CritterAware — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 29 September 2026

CritterAware is made by Ankharis Ltd (United Kingdom).

CritterAware has no accounts and never asks for your name or email address. To show the wildlife around you it uses your location, and to answer questions about a species it uses AI. This page explains exactly what leaves your device, where it goes, and what stays with you.

Your location

With your permission, CritterAware uses your device’s location while the app is open. The coordinates are sent to iNaturalist to find the species recorded nearby, and to Apple Maps to turn them into a place name (for example “Sydney, Australia”). We do not store your coordinates, and the app does not track your location in the background. You can use the app without location access by searching for a place instead (Premium).

Place searches (Premium)

When you search for a place, the text you type is sent to Apple Maps to find it. The search text is also saved anonymously in a shared database in Apple’s iCloud (CloudKit) so we can see which places people look up. It is not linked to your Apple ID or to you.

Species information written by AI

Danger ratings, safety tips, first-aid steps and travel reports are written by AI. The species names, the place name, the month and your app language are sent through our server (hosted by Cloudflare) to OpenAI, which writes the answer. Our server passes the request on and does not keep it. OpenAI does not use data sent through its API to train its models and may keep it for up to 30 days to detect abuse (see the OpenAI Privacy Policy).

To make the app faster for everyone, danger ratings and species information are saved in a shared iCloud database, keyed only by the species name and language. They are not linked to your Apple ID or to you.

Scanning a photo

When you scan a critter, the photo you take or choose is reduced in size on your device and sent through our server to OpenAI to identify the species. We never store it, and it is not saved to the shared iCloud database. We never use your photos to train AI. The camera is used only while the scanner is open, and only after you allow it.

What stays on your device

My Critters (the species you mark as seen or add from a scan, with the date and the place name — never coordinates), any scan photos you add there, your language and search-radius settings, travel-report checklists, and cached species information and images. These are stored only on your device and are removed when you delete the app.

Photos of species

Species photos come from iNaturalist and are shown with the photographer’s credit. When a photographer has reserved all rights, the app shows a Creative Commons-licensed photo of the species instead.

Purchases

Premium subscriptions are processed entirely by Apple through the App Store. Ankharis Ltd never receives your payment details. The app only learns whether you have an active subscription, so it can unlock Premium. You can manage or cancel your subscription in Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions.

Advertising and tracking

There is no advertising in CritterAware, and no analytics service. The app does not track you across other apps or websites, does not use the advertising identifier (IDFA), and does not show the App Tracking Transparency prompt.

Safety information

CritterAware gives general guidance, not medical advice. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.

Your rights

Because we don’t hold data that identifies you, there is usually nothing for us to find, export or delete. To remove everything CritterAware keeps on your device, delete the app. If you have a question about your data under UK data protection law, contact us at the address below.

Changes

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this address with a new “last updated” date.

Contact

Questions about privacy in CritterAware: ankharis.ltd@gmail.com