Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 3, 2026

EmberPaws keeps your dog's records in your private iCloud — your account, end-to-end encrypted by Apple, never visible to us. We have no servers that store your health data, no analytics, no tracking, and no third-party SDKs that touch your data. Vet Reports are shared only when you tap "Share." Medications never appear in Vet Reports and never sync to any public database — see "Medications" below for the full rule.

What we collect

Nothing on our side. EmberPaws has no servers and no backend that stores your information. Every health record you create — weight, appointments, medications, stool scores, skin conditions, feeding schedules, walks, vaccinations, and grooming — lives on your iPhone and in your private iCloud.

iCloud sync (private CloudKit)

EmberPaws uses your private CloudKit database, which is part of your own iCloud account. This means:

• Your records sync across your iPhones automatically when you're signed in to the same Apple ID.
• Apple encrypts the data end-to-end. We have no read access — not now, not ever.
• If you delete iCloud data from your account, it's gone everywhere.
• If you sign out of iCloud, the app falls back to local-only storage on each device.

We did not make this opt-in because there is no privacy trade-off — it's the same iCloud that backs up your iPhone today.

Walking Club (public CloudKit, event-only)

The Walking Club uses CloudKit's public database for one purpose: hosting walk events that you and others can RSVP to. Only the event details — meeting time, place, dog name, your first name, and an optional note — are shared. Health logs, weights, medications, vaccinations, vet records, and addresses are never in the public database. You opt in by creating or joining a walk.

Medications

Medications never appear in Vet Reports and never sync to any public CloudKit database (Walking Club, future Litter Network). They are off by default in the Sitter Info Sheet too — you have to flip an explicit "Include medications" toggle inside that sheet to put them in the export. That preference is remembered for next time. There is no other path that exposes medication data.

Vet Reports and Sitter Info Sheet

When you tap "Share," EmberPaws composes a PDF or text summary and opens the iOS share sheet. You choose where it goes — Mail, Messages, AirDrop, etc. Nothing is sent automatically.

• Vet Report includes weight, vaccinations, recent stool/skin scores, and flea & tick history. Never includes medications.
• Sitter Info Sheet includes feeding, walks, vet contacts, allergies, and your "while I'm away" notes. Active medications (name, dosage, instructions) are added only if you toggle them on in the sheet — off by default.

Apple integrations (opt-in)

EmberPaws can talk to a few Apple services when you turn them on in Settings → Integrations. None are required, and all are off by default:

• Apple Health — write-only. Walks logged with a duration become Walking workouts in Health. EmberPaws never reads any Health data.
• Calendar — write-only. Vet and grooming appointments mirror to your iPhone Calendar. EmberPaws never reads your existing events.
• WeatherKit (Heat Warnings) — fetches today's forecast for your area to surface a heat advisory. Your location is requested once per day and never stored on our side.

Notifications

All notifications (appointment reminders, vaccination alerts, flea & tick due dates, grooming reminders, birthday reminders) are scheduled locally on your device using iOS's built-in notification system. No notification data is transmitted to any server.

Analytics and tracking

EmberPaws contains no analytics SDKs, crash reporters, advertising identifiers, or any other tracking technology. We do not know how you use the app.

Third-party SDKs

EmberPaws has no third-party SDKs that access or transmit user data. The app is built entirely with Apple's SwiftUI, SwiftData, CloudKit, HealthKit, EventKit, and WeatherKit frameworks.

Children

EmberPaws is rated 4+ on the App Store and contains no content inappropriate for any age. Because we collect no data on our side, there are no special considerations for younger users.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email [email protected].