Effective August 24, 2026

Privacy policy

This policy covers the Odie iPhone app and the website at this address. The short version: your trips stay on your phone, we have no servers that hold them, and we do not collect anything about you. The long version follows, because you should not have to take our word for it.

Who is responsible

Odie is made by an independent developer in Montréal, Québec. Under Québec’s Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Law 25) and Canada’s PIPEDA, the person responsible for the protection of personal information can be reached at support@odielog.com.

What the app stores, and where

Odie records trips (start and end time, simplified route, distance, the vehicle, a Work or Personal tag, a client or project tag, notes), saved places, vehicles, odometer readings, expenses with optional receipt photos, and your settings. All of it is stored in the app’s database on your iPhone.

We do not receive this data. The app has no network code of its own: it contains no code that sends requests to servers we operate, because we do not operate any. The app bundles no third-party software. Its privacy manifest declares no tracking and no collected data types, and the App Store privacy label is built from that manifest.

iCloud sync

Sync is on by default and can be turned off in the app under Backup. When it is on, the app stores your data in the private database of your own iCloud account using Apple’s CloudKit. That database is tied to your Apple ID, protected by Apple, and not readable by us. Apple’s handling of iCloud data is described in Apple’s privacy policy. Turning sync off stops further uploads; removing the data from iCloud is described under Deleting your data.

Apple services the app uses

To do its job, the app uses services run by Apple, and those services receive what they need to answer a request:

Apple Maps receives the text you type when you search for an address or log a trip by hand, and the two points when it works out a driving distance or draws a map snapshot.
Apple’s geocoder receives a coordinate when the app turns a trip’s start or end into a street name.
CloudKit receives your data for sync, as described above.

These requests go to Apple under Apple’s privacy policy, not to us. We cannot see them.

Permissions and why

Location, always. Needed so trips can start and be recorded while the phone is in your pocket. Location is used on the device to measure the trip and is stored only as part of your trips.
Motion and fitness. The motion sensor confirms you are driving before a trip starts, which keeps walks and bus rides out of your log.
Bluetooth, optional. Used to recognise your car by its hands-free name and, if you turn it on, to scan for cars whose name is not visible. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Camera, optional. Only if you photograph a receipt for an expense. The photo stays in the app.
Notifications. To tell you a trip ended so you can tag it Work or Personal from the lock screen, and for the reminders you turn on. Notifications are scheduled on the device.

You can change any of these in iOS Settings at any time. The app keeps working with fewer permissions, but automatic detection needs location and motion.

No analytics, no ads, no account

The app contains no analytics, no advertising, no crash reporting service and no third-party software development kits. It does not ask you to create an account and does not assign you an identifier. We do not know who uses Odie or how.

The diagnostics log

The app keeps a small log of detection events on the phone (for example, when the car was seen and when a trip started) so you can understand a missed trip. It stays on the phone. It leaves only if you choose to export it and send it to us, and then we use it only to answer your question and delete it afterwards.

The website

This website is a set of static pages. It sets no cookies, runs no analytics, and loads no scripts that call other servers. If you email us, we keep the email to answer you.

Deleting your data

To delete everything on the phone, delete the app. iOS removes its database and files.
To delete what is in iCloud, turn off sync in the app first, then open iOS Settings, your name, iCloud, Manage Account Storage (or Manage Storage), find Odie and delete its data.
To take your data with you first, use the CSV export or the JSON backup in the app.

Your rights

Under Law 25 and PIPEDA you can ask what personal information an organisation holds about you, ask for it to be corrected, and withdraw consent. Because Odie keeps nothing about you on our side, the practical answer to such a request will be that we hold nothing, but you are welcome to ask and we will reply. You may also complain to the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Children

Odie is not aimed at children and we do not knowingly collect information about anyone, of any age.

Changes

If this policy changes, the date at the top changes and the change is noted here. We will not start collecting data without rewriting this page to say so.

August 24, 2026: the responsible person is now identified by role and contact address rather than by name. Nothing changed in what the app or the site does with data.

Contact

Odie, Montréal, Québec. support@odielog.com