This Privacy Policy explains what information the Nautical Maps mobile application collects, how that information is used and shared, and the choices available to you. It covers both the iOS and Android versions of the App; where their behavior differs, each platform is called out by name.
This Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how Nautical Maps (the "App," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards information in connection with your use of the App. By downloading, installing, or using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Policy. If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use the App.
This Policy applies only to the App itself. It does not apply to any third-party website or service the App may link to or embed.
The App does not require you to create an account and does not collect your name, email address, or other directly identifying information. The table below summarizes what the App does collect; the subsections that follow describe each category in more detail.
The Instruments tab is the only place the App uses location. On Android, it reads your device's GPS fix and its compass (rotation-vector sensor) through Android's standard location and sensor APIs. On iOS, it reads the same information through Apple's Core Location framework. On both platforms, this is solely to display your position and heading on that one screen.
The two platforms use different map providers, each governed by that provider's own privacy practices for the map data itself:
On either platform, simply displaying the map can reveal your approximate location to that provider as an ordinary side effect of loading map data for your visible area (typically via IP address, not your GPS coordinates directly) — the same as any map in any app.
On both platforms, we use a third-party analytics provider, PostHog, to understand aggregate feature usage. These events are anonymous and device-level — they do not include your name, email address, or any other personally identifying information. See Section 4 for what is sent and Section 6 for your choices regarding this data.
We use the information described above only to:
We do not use any information collected through the App for advertising, and we do not build advertising profiles of individual users.
As noted in Section 2, the App does not collect personal information such as your name, email address, or other directly identifying details. We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, as those terms are defined under applicable law. We do not share data with data brokers.
The App shares limited information with the following third parties, solely as necessary to provide the functionality described above:
| Recipient | What is sent and why |
|---|---|
| PostHog | Anonymous, device-level usage events, on both platforms (see Sections 2.3 and 3). See PostHog's privacy policy. |
| OpenStreetMap Foundation | Map tile requests for the visible map area on Android, needed to render the base map. See OpenStreetMap's privacy policy. |
| Apple | Map data requests for the visible map area on iOS, needed to render Apple Maps via MapKit. See Apple's privacy policy. |
Because the App has no account system, most of these rights are exercised at the device level or by contacting us directly, as described below.
The anonymous, device-level identifiers used for analytics (Section 2.3) can still count as "personal data" under the GDPR, even though we have no way to tie them to your name or identity. To the extent the GDPR or the UK GDPR applies, you have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of information associated with your device; to object to or restrict certain processing; and, where processing is based on consent (such as location access), to withdraw that consent at any time. Our legal basis for analytics is our legitimate interest in understanding and improving the App; our legal basis for location access is your consent, given through your device's permission prompt. In practice, because we cannot independently verify which device or events are yours, see Section 6.4 for how we handle requests.
The App does not collect personal information such as your name, email address, or other directly identifying details. To the extent the CCPA/CPRA applies to us, you have the right to know what information we have collected, to request its deletion or correction, and to not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell or share personal information, so there is no opt-out of sale/sharing to exercise. As with Section 6.2, see Section 6.4 for the practical limits of exercising these rights without an account system.
Contact us using the details in Section 10. Because we do not collect personal information, we generally cannot look up "your" data by name.
Nautical Maps is a marine navigation reference tool intended for general and professional use and is not directed at children. The App does not collect personal information from any user, regardless of age.
Some of our service providers — including PostHog, OpenStreetMap, and Apple — may process information on servers located outside your country of residence, including in the United States.
We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the App or in applicable law. If we make material changes, we will note the change in the App's release notes. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Your continued use of the App after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.
If you have questions about this Policy, or wish to exercise any of the rights described in Section 6, you can reach us using the developer contact information listed on the App's Google Play Store and Apple App Store listing pages.