Privacy Policy
Last Updated: August 24, 2026
At Catch Register, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application (the "App").
Information We Collect
A. Information You Provide to Us
Depending on the storage mode selected within the App, your data is handled as follows:
• Account Information: You can sign in with an email address, or with your Google or Apple account. Your email address is stored by Firebase Authentication, solely to identify your account. We never ask for your name and the App does not use it; if the sign-in provider supplies one anyway, it is also kept on the Firebase Authentication account record.
• Cloud Storage Mode (Current): Your catch and trip logs (such as species, weight, length, weather conditions, notes, and GPS coordinates) are transmitted to and stored securely in our cloud database (Google Firestore). This allows you to sync your data across devices.
• Local Storage Mode (Legacy): For users on our legacy local storage option, all catch and trip data remains strictly on your device and is not transmitted to our servers. Please note that this feature is being phased out.
• Photos: By default, photos you take or attach to your catches are stored on your device only. With a PRO subscription, your photos — together with their small preview thumbnails — are backed up to cloud storage (Google Firebase Storage) and linked to your account, so that they survive a change of device and can be shown on the website. You start the upload yourself; without a PRO subscription no photo is uploaded to our servers.
• Notification Identifier: If you allow notifications, your device's push identifier (Firebase Cloud Messaging token) is stored with your account so that we can notify you, for example when a weather backfill has finished. Revoking the permission ends this.
B. Automatically Collected Information (Analytics)
To improve our service and understand how users interact with the App, we use Google Analytics for Firebase. This service collects anonymous information, including:
• Device information (model, operating system version).
• Usage data (app launches, feature interactions, session duration).
• Approximate location (derived from IP address, typically at a city level).
Note on Anonymity: We do not attach your name or email address to analytics events. Events are tied to a pseudonymous app-instance identifier; for subscription analytics, that identifier can be associated with your account.
Tracking and App Tracking Transparency (ATT)
On iOS devices, we comply with Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework. The App will ask for your permission to collect anonymous usage data to help us prioritize development and fix bugs. You can choose to "Ask App Not to Track" or change your preference at any time in your device settings.
Data Storage and Third Parties
We use Google Firebase (a subsidiary of Google) to provide our secure infrastructure:
• Cloud Database (Firestore): Stores your text-based logs if Cloud Storage is enabled.
• Analytics: Processes anonymous usage trends to improve the App.
• Cloud File Storage (Firebase Storage): Stores the photos and preview thumbnails of your catches if you have a PRO subscription.
• Cloud Messaging: Delivers notifications.
In addition, we use the following services:
• RevenueCat: Manages the state of your subscription. The purchase itself is handled by Apple or Google — we never see or store your payment card details.
• Google AdMob: Shows ads to users without a subscription. On iOS, your answer to the App Tracking Transparency prompt determines whether those ads can be personalized; if you decline, you only receive non-personalized ads.
• Apple WeatherKit: For the weather backfill, we send the coordinates and date of a catch to Apple's weather service.
• OpenStreetMap Nominatim: For map place search, the text you type is sent to the Nominatim service; no account identifier is sent with it.
Data Retention and Deletion
• Retention: We retain your catch logs as long as you use the App or until you request deletion.
• Deletion: You have the right to delete your logs within the App. If you use Cloud Storage, you may request the full deletion of your account and associated data from our servers at any time.
Your Rights (GDPR)
If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the right to access, correct, or delete your data, and the right to withdraw your consent for data processing (including tracking consent) at any time.
Security
We take reasonable measures to protect your information stored in the cloud. However, for data stored in Local Storage Mode, you are responsible for backing up your device, as we do not have access to that data.