Privacy Policy
- Applies to:
- RetroPals (iOS, Android, Web)
- Last updated:
- 16 August 2026
- Contact:
- launchdesigner@gmail.com
RetroPals is a personal wellbeing reflection and goal-setting app. This Privacy Policy explains what information RetroPals collects, why, how it is stored and protected, who it may be shared with, and the choices and rights you have over it. We built RetroPals to keep your data on your own device by default, to minimise what we collect, and to be transparent about every AI feature that touches your reflections.
1. Who we are
RetroPals is developed and operated by an independent developer ("we", "us", "the Developer"), contactable at launchdesigner@gmail.com. RetroPals is also used as part of a Master's research project in Usability Engineering at Hochschule Rhein-Waal (Germany). For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.
2. Scope of this policy
This policy covers the RetroPals mobile apps (iOS, Android) and the RetroPals web app. It applies to everyone who uses RetroPals, including guest (anonymous) users. It does not cover third-party websites or services you may reach through links inside the app (for example, app store pages or payment provider checkout pages), which have their own privacy policies.
3. Information we collect
What we collect depends on how you use RetroPals. Health and location data are always optional. The table below summarises each category.
| Category | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Account data | Email/identifier from Google or Apple Sign-In, or an anonymous guest ID | Managed by Firebase Authentication. Guest accounts can be upgraded to a full account later. |
| Profile data | Nickname, occupation, industry, generational cohort, personal values, beliefs, interests | Entered voluntarily by you; used to personalise your experience. |
| Reflection and goals data | Wellbeing ratings, emotion ratings, motivation/stress ratings, free-text notes, goals, challenges, highlights and barriers | The core content you create when using the app. |
| Health and activity data (optional) | Step count, exercise minutes, sleep duration, meditation minutes | Only collected if you enable it, either entered manually or synced automatically from Apple Health or Android Health Connect. Off by default for automatic sync. |
| Location and weather data (optional) | City/region you set, approximate coordinates, weather conditions | Used to show local weather insights and can optionally be attached to a reflection. |
| AI chat and analysis content | Messages you send to AI companions, generated replies, AI-generated reflection analyses | See Section 5 for how this is processed. |
| BYO AI API key | Your personal OpenRouter API key, if you subscribe to the BYO AI tier | Encrypted (AES-256-GCM) and stored server-side; never readable by us or returned to any device in plain text. |
| Purchase and subscription data | Subscription tier, credit balance, renewal date, transaction status | Payment card details are never seen or stored by us. See Section 8. |
| Technical and device data | App settings, theme preference, device type, crash/error logs | Used to run and improve the app. |
4. Local-first storage and optional cloud sync
RetroPals is built local-first. By default, all of your data (reflections, goals, agents, profile, conversations) is stored securely on your own device (using an on-device database on mobile/desktop, or protected browser storage on web) and the app is fully usable offline. Nothing is sent to our servers for storage unless you explicitly turn on Back up & sync in Settings → Account.
Why this matters
Keeping data on-device by default minimises the amount of personal data we hold, gives you direct control over your information, and reduces the risk associated with any single data breach. You can use the core features of RetroPals without ever syncing data to the cloud.
If you opt in to sync, your data is mirrored to a secure, access-controlled cloud database (Firestore) so it can follow you across devices and be recovered if you lose your device. Some device-specific settings (theme, reminder preferences, local weather cache) always stay on-device only, even with sync enabled, because they are not meaningful to sync.
5. AI features and Zero Data Retention
RetroPals includes optional AI features: AI companion chat and AI-generated analysis of your weekly reflections. These are designed to offer general wellbeing support and encouragement. They are not clinical, medical, diagnostic, or therapeutic services, and they are not a substitute for professional care. See our Terms of Use for the full disclaimer.
We select flagship AI models chosen for strong safety guardrails, and we configure our AI integrations to route requests through providers operating under a Zero Data Retention (ZDR) policy wherever available.
What Zero Data Retention means
Under a ZDR arrangement, the content you send to an AI model (your prompts and the model's generated responses) is processed only in temporary memory to produce your response, and is not stored, logged, or used to train the model provider's future models. Your reflections and chat messages are used to generate your response and are then discarded by the model provider.
If you enable Bring Your Own AI (BYO AI) and connect your own OpenRouter API key, your AI requests are made using your own account and are subject to OpenRouter's and your chosen model provider's own data handling terms; we encourage you to review those directly, as we cannot guarantee the data practices of models or providers you select yourself outside our default configuration.
RetroPals itself does not use your reflections or chat content to train any AI model.
6. How we use your information
- To provide the core app experience: reflections, insights, goals, and AI companion chat.
- To generate AI analysis of your reflections and respond to your chat messages.
- To personalise content, such as weather insights and challenge suggestions.
- To process purchases, manage your credit balance, and administer subscriptions.
- To sync your data across your devices, if you opt in.
- To maintain the security, integrity, and reliability of the app.
- To comply with our legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use your reflection or chat content for advertising.
7. Legal basis for processing (GDPR)
Where the GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Consent: for optional features such as cloud sync, automatic health data collection, and location/weather. You may withdraw consent at any time via in-app settings.
- Performance of a contract: to provide the core app functionality you request, including account creation and paid subscriptions/credits.
- Legitimate interests: to keep the app secure, diagnose technical problems, and improve the product, balanced against your rights and interests.
- Legal obligation: where we must retain certain records (e.g. transaction records) to comply with tax or consumer-protection law.
8. Who we share data with
We do not sell personal data. We share limited data with the service providers ("processors") strictly necessary to operate RetroPals, under contractual data protection terms:
| Provider | Purpose | What's shared |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase / Google Cloud (EU region) | Authentication, optional cloud sync, encrypted key storage (Secret Manager), server-side AI routing | Account identifiers, and any data you opt to sync |
| AI model providers (via OpenRouter, under ZDR where available) | Generating AI chat replies and reflection analysis | The specific message/reflection content needed to generate that response, processed and discarded per Section 5 |
| WeatherAPI.com / Open-Meteo | Weather forecasts and location lookups | Approximate location/coordinates you set |
| RevenueCat | Managing iOS/Android subscriptions and in-app purchases | Purchase and subscription status; no payment card details |
| Apple App Store / Google Play | Processing iOS/Android in-app purchases | Handled entirely by Apple/Google under their own privacy terms |
| Stripe | Processing web purchases and subscriptions | Handled entirely by Stripe under its own privacy/PCI-compliant terms; we never see full card details |
We may also disclose information if required to by law, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of RetroPals, its users, or the public.
9. International data transfers
Our primary cloud database is hosted in an EU region, so data you opt to sync stays within the EU/EEA. Some processors we use (including some AI model providers) may process data outside the EU/EEA. Where that happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses, and (for AI processing in particular) Zero Data Retention arrangements that mean your content is not retained by the provider after your response is generated.
10. Data security
We apply technical and organisational measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the data involved, including:
- Local-first storage that keeps most data off our servers entirely by default.
- Encryption of BYO AI API keys (AES-256-GCM) using keys managed in a dedicated secrets manager, never exposed to any client device.
- Access-controlled cloud database rules that restrict every synced user's data to that user only.
- Payment processing delegated entirely to PCI-compliant providers (Apple, Google, Stripe, RevenueCat); we never handle raw card details.
No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your information using industry-standard practices proportionate to a personal wellbeing app.
11. Data retention
Data stored only on your device remains there until you delete it or uninstall the app. Synced data is retained for as long as your account is active, or until you delete it via Settings → Manage Data, delete specific entries, or request account deletion by contacting us. We retain limited transaction records for as long as required by applicable tax/accounting law.
12. Your rights under GDPR
If the GDPR applies to you, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erase your data ("right to be forgotten"): you can do this yourself in-app via Settings → Manage Data, or by contacting us.
- Restrict or object to certain processing.
- Data portability: receive your data in a portable format.
- Withdraw consent at any time for anything based on consent (sync, health data, location), without affecting processing carried out before withdrawal.
- Lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at launchdesigner@gmail.com. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.
13. Children's privacy
RetroPals is intended for users aged 16 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example as features change or to reflect legal requirements. We will update the "Last updated" date above when we do. Material changes will be highlighted in-app where practical.
15. Contact us
Questions, requests, or concerns about this policy or your data can be sent to launchdesigner@gmail.com.