GeoLog Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 11, 2026

Introduction

GeoLog (“we,” “our,” or “the app”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how GeoLog handles information when you use our iOS and iPadOS application.

Information Collection and Use

Location Data

GeoLog requires access to your device’s location services to function properly. Here’s how we handle your location data:

What We Collect:

  • GPS coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude)
  • Compass heading (true and magnetic)
  • Location accuracy measurements
  • Timestamp of location data
  • Location history associated with your photos

How We Use It:

  • Embed location data in photos you capture
  • Display photo locations on interactive maps
  • Perform reverse geocoding to display address information
  • Group photos by location for organization
  • Calculate compass headings and cardinal directions
  • Track visit counts to locations

Important: All location data is processed and stored locally on your device. We do not transmit, store, or share your location data with any third parties or remote servers (except as described in Reverse Geocoding below).

Reverse Geocoding

When you capture or import photos with GPS data, GeoLog uses Apple’s MapKit geocoding service to convert GPS coordinates into human-readable addresses.

How It Works:

  • Your GPS coordinates are sent to Apple’s geocoding service
  • Apple returns address information (street, city, state, postal code, country)
  • This address is stored locally with your photo
  • Apple’s geocoding service is governed by Apple’s Privacy Policy

Offline Handling: If you capture or import photos while offline, GeoLog stores the GPS coordinates locally and allows you to retry geocoding when you’re back online. You have full control over when geocoding occurs.

Photo Data

GeoLog stores and manages your photos:

What We Collect:

  • Photos captured using the in-app camera
  • Photos imported from your photo library
  • Photo metadata (EXIF data including GPS, timestamp, camera settings)
  • Custom thumbnails for photos with crop marks
  • User-added notes and tags for photos

How We Store It:

  • Photos are stored in your device’s Application Support directory
  • Thumbnails are generated and stored for quick display
  • Photo metadata is managed through SwiftData
  • Photos remain on your device unless you explicitly export or back them up

Photo Library Integration: When you save photos to your photo library, those photos are managed by iOS Photos and subject to your device’s photo library settings and iCloud Photos preferences.

Weather Data

GeoLog uses Open-Meteo, a free weather API service, to provide weather information:

What We Share:

  • GPS coordinates of photo locations are sent to Open-Meteo servers
  • This occurs only when you request weather information for a location

What We Receive:

  • Weather forecasts and conditions
  • Hourly weather data
  • Daily weather summaries

Note: Open-Meteo does not require an API key and does not track individual users. Weather data requests are anonymous. For more information, visit open-meteo.com.

Astronomical Data

GeoLog calculates astronomical information locally on your device:

Calculated On-Device:

  • Sun position, sunrise, sunset times
  • Golden hour and blue hour times
  • Moon phase and rise/set times
  • Sun ray visualizations

No Data Transmission: All astronomical calculations use algorithms based on Jean Meeus’ “Astronomical Algorithms” and are performed entirely on your device. No data is sent to external servers.

Settings and Preferences

GeoLog stores your app preferences locally using SwiftData:

  • Date, time, and GPS coordinate format preferences
  • Compass type (true north or magnetic north)
  • Distance and altitude unit preferences
  • Photography feature settings (aperture/exposure stop modes)
  • Measurement system preferences
  • Driving directions app preference
  • Sun ray display preference

Storage: All settings are stored locally on your device using iOS’s secure storage mechanisms. This data is not transmitted anywhere.

Exposure Calculator Data

When you use the exposure calculator feature:

  • All calculations are performed locally on your device
  • Film reciprocity data is stored locally in the app
  • Filter compensation calculations are done on-device
  • No exposure data is transmitted anywhere

Timer and Live Activities

When you use the exposure timer feature:

What We Use:

  • ActivityKit for Live Activities and Dynamic Island integration
  • Local notifications for timer warnings and completion alerts
  • Audio playback for countdown sounds (when in sound mode)

Privacy: Timer data is ephemeral and exists only during active timing sessions. No timer history is stored or transmitted.

Backup and Restore

GeoLog’s backup system creates ZIP archives containing:

What’s Included in Backups:

  • All photo images with original quality
  • GPS coordinates and location data
  • Reverse geocoding results (addresses)
  • Photo metadata (timestamps, notes, headings)
  • LocationModel groupings and relationships
  • Custom tags and pinned location status
  • Visit counts and creation dates
  • Settings and preferences

How Backups Work:

  • Backups are created locally on your device
  • ZIP files are saved to your device’s Documents folder
  • You control where backups are stored and shared
  • Backups can be shared via AirDrop, Files app, or iCloud Drive

Important: Backup files contain all your photos and location data. Keep these files secure. If you store backups in iCloud Drive, they are subject to Apple’s iCloud security and privacy policies.

Data We Do NOT Collect

GeoLog does not collect, transmit, or store:

  • Personal information (name, email, phone number, contacts)
  • Usage analytics or tracking data
  • Device identifiers for advertising
  • Browsing history or app usage patterns
  • Data from other apps on your device
  • Any data for profiling or targeted advertising

Third-Party Services

Apple Services

GeoLog uses the following Apple services:

  • CoreLocation: For GPS and heading data (processed entirely on-device)
  • MapKit: For reverse geocoding and map display (subject to Apple’s Privacy Policy)
  • PhotoKit: For accessing photos from your photo library
  • ImageIO: For reading EXIF metadata from photos
  • SwiftData: For local data persistence
  • ActivityKit: For Live Activities (timer feature)
  • UserNotifications: For timer completion alerts

Open-Meteo Weather Service

  • What: Free weather API for forecast data
  • Data Shared: GPS coordinates when requesting weather
  • Privacy: No API key required, anonymous requests
  • Learn More: open-meteo.com

ZIPFoundation

We do not use any third-party analytics, advertising, crash reporting, or user tracking services.

Data Storage and Security

All data collected by GeoLog is:

  • Stored locally on your iOS/iPadOS device
  • Protected by iOS’s built-in security features and encryption
  • Accessible only to the GeoLog app
  • Never transmitted to our servers (we don’t have any servers)
  • Deleted when you uninstall the app (except backups you’ve exported)

Application Support Directory: Photos and data are stored in a secure, app-specific directory that is:

  • Backed up by iCloud (if you have iCloud Backup enabled)
  • Hidden from the Files app (not user-visible)
  • Protected by iOS sandboxing
  • Automatically deleted when app is uninstalled

Permissions Required

GeoLog requests the following iOS permissions:

Location Services (Required)

  • Permission Level: “When In Use”
  • Why We Need It: To capture GPS coordinates with your photos
  • Control: Can be managed in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services

Camera (Required)

  • Why We Need It: To capture photos within the app
  • Control: Can be managed in iOS Settings → GeoLog → Camera

Photo Library (Optional)

  • Why We Need It:
  • To save photos to your library
  • To import existing photos with location data
  • Control: Can be managed in iOS Settings → GeoLog → Photos

Notifications (Optional)

  • Why We Need It: To alert you when exposure timer completes
  • Control: Can be managed in iOS Settings → GeoLog → Notifications

To review or change permissions:

  1. Open iOS Settings
  2. Scroll to GeoLog
  3. Adjust individual permission settings

Location Permissions

GeoLog requests “When In Use” location permissions, which means:

  • Location data is only accessed while the app is open and in use
  • No background location tracking occurs
  • No location monitoring when app is closed
  • Location services can be disabled at any time in iOS Settings

Note: Location data captured in photos persists in the photo’s EXIF metadata even if you later disable location services.

Children’s Privacy

GeoLog does not knowingly collect any information from children. The app is designed for photographers and does not target children under the age of 13. No account creation, registration, or personal information is required to use the app.

Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

  • Disable Location Services: Turn off location access entirely in iOS Settings
  • Selective Photo Access: Grant access to only selected photos instead of entire library
  • Disable Notifications: Turn off timer alerts in iOS Settings
  • Delete Your Data: Delete individual photos or locations within the app
  • Export Your Data: Create backups to save or transfer your photos and data
  • Uninstall: Uninstalling GeoLog removes all locally stored data (except exported backups)
  • Review Permissions: Check what permissions GeoLog has in iOS Settings

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected by updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Significant changes will be noted in app update release notes.

Data Retention

GeoLog retains data as follows:

  • Photos & Locations: Until you delete them or uninstall the app
  • Settings: Until you change them or uninstall the app
  • Location History: Maintained locally as long as associated photos exist
  • Timer Data: Ephemeral, exists only during active timer sessions
  • Backups: Retained in locations you choose until you delete them

International Users

GeoLog is available worldwide. All data processing occurs locally on your device regardless of your location.

  • Reverse geocoding requests are handled by Apple’s MapKit infrastructure according to Apple’s privacy policies and applicable local laws
  • Weather requests to Open-Meteo are anonymous and not tied to your identity
  • No data exports to servers in any jurisdiction

California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, please note:

  • GeoLog does not sell your personal information
  • GeoLog does not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising
  • GeoLog collects only location and photo data necessary for app functionality
  • You can delete your data at any time by deleting photos/locations or uninstalling the app
  • You can export your data using the Backup & Restore feature

European Users (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area:

  • Legal Basis: We process location data based on your consent (granted via iOS permissions)
  • Data Minimization: We collect only the minimum data necessary for app functionality
  • Right to Withdraw: You can withdraw consent by disabling location permissions
  • Right to Access: You can view all your data within the app
  • Right to Delete: You can delete individual photos, locations, or all data
  • Right to Export: You can export your data using the Backup feature
  • No Data Controller: Since all data is local, there is no remote data controller
  • Data Portability: Your backups are in ZIP format and can be transferred

Security Measures

We protect your data through:

  • iOS Sandboxing: App data is isolated from other apps
  • Encryption: iOS automatically encrypts data at rest
  • No Network Transmission: Most data never leaves your device
  • Secure Storage: Use of iOS-provided secure storage mechanisms
  • HTTPS: When communicating with Apple or Open-Meteo services

Backup Security Recommendations

Since backups contain sensitive location and photo data:

  • ✅ Store backups in encrypted locations (e.g., encrypted iCloud Drive)
  • ✅ Use strong device passcodes to protect local backups
  • ✅ Be cautious when sharing backups via AirDrop or messages
  • ✅ Delete old backups you no longer need
  • ⚠️ Backups are ZIP files and are not encrypted by GeoLog
  • ⚠️ Anyone with access to your backup file can view your photos and locations

Contact Information

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or GeoLog’s privacy practices, please contact:

Developer: Richard Cox
Email: [your-email@example.com]
Websites:

Summary

In Plain English:

GeoLog is a privacy-focused photography app that:

  • ✅ Stores all your photos and location data locally on your device
  • ✅ Uses location data only for GPS tagging photos and showing maps
  • ✅ Sends GPS coordinates only to Apple (for address lookup) and Open-Meteo (for weather)
  • ✅ Performs all astronomical calculations on-device
  • ✅ Does not track, collect, or share your data with advertisers
  • ✅ Does not use analytics, crash reporting, or third-party tracking
  • ✅ Gives you complete control over your data with export and delete options
  • ✅ Creates backups that you control and store wherever you choose

What Leaves Your Device:

  • GPS coordinates → Apple MapKit (for reverse geocoding addresses)
  • GPS coordinates → Open-Meteo (for weather data, anonymous)

What Stays On Your Device:

  • All photos and thumbnails
  • All location history and visit data
  • All settings and preferences
  • All astronomical calculations
  • All exposure calculations
  • All notes, tags, and custom data

We cannot see your photos or location data, we don’t want to see them, and we’ve designed GeoLog to keep everything private and under your control.

This privacy policy is effective as of January 11, 2026.

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