PhotoWatch is built on a simple principle: the app monitors conditions for you and alerts you on conditions being met according to your specification. This policy explains what data the app collects, why, and how it is handled.
PhotoWatch is developed and operated by Brian Smith, based in Australia. If you have any questions in relation to this Privacy Policy, you can contact us via our contact page.
PhotoWatch stores the locations you save, along with their names and GPS coordinates. These are locations you enter yourself by searching an address, dropping a pin, or typing coordinates. The app neither tracks your real-time physical location nor requests continuous access to your device's GPS.
Your saved locations are used solely to fetch weather, tide, and/or astronomical data for those spots and to send you alerts when conditions are favourable there, according to the alerts that you configure.
When you allow notifications, your device generates a push token — a string of characters that identifies your device to Apple's notification service (APNs). This token is stored on our backend so we can deliver alerts to you. It contains no personal information and cannot be used to identify you as an individual.
If you upgrade to PhotoWatch Pro, you can create an account so your alerts and locations can be backed up and synced. Depending on how you sign in:
We do not collect your name, phone number, or any other personal details beyond what is needed to operate your account.
Payments are processed entirely by Apple (App Store) or Google (Play Store) — we never see your payment card details. We use RevenueCat to manage subscription status (active, expired, cancelled). RevenueCat receives a non-identifying purchase receipt and your app's installation identifier; it does not receive your name or payment details. You can read RevenueCat's privacy policy at revenuecat.com/privacy.
We do not use any third-party analytics SDK. If the app crashes, iOS may offer to send a crash report to Apple, subject to your device's diagnostic sharing settings — this is controlled by Apple, not by PhotoWatch.
Backend data (your alerts, saved locations, push token, and account details if applicable) is stored in Google Firebase, hosted on Google Cloud infrastructure. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Google's data processing terms apply; see firebase.google.com/support/privacy.
If you delete the app without an account, your push token becomes invalid and is effectively abandoned — we purge orphaned tokens periodically. If you have a Pro account and wish to delete it and all associated data, contact us and we will delete your account and data within 30 days.
PhotoWatch is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13.
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal data we hold about you. To exercise any of these rights, contact us.
If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page. Continued use of the app after any change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at our contact page.