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Privacy Policy

Effective date: May 20, 2026
App: Stepple
Developer: Joey DeGrand

This policy explains what information Stepple collects, how it is used, and your rights regarding that information.

1. How Stepple Handles Your Data

Stepple stores app data locally on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework. This includes:

App data is never sold, used for advertising, or linked to your name, email, or Apple ID. Automatic processing of your activity and pet state happens on your device.

Stepple may offer optional features that, when you turn them on, transmit some of your data to services outside your device — such as Apple's iCloud, servers operated by the developer, or third-party processors disclosed at stepple.fit/processors. These features are opt-in. The exact data each one transmits, and where it goes, is disclosed before you enable it. They include:

2. Apple Health Data

Stepple requests read-only access to the following Apple Health data types:

Stepple does not write any data to Apple Health. Health data is used primarily to drive in-app pet mechanics and is never sold, shared with advertising networks, or used for advertising purposes. Health data transmission is limited to optional features you explicitly enable (see Section 1); no automatic transmission occurs.

You can revoke Health access at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Health → Stepple.

3. External Services

Stepple currently uses the following Apple-operated services for optional features. The list may grow over time; new services will be disclosed here and at the point of enabling any feature that uses them.

iCloud Key-Value Storage — stores a single anonymous token used for backup ownership verification. This token contains no personal information.

CloudKit (optional features) — Stepple uses Apple's CloudKit database for optional features you choose to enable.

Referral program: if you visit Settings → Refer a Friend, Stepple creates a record containing only your anonymous referral code, your anonymous iCloud user ID, and a count of successful redemptions. If you never visit that page, no CloudKit record is created by the referral program.

Optional social features (such as leaderboards, friends, or shared goals), if enabled, may store information the app has about your activity and virtual pet — including (without limitation) activity values, progress metrics, pet state, achievement and accolade data, and connection identifiers — in records shared with the people you have chosen to connect with through that feature. The specific data stored will be disclosed at the point of enabling each feature. Data stored in CloudKit is subject to Apple's CloudKit security model and privacy practices.

To delete your CloudKit data, email support@stepple.fit and the developer will remove it manually.

Apple StoreKit — if you subscribe to Stepple+, Apple manages your subscription and payment information directly. The developer does not receive or store your payment details.

None of the services listed above is used for analytics or advertising. They are operated by Apple under their privacy policies. Other services Stepple may use are described in Sections 1 and 7.

4. Backup Files

Stepple automatically saves signed backup files to your device's local storage after each daily sync, retaining only the most recent few. These files are not transmitted automatically and the developer has no access to them. Backups are cryptographically signed with a device-specific key derived from an anonymous token stored in your iCloud Key-Value Storage, which means a backup file could only be restored on devices that share the same iCloud account. If the app encounters a serious problem loading your data, it may offer to attach your most recent backups to a bug-report email so the developer can help recover your pets; sharing is optional and only happens if you explicitly send the email.

5. Subscription Data

Stepple+ subscriptions are processed entirely by Apple via In-App Purchase. Subscription state (whether you currently have an active Stepple+ subscription) is read on-device through Apple's StoreKit framework. No name, email, or payment information is shared with the developer.

6. Diagnostic Logs

Stepple writes diagnostic logs to your device to help troubleshoot bugs. These logs describe app behavior but do not contain your actual step counts, calorie totals, sleep hours, workout details, or other health values. Your pet's name is replaced with a short opaque identifier so logs can be correlated for a single pet without revealing the name.

Logs are kept for 7 days and then automatically deleted. Logs never leave your device automatically. The only way logs are shared is if you explicitly choose to attach them to a bug-report email you send to the developer — they are then encrypted and attached to that email. Attaching logs is optional; you can send a bug report without them. The encrypted file can only be read by the developer.

7. Analytics and Advertising

Stepple may send anonymous information about how the app is used — including, for example, which features are used, which flows are completed, onboarding progress, paywall interactions, subscription lifecycle events, retention and engagement milestones, and error and performance diagnostics. This information helps the developer understand usage patterns, measure subscription conversions, diagnose problems, and improve the app.

When such data is sent, it is tied only to a random identifier generated on your device and is not linked to your name, email, Apple ID, or health data. No health or fitness values are ever included. No pet names are ever included.

This data may be processed directly by the developer or by third-party analytics, diagnostics, and paywall service providers acting as data processors under the developer's instructions. The current list of processors is maintained at stepple.fit/processors.

Stepple does not use any advertising network, and no data described in this policy is used for advertising.

Health and fitness data is never included in the anonymous analytics described in this section. Diagnostic logs stored on your device (described in Section 6) record only broad ranges (e.g. "1-5k steps," "300-500 cal") rather than exact values — even if you share logs with the developer for bug reports, your actual activity levels are never disclosed. Any other transmission of health and fitness data is limited to optional social features you explicitly enable (see Section 1).

8. Children

As described throughout this policy, the app does not knowingly collect personal information from any user, including children.

9. Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes materially, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a new effective date. Continued use of the app after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy can be directed to: support@stepple.fit