Welcome to Dog Walker. Your privacy is critically important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our mobile application.
1. Information We Collect
Personal Information: When you register, we collect your name, email address, and optionally your age and a profile picture.
Dog Profiles: Information about your dogs, including name, breed, age, size, behavior, and photos.
Location Data: To provide our core services, we collect precise location data (GPS) from your device.
Background Location Access: Dog Walker collects location data to enable real-time tracking of your dog walks and to send you proximity alerts when other dogs are nearby, even when the app is closed or not in use. This is essential for our safety features.
2. How We Use Your Information
Real-Time Walk Map: Your active location is shared with other users on a map during your walk to facilitate social interactions.
Proximity Alerts: We use your location and your "Incompatible Dogs" list to send you alerts if a potential conflict is nearby.
Friend System: We notify your friends when you start a walk to help coordinate playdates.
Account Management: To manage your profile and provide technical support.
3. Data Sharing and Security
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. Your location is only shared with other active users while you are explicitly "walking" in the app. You can control the visibility of your home location and age in the app settings.
We use industry-standard security measures, including data encryption (SSL/TLS) and secure token-based authentication, to protect your information.
4. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services which may collect data in accordance with their own policies:
Google Play Services: Used for app functionality and updates.
Google Maps API: Used for displaying maps and location services.
Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM): Used for sending real-time push notifications.
5. Your Rights and Data Deletion
You have the right to access, update, or delete your personal information at any time directly within the app. If you wish to permanently delete your account and all associated data from our servers, please contact us at support.
6. Changes to This Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.