MyRouteBuddy | Privacy Policy

Data Collection

Data you provide directly: Route names, stop names and labels, stop addresses, delivery notes and time windows, route status (such as completion state), your account email and display name, sign-in details (email and password, Google Sign-In, or Sign in with Apple), your weekly email choice if you make one, and support or feedback messages you send us.

Data collected when you use app features: If you grant location permission, MyRouteBuddy uses your current location to set a route start point, show your position, order stops from where you are, and draw the route line while you use the app. If you use the camera or photo library, the app processes the image to extract addresses from labels. If you use voice address input, the app uses the microphone and iOS speech recognition to turn your speech into an address.

Usage and subscription reports: If you allow usage reports in version 10.7, Google Analytics receives app activity, subscription events, app and device information, identifiers, and a general region derived from your internet connection. These reports help us understand which features people use. Versions before 10.7 send these reports automatically, subject to your iOS tracking permission. See Privacy Choices below for advertising and reporting controls.

Address search and lookups: When you search for an address or place, the search text and related lookup request data are sent to Google Places through our backend to return autocomplete suggestions and place details.

We do not sell your personal data.

Route Optimization and Routing Data

How route optimization works

When you optimize a route, the app sends the route to MyRouteBuddy's backend (Google Firebase Functions operated by KT Forge) along with your signed-in account token. The request includes your stop addresses and coordinates, optional start and end points, any stop time windows or locked stops, and your device time zone. Our backend orders the stops and may request road distance and travel time data from the Google Routes API to improve the order. Route optimization does not run only on your device.

Route lines and navigation estimates

To draw the road-following route line on the map, the app sends route coordinates to our backend, which requests the line geometry from Mapbox and caches the result for a short time. Navigation time estimates use the Google Routes API in the same way. Turn-by-turn navigation happens in the map app you choose (Google Maps, Waze, or Apple Maps), which receives the destination address or coordinates under that app's own privacy policy.

Third-party AI providers

Third-party AI providers used for route optimization: None. MyRouteBuddy does not send your route data to Google Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, or any other generative AI provider for route optimization. Our backend contains an optional Gemini step that is switched off and is not used for any customer request. Before your first optimization, the app shows an in-app disclosure that describes this data use.

If a future version enables a third-party AI provider, we will name the provider, describe what data is sent, update this policy, and ask your permission before sending personal data to that provider.

Data Storage & Sync

On your device:

Copies of your routes, stops, addresses, labels, and completion status, kept for offline use
App settings and preferences (for example, map provider and display choices)
Short-lived caches such as the road-following route line

Deleting the app or clearing its data removes these device copies only. Data synced to your account is not deleted by removing the app (see Data Deletion below).

In our cloud (Google Firebase):

Firebase Authentication: Your sign-in identity when you create or sign in to an account (email, Google Sign-In, or Sign in with Apple)
Firebase Firestore: Your saved routes and stops, templates, history, and weekly email preference and consent records, stored under your account. Free-use limits also use a device identifier and daily stop and optimization counts, stored separately from your account.
Firebase Functions: Our backend for route optimization, route lines, address search, account deletion, feedback, and subscription checks
Firebase Analytics / Google Analytics 4: Usage and subscription reports, with advertising features controlled by your privacy choices

Weekly Emails (Optional)

Your choice, never automatic: Weekly emails are optional and require your explicit consent. Creating an account, buying a subscription, or using the app does not enroll you. You are enrolled only when you turn on Weekly emails in Settings or accept the one-time in-app invitation. If you decline the invitation, weekly emails stay off and the invitation is not shown again.

Which address we use: Weekly emails you turn on in the app go to the verified email address on your MyRouteBuddy account. You do not need to type it or open a webpage. The separate recovery form, used only after a full unsubscribe, lets you edit the address you submit there.

Where this data lives: Firebase stores your preference and your consent and withdrawal records (your choice, when you made it, the version of the consent text you saw, and processing receipts). Kit, KT Forge's email provider, stores your email address and your MyRouteBuddy list membership and delivers the emails. Kit processes delivery information under its own privacy policy. We use this address only for the MyRouteBuddy weekly email; we do not sell it or share it with other senders.

Turning weekly emails off: Turn off Weekly emails in Settings, or use the Manage MyRouteBuddy weekly emails link in any weekly email. Turning off removes you from the MyRouteBuddy weekly list. It does not change your app account, your routes, or any paid subscription. A turn-off request made while you are offline is saved on your device and submitted to Kit when the app reconnects. Turning weekly emails on requires a connection and Kit's confirmation.

Turning weekly emails back on: If you removed the MyRouteBuddy topic from an email link, the app notices that change during one of its online checks and shows the switch as off. Turning the switch on again restores the MyRouteBuddy topic after your fresh consent and Kit's confirmation, using your account email and without a form.

Timing: The app does not check with Kit continuously. It remembers your preference during a session and runs bounded checks when you open the app or return to it. Changes made from an email link take effect at Kit first and appear in the app after one of those checks, so the app may show the previous setting for a while. Sync between the app and Kit is not instant, and we do not promise a maximum delay.

MyRouteBuddy opt-out versus all KT Forge emails: The Manage MyRouteBuddy weekly emails link removes only the MyRouteBuddy topic. You can turn it back on later with the Settings switch. The separate Unsubscribe from all KT Forge emails link, and unsubscribe actions in your mail app, cancel your entire Kit subscription for every KT Forge email. After a full cancellation, the Settings switch alone may not be enough to restart emails; you may be asked to confirm your address through a short form and a confirmation email. We never re-add you without an action you take.

Bounces and complaints: If an address bounces or reports an email as spam, Kit may suppress it, and we honor that suppression.

Deleting or recreating your account: When you delete your account, the app records a weekly email withdrawal before your account and synced data are removed, and our email system then removes your MyRouteBuddy weekly membership from Kit. This normally completes shortly after deletion; during an outage it completes once the system recovers. Your other KT Forge email memberships and your Kit contact are not deleted by this step. If you later create a new account, even with the same email address, weekly emails start off and require a new explicit choice.

In-App Purchases

We use RevenueCat and Apple's In-App Purchase system for MyRouteBuddy Pro subscriptions. Apple handles all payment processing according to their privacy policy. We do not store or access your payment card information.

We send RevenueCat your account identifier, email, and available display name. RevenueCat processes purchase status, entitlements, and subscription product information to provide Pro access and subscription reporting. Your Pro status is also recorded on your account so our backend can unlock Pro features. Subscriptions and weekly emails are independent: neither turns the other on or off.

Third-Party Services

We use the following service providers to run MyRouteBuddy:

Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Functions, App Check): Account sign-in, cloud storage, and our backend
Google Analytics and Google Ads: Usage and subscription reporting, and personalized MyRouteBuddy advertising when permitted by your choices
Google Places API: Address autocomplete, place details, and place text search when you use address search
Google Routes API: Road distance, travel time, and navigation estimates used by our backend for route optimization
Mapbox: Road-following route line geometry for the map, requested by our backend
Kit: Weekly email delivery and email preference management, only if you opt in
Resend: Delivers Help & Feedback messages you send from the app to our support inbox
RevenueCat: Subscription management and entitlement status for MyRouteBuddy Pro
Apple (App Store, In-App Purchase, Sign in with Apple) and Google Sign-In: Billing, subscription transactions, and optional sign-in methods
Navigation apps you choose (Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps): Receive the destination you open from a stop

Privacy Choices in version 10.7: In Settings, choose whether to allow usage reports and personalized ads. Both are optional. If you allow personalized ads and iPhone tracking, KT Forge and Google can use app activity, subscription information, identifiers, and general region information to show relevant MyRouteBuddy ads and measure results. We do not send saved route addresses, delivery notes, or precise GPS coordinates to Google Analytics.

Change these choices anytime in Settings > Privacy choices. iPhone tracking permission is managed separately in iOS Settings. Declining does not affect routing, Pro access, or your weekly email choice. We save your reporting and advertising choice, its date, and the disclosure version on your device. Learn how Google uses data.

Third-party data protection: We share only the data needed for the requested service or app operation and rely on providers that publish privacy and security commitments. We expect the service providers we use to protect personal data they process on our behalf to the same or an equivalent standard.

Website support form: The Contact Support form on this website is processed by Formspree. See the Website Privacy Policy for details.

Opt-outs and controls: You can manage permissions (such as Location, Camera, Microphone, Photos, and ATT) in iOS Settings at any time.

Data Retention

Account, routes, templates, and history: Kept while your account exists. Deleted when you delete your account in the app or ask support to delete it.

Device data: Local copies remain until you clear them or delete the app. Device identifiers and daily free-use counters stored in our backend are separate from your account and are not removed by account deletion.

Weekly email records: Your preference and consent records are kept while your account exists. After you opt out, we keep the record that you withdrew, and Kit may keep an unsubscribe or suppression record, so that we do not email you again. Kit retains delivery data under its own policy.

Feedback messages: Messages are stored with your account identifier and emailed to support. If you include diagnostics, we also receive app, device, route-status, and subscription details to investigate the issue. We keep these records as long as needed to respond and keep a record of the request.

Backend caches: Cached route results, such as route line geometry, stop being reused after a few hours. Stored cache records may remain beyond that period.

Analytics and diagnostics: Retained according to the data retention settings of our Firebase and Google Analytics project and used to maintain and improve the app.

Data Deletion

These actions do different things:

Deleting the app: Removes the copies on your device only. Data synced to your account stays in our cloud and returns when you sign in again.
Signing out: Ends your session and clears session data from the device. It does not delete your account or any synced data.
Deleting your account: In the app, open Account and tap Delete account. You may be asked to sign in again first. This permanently deletes your account, routes, templates, history, account-linked usage counters, and sign-in. It cannot be undone.

Deleting your account also records a weekly email withdrawal, and our email system removes your MyRouteBuddy weekly membership from Kit, normally shortly after deletion (see Weekly Emails above). Consent, withdrawal, and suppression records may be kept so that we can show your choice and avoid emailing you again. If you still receive a weekly email, use its Manage MyRouteBuddy weekly emails link or contact us.

Analytics and diagnostic data collected before deletion is not removed by account deletion and follows the analytics retention described above. If you cannot use the in-app option, email support@ktforge.dev and we will delete your account for you.

Children's Privacy

MyRouteBuddy is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.