asks iOS whether that account is entitled.

What Epicenter does not do

• No account, no name, email, or phone number.
• No advertising, ad identifiers, or third-party trackers.
• No selling or renting of any data.
• No precise location leaves your device.

Data sources

Hazard information comes from public agencies — the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Interagency Fire Center, CAL FIRE, NOAA and the National Weather Service. Epicenter is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by them.

Children

Epicenter is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect information from them.

Changes

If this policy changes, the date above changes with it. Material changes will be noted in the app.

Contact

Questions: support@epicenter.news.