ShadeIQ Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

What we collect

When you tap the location button or grant location access, ShadeIQ reads your device's coordinates while the app is in the foreground only. We use those coordinates only to:

• Center the map on your position.
• Snap a chosen starting point for a route.

Each route request sends your start point, destination, requested departure time, and shade preference to our routing server. The server returns the route and the shade overlay for that request. We keep short-lived operational logs (for reliability and abuse prevention) that may include a route's start/end coordinates and timing, but never your name, account, email, or a device identifier — we have no way to tie a request back to you, and we do not build user profiles.

Your saved data (dogs, places, walk history)

Your dogs, saved places, and walk history are stored on your device. We never receive them and they are never sent to our servers.

If you subscribe to Shade IQ Pro, this data is additionally backed up and synced through your own iCloud account, so it survives reinstalling the app and follows you to a new device. It is stored in Apple's iCloud under your Apple ID and is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy; it never passes through our systems. Free users' data stays only on the device it was created on.

What we don't do

• We do not track you across apps or websites.
• We do not use third-party analytics or advertising SDKs.
• We do not sell or share your data with anyone.
• Background location is requested only after you start an active walk. It lets Shade IQ keep tracking your walk's distance, shade fraction, and pace when the screen sleeps or you switch apps mid-walk. iOS shows the blue "still using location" bar at the top of the screen for the entire time it is active. Background tracking stops immediately when you tap End or arrive at your destination — we do not run silently between walks.
• We do not request contacts, photos, or files.

Third-party data sources

ShadeIQ uses the following external data and services. None of them receives anything that identifies you:

• OpenStreetMap — street network (cached on our server, not contacted per request) and water-fountain locations (queried live via Overpass API).
• Overture Maps — building footprints + heights (cached, not contacted per request).
• Meta Tree Canopy Height (v2) — tree canopy raster (cached).
• OpenTopoData serving ESA Copernicus DEM and SRTM — elevation along candidate routes. The route geometry is sent to OpenTopoData per its terms.
• Open-Meteo — current weather, UV index, and direct-radiation values used to estimate pavement temperature for Pet mode. The route midpoint is sent per their privacy policy.
• RevenueCat — verifies Shade IQ Pro subscriptions and receipts. Receives an anonymous device identifier only; no name, email, or precise location.

Estimates & safety disclaimer

Pet mode's pavement temperature is an estimate derived from air temperature and direct solar radiation. Actual surface temperatures vary by material (concrete is cooler, dark asphalt hotter), recent rain, and shade. Always test the ground with your hand before walking a pet on it. Shade IQ is a planning tool — it is not a safety device.

Contact

Questions? Email shadeiq.team@gmail.com.