Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 6, 2026

CrosbyTrails is built privacy-first. The short version: everything you record stays on your iPhone. We don't have servers. We don't track you. There's no analytics, no advertising, no third-party SDKs.

This document explains what data the app touches, where it lives, and what it never does.

What stays on your device

When you use CrosbyTrails, the following data is created and stored only in the app's local storage on your iPhone:

• Dog profiles — name, breed, birthday, weight, photo, notes
• Walks — date, time, GPS route, distance, duration, weather snapshot, step count, notes, attached photos
• Trails — saved routes you can re-walk, with names and notes
• Achievements & streaks — milestones earned per dog and consecutive walking days
• Notification preferences — your reminder times and weekly summary toggles

This data is held in Apple's SwiftData framework, in a database file inside the app's sandbox. It is not uploaded anywhere. We can't see it. Apple can't see it. No third party can see it.

If you delete the app, this data is deleted too. There is no backup unless you opt in to a future iCloud sync feature (planned for a later release).

What permissions the app asks for

CrosbyTrails requests several permissions, all optional. You can decline any of them and the rest of the app still works:

Location (When In Use)

Used only while a walk is actively recording. We record GPS points to draw the route on a map and calculate distance. We do not request "Always" location, and we do not record location in the background. As soon as you tap End Walk, location updates stop.

Routes are stored only on your device. They are never sent to any server, including Apple's.

Apple Health (Step Count, read-only)

Used to display your step count for each walk. After a walk ends, CrosbyTrails reads the step samples that fall within the walk's start-to-end window and shows the total on the walk's detail screen.

We only read step count. We never read any other Health category, and we never write anything back to Apple Health. The total is also stored alongside the walk record so it remains visible offline.

Motion & Fitness (live step count)

Used to drive the live step counter you see on the active-walk screen and on the lock-screen Live Activity while a walk is recording. This data is read directly from the iPhone's motion coprocessor (Core Motion) and never leaves your device. Step streaming stops the moment you end the walk.

Camera

Used when you tap the in-walk camera button to capture a photo during a walk. Photos are compressed and saved to the walk record locally. CrosbyTrails does not access the camera at any other time.

Photo Library

Used when you attach photos to a walk or to a dog profile from your existing library. We use Apple's modern PhotosPicker, which sandboxes our access — we only see the specific photos you pick. We never have broad access to your photo library.

Notifications

Used only if you turn on walk reminders or the weekly summary in Settings. All notifications are scheduled locally on your device by UNUserNotificationCenter. They do not go through any push notification service.

Siri Shortcuts

If you use phrases like "Hey Siri, start a walk with Crosby," Siri's voice recognition runs on Apple's servers under Apple's privacy policy. CrosbyTrails only receives the resolved intent (which dog you named) — never the raw voice audio.

What data leaves your device — and where it goes

The only data that ever leaves your iPhone is a single weather lookup at the end of each walk:

• WeatherKit — when you finish a walk, the app asks Apple's WeatherKit service for the current temperature and condition at the walk's end location. The response is cached on your device as part of the walk record. WeatherKit is an Apple service governed by Apple's privacy policy.

We don't use any other web service. We don't have an API of our own.

What we never do

• We never collect analytics or telemetry of any kind.
• We never use third-party SDKs for advertising, crash reporting, A/B testing, or anything else. The app is built only with Apple's frameworks (SwiftUI, SwiftData, CoreLocation, MapKit, WeatherKit, HealthKit, Core Motion, PhotosUI, AppIntents, ActivityKit, WidgetKit, UserNotifications).
• We never share your data with any third party.
• We never sell your data.
• We never write to Apple Health — we only read step count.
• We never track your location for marketing or for anything other than recording walks you started.
• We never share live location with anyone. Live location sharing is not in the product, ever.
• We never have an account system, sign-in, email collection inside the app, or password.

Home Screen widgets & Live Activities

The Home Screen widget and lock-screen Live Activity render data that already lives on your device — current walk distance, today's step count, your active dog's weekly stats. These surfaces are part of the same app sandbox; nothing is uploaded for them to work.

The widget is opt-in via a Settings toggle. When disabled, the widget shows an "Enable in app" prompt and reads no walk data at all.

Data export and deletion

• GPX export: on the walk detail screen you can export a walk's route as a standard GPX file via the iOS share sheet. Export happens entirely on-device; no copy is sent to us.
• Walk image share: a PNG share card of your route map can also be generated locally for messaging or social posts.
• Deletion: Delete walks, trails, or dogs at any time from the app. Deletes cascade — deleting a dog removes that dog's walks. Deleting the app removes everything.

Children's privacy

CrosbyTrails is suitable for all ages, but the app is intended for adults caring for their dogs. We do not knowingly collect any data from children — because we don't collect any data from anyone.

Changes to this policy

If a future release introduces iCloud sync, trail sharing, or any other feature that changes how data is handled, this policy will be updated and the change will be highlighted in release notes. Optional features will be opt-in by default.

Contact

For questions about this policy, email [email protected] or visit crosbytrails.com.