Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

UV Buddy is made by RationalBit ("we", "us", the "Service Provider"), an independent software studio. This policy covers the UV Buddy app for iPhone and Apple Watch and this website (uvbuddy.app). Questions any time: [email protected].

2. What the app collects

UV Buddy collects a small amount of usage analytics so we can understand what's working and fix what isn't: which screens and features you open, when timers and glow sessions start and finish, whether you granted location and notification permissions, and error diagnostics when something goes wrong. This telemetry is processed by PostHog (see section 9).

These events are tied to a random identifier created by the App Store subscription system, not to your name, email or any account, because UV Buddy has no accounts. We do not send your name or your family members' names to analytics. Along with the events we record a few settings that make them readable: how many profiles exist, the main profile's skin type and tan goal, whether notifications are on, and whether you are using automatic or manual location.

Our analytics provider also derives an approximate country and city from your IP address, the way nearly every internet service does. Your precise coordinates are never sent.

The app does not collect: your contacts, your photos (tan progress photos never leave your device except into your own iCloud), your health records, or any payment details.

You can switch analytics off completely in Settings, Privacy & Data. Nothing more is sent once you do.

3. Location

UV Buddy asks for location permission for exactly one purpose: fetching the current UV index, weather and daylight times for where you are, via Apple Weather. The lookup happens in real time; your precise location is not stored on our servers and not shared with anyone beyond that weather request. You can instead pin a city manually and never grant location access at all.

Two smaller things do reach our analytics. If you pin a city by hand, the name of that city is recorded so we can see which places people follow, and our providers derive an approximate country or city from your IP address. Neither one includes your coordinates or any history of where you have been.

4. Your content (profiles, timers, photos)

Family profiles, skin types, SPF settings, timers, tan sessions, goals and tan-progress photos are stored locally on your device and synced through your own private iCloud account (Apple CloudKit) so your data follows you across your devices. We cannot read your iCloud data. Deleting the app and its iCloud data removes it permanently.

5. Purchases

All purchases go through Apple's App Store in-app purchase system, so we never see your payment details. Subscription state is managed with RevenueCat using a random identifier, not your real identity, so your Pro access restores correctly across devices. That same random identifier is what ties your analytics events together, and it is shared with our install-measurement provider (section 8) so we can tell whether our App Store ads are worth running.

6. Newsletter (optional)

If you choose to sign up in the app's "Stay Connected" screen, your email address and the name you optionally give are stored with our provider (Supabase) and used only to send you occasional UV Buddy news. You can unsubscribe at any time, and this is kept separate from all app data.

7. Feedback (optional)

If you send feedback or feature requests through the in-app feedback tool (UserJot), we receive only what you type into it.

8. App Store ads measurement

We sometimes buy ads for UV Buddy on the App Store. To know whether that money is well spent, the app reports installs and app launches to AppSprint, which matches them against Apple's own ad attribution and against subscription revenue so we can see which campaigns actually work.

This does not build an advertising profile of you, it is never shared with ad networks or data brokers, and UV Buddy shows no ads of any kind. We do not ask for tracking permission because we do not follow you across other companies' apps or websites.

9. Third-party services

• Apple Weather (WeatherKit): real-time UV and weather data. Attribution.
• Apple App Store / StoreKit: payments and subscriptions.
• Apple iCloud (CloudKit): your private, encrypted data sync.
• RevenueCat: subscription management with a random identifier.
• PostHog: usage analytics, tied to that same random identifier.
• AppSprint: install and App Store ad measurement.
• Supabase: newsletter email storage (only if you opt in).
• UserJot: feedback collection (only what you submit).

Each provider processes data under its own privacy policy; we share with them only the minimum needed for the purpose listed above.

10. Retention, export & deletion

Your content stays until you delete it. Inside the app you can export your data as JSON, reset everything, and switch analytics off (Settings → Privacy & Data). Uninstalling the app stops all collection immediately. Usage analytics are kept by PostHog as individual events for as long as they are useful for product decisions. For any deletion request or question, email [email protected] and we'll take care of it, including removing your analytics events.

11. Children

UV Buddy is a family app: parents create and manage profiles for their kids on the parent's own device. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, and the app has no accounts, chat or social features. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

12. Your rights

Depending on where you live (including under GDPR), you may have the right to access, correct, export, restrict or delete data, and to object to processing. Because UV Buddy keeps your content on your device and your iCloud, most of this is directly in your hands — and for anything else, email us and we'll help.

13. Security

Data in iCloud is encrypted in transit and at rest by Apple. The app stores its data in the iOS app sandbox. No method of storage is 100% secure, but keeping your data off our servers entirely is the strongest protection we can offer.

14. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, the new version appears here with an updated date. Meaningful changes will be called out in the app's release notes.

15. Medical disclaimer

UV Buddy is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. UV, burn-time and tan estimates are based on general dermatological models (Fitzpatrick skin types and minimal erythema dose) and real-world conditions vary — reflections, altitude, medications and individual sensitivity can change your real risk. Always use sun protection responsibly, and consult a qualified clinician about sunburns, moles, skin reactions or anything that worries you. In case of a severe burn or reaction, seek medical care.

16. Contact

RationalBit · [email protected] · rationalbit.com