🐾 Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2 August 2026 · Applies to the PackSignal iOS app

PackSignal is built local-first: the most private place for your data is your own phone, so that is where almost all of it stays.

What stays on your device (never uploaded)

  • Walk routes and history — recorded and stored only on your phone. We never see where you walk.
  • Dog profiles and photos — stored on-device. Photos are re-encoded on save, which strips location metadata.
  • AI conversations — “Ask PawAI” runs on Apple’s on-device model. Questions and answers never leave your phone and are not stored by us.
  • Park community drafts, posts and media — while the public community service is disabled, anything you create in The Park remains on your phone and is not uploaded. We will update this policy and ask for agreement before public sharing is enabled.

What is shared with the community (only when you post it)

  • Hazard reports (snake, tick, glass, plant sightings…): the pin location, category and note you write.
  • Lost & found reports: the details you enter, including a contact number if you choose to add one — its whole purpose is to be seen by nearby owners.
  • Dog-friendly places you add, with their amenity tags.

These are stored on our Australian server (Sydney) with no account attached — we do not link reports to an identity. Reports expire automatically (hazards up to 30 days by type; lost & found after 14 days).

Location

Location is used only while the app is open (“When In Use”), to show conditions where you are, find nearby off-leash areas, and record your walk locally. We never request always-on background location, and no other user is ever shown your precise location.

Weather

Conditions come from Open-Meteo. The request contains approximate coordinates and nothing else. Weather data is provided under CC BY 4.0 and is modified by PackSignal’s clearly labelled pavement-temperature estimate.

What we don’t do

  • No account is required. If you choose Sign in with Apple, we receive Apple’s private account identifier and the email/name you choose to share, solely for account functionality.
  • No tracking and no advertising SDKs.
  • No selling or sharing of data with third parties.
  • No analytics that identify you.

Deleting your data

Deleting the app deletes everything stored on your device. Optional accounts can be permanently deleted inside PackSignal under Pack → Account. See data deletion.

Children

PackSignal is not directed at children under 16.

Contact

Privacy questions: privacy@packsignal.app

PackSignal complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (Privacy Act 1988) and, for applicable users, the GDPR.