Pawfile

Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 9, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Pawfile (“we”, “our”, or “us”) collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you use our mobile application and website. By using Pawfile, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Who We Are

Pawfile is a pet community platform that lets users create pet profiles, share diary entries and memories, discover pet-friendly locations, browse and adopt pets, and connect with other pet owners worldwide. For privacy-related inquiries, use the in-app feedback form or visit our Support page.

2. What Data We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you sign up via Apple or Google, we receive from those services:

  • Your name and email address (Apple only shares these on first sign-in; Google provides them on every sign-in)
  • A unique account identifier (an internal ID used to link your account to your sign-in provider)
  • Your profile picture (if provided by the OAuth provider)

2.2 Profile Data

Information you voluntarily provide in your profile:

  • Display name, bio, title, and work location
  • Profile photo and cover photo
  • Social media links (Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, TikTok, website)
  • Country code (detected from your IP address or device locale at registration)

2.3 Pet Data

Information you add about your pets:

  • Pet name, species, gender, birthday, and photos
  • Medical records: vaccinations, medications, conditions, health logs, and weight history
  • Diary entries and memories
  • Microchip ID (if provided)
  • Adoption listing status (Available, On Trial, or Adopted)
  • Pet moments count (cumulative petting interactions received from other users in the Paws feed)
  • World Tour location and travel state (virtual gamification feature)
  • Last activity timestamp (used to rank your pet in the Paws discovery feed; updated when you post a diary entry)

2.4 User-Generated Content

  • Social feed posts, photos, and videos
  • Events you create (title, description, location, date)
  • Pet-friendly locations you add to the map
  • Adoption inquiry messages
  • Petting interactions (pet moments) you send to other users' pets in the Paws feed
  • Feedback you submit through the app

2.5 Location Data

Pawfile may request access to your device location to show nearby events and pet-friendly locations on the map. Location is only accessed when you actively use map features — we do not track your location in the background.

2.6 Device & Usage Data

To personalise your experience (such as setting default region), we collect your device's IP address to determine a coarse location (e.g., country). The Apple App Store may also automatically collect basic technical diagnostics such as device type, operating system version, and crash reports, subject to your device's privacy settings. We may review aggregated, anonymised diagnostic data provided by Apple or Google to improve app stability.

We also use PostHog, a privacy-focused analytics platform, to collect anonymised, aggregated usage data — such as which screens are viewed and which features are used. This helps us understand app traffic and improve the experience. PostHog is configured to collect only aggregate data and does not gather any additional personal information beyond what is described in this policy.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the information we collect to:

  • Create and manage your account
  • Display your profile and pet profiles to other users (subject to your privacy settings)
  • Enable social features: posts, reactions, follows, and events
  • Show relevant nearby events and locations
  • Facilitate pet adoption connections
  • Rank pets in the Paws discovery feed based on recent diary activity
  • Power the World Tour gamification feature
  • Personalise the app in your preferred language
  • Improve the app through feedback and error analysis
  • Enforce our Terms & Conditions and prevent abuse

4. Your Privacy Controls

You have granular control over your data visibility in Settings → Privacy:

  • Make your posts, events, or pet profiles visible only to followers
  • Hide your follower count from your public profile
  • Disable incoming caretaker invitations so other users cannot send you connection requests for their pet profiles

Medical records and Appointments are always private — only the pet owner and explicitly connected caretakers can view them.

Diary entries are visible to anyone who can view the pet's profile, consistent with the pet's privacy settings.

Paws feed appearance — if your pet profile is set to private, it will not appear in the public Paws discovery feed.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

  • With other users: Public profile info, posts, events, and locations are visible per your privacy settings.
  • With service providers: We use third-party services (listed in Section 6) solely to operate the app.
  • For legal compliance: If required by applicable law, court order, or to protect the safety of users or the public.

6. Third-Party Services

Pawfile relies on the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

7. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account from Settings → Delete Account:

  • All personal data, pet profiles, posts, events, and associated media are permanently deleted.
  • Deletion is irreversible and typically completed within 30 days across all systems.

We may retain anonymised, aggregated data (with no personally identifiable information) for analytical purposes indefinitely.

Media files (photos and videos) you upload are stored via Cloudflare R2. While we take reasonable measures to maintain data integrity, we cannot guarantee against data loss caused by failures of third-party infrastructure. We recommend keeping personal backups of any media that is important to you.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Access: Request a copy of the data we hold about you.
  • Correction: Update inaccurate data directly within the app or by contacting us.
  • Deletion: Delete your account and data via Settings, or request deletion by contacting us.
  • Portability: Request an export of your data in a machine-readable format.
  • Objection: Object to certain types of data processing.

To exercise any of these rights, use the in-app feedback form or contact us through our Support page. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Children's Privacy

Pawfile is rated for users aged 9 and above on the Apple App Store. Users under 18 should use the app with a parent or guardian's permission.

While Pawfile is suitable for all ages, we genuinely believe that children and teenagers benefit most from real-world interactions with people and animals. We encourage younger users to prioritise physical experiences — spending time with their pets, playing outdoors, and building face-to-face connections — and to embrace digital tools more gradually as they grow. A healthy balance supports better long-term wellbeing.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately and we will delete it promptly.

10. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

All data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS). Authentication is handled by Clerk, which is SOC 2 Type II compliant.

11. International Data Transfers

Pawfile is a global product and your data may be processed and stored in servers located outside your country of residence. By using the app, you consent to the transfer of your data to countries that may have different data protection laws than your own.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes through the app. Your continued use of Pawfile after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, use the in-app feedback form or visit our Support page.