🐾 PawTrek Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 21, 2026 (updated for dog care, Pet ID card and vet report)

PawTrek ("the app") is a walk tracker for dog owners, made by Desert Dogz Studios ("we", "us"). This policy explains what information the app uses, why, and what happens to it. The short version: if you don't create an account, everything stays on your phone. If you choose to sign in for backup, your PawTrek data is stored securely with Google Firebase so you can restore it on another phone. We never sell or share it.

Information the app uses

• Location (GPS): used only while a walk is being tracked, to measure distance, speed and time. Location is used in the background during an active walk so tracking continues with the screen off; a notification is always shown while this happens. Location is not used when no walk is running, and your route is not stored. Only the walk's totals are saved.
• Physical activity (step counter): used during a walk to count steps and tell whether you're moving. Only the step total for each walk is saved.
• Profile details you type in: your name and weight, and your dogs' names, breeds and weights. These are used to show greetings and to estimate calories.
• Dog care details you type in: weight logs for you and your dogs; your dogs' health records (vaccines, vet visits, medicines, symptoms and notes); and Pet ID card details (your phone number, a backup contact's name and phone, your vet clinic's name and phone, and notes such as allergies or behaviour). These are used only to show them back to you, set the reminders you ask for, and build the Pet ID card and vet report.
• Walk history, goals, reminders and gold stars: created by you as you use the app.
• Notifications: used to show walk progress, the reminders you set, a pause alert if the app thinks you're travelling by car during a walk, and the optional Sunday recap (off unless you turn it on).

Where your information is stored

Without an account: everything is stored only in the app's private storage on your device. We can't see it.

With an optional account (cloud backup): if you sign in, the app stores:

• Your email address and a securely managed password, handled by Google Firebase Authentication. We never see your password.
• A backup copy of your PawTrek data (walk history, profile, dogs, weight logs, health records, Pet ID card details, goals, reminders, settings and gold stars), stored in Google Cloud Firestore and linked to your account. It's updated automatically after walks and when you open the app.

This data is sent over an encrypted connection, encrypted at rest by Google, and protected by security rules so that only your signed-in account can read or change it. It is used only to back up and restore your data. Google Firebase acts as our service provider; see Firebase's privacy information.

If you have Android's own backup feature turned on, your phone may also include PawTrek's data in your personal device backup. That backup is handled by Android and Google under your account settings, not by us.

Sharing

When you tap Share on a Pet ID card or vet report, the app hands that information to the app you pick (for example email or messages). That only happens when you choose to, and what happens next is up to you and that app.

PawTrek does not sell, rent or share your information with anyone, other than storing your backup with Google Firebase as described above. It contains no advertising or analytics code at this time. If that changes in a future version (for example, by adding ads), this policy will be updated before the change is released, and it will describe what the new code collects.

Your choices

• You can deny or revoke location, physical activity and notification permissions at any time in your phone's Settings. Walk tracking won't work without location.
• You can edit or delete your profile, dogs, goals and reminders inside the app.
• You can delete all of PawTrek's data on your phone by clearing the app's storage in Settings or uninstalling the app.
• Deleting your account: in the app, go to My Profile → Backup → "Delete account and backup". This permanently deletes your account and your cloud backup. You can also email us (below) to request deletion.
• You can sign out at any time; data already on your phone stays there.

Children

PawTrek is not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from children.

Health and calorie estimates

Calorie figures are rough estimates for general interest only and are not medical advice.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted on this page with a new effective date.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email pawtrek.app@gmail.com.