Effective Date: May 11, 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how your information is collected, used, and protected when you use the “I heard a kiwi” mobile application (the “App”) on iOS and Android.
By using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
1. Information We Collect
To provide the core functionality of the App as a manual registry for kiwi encounters, we collect the following types of information:
- Authentication Data: You can use the App anonymously or choose to create an account by signing in with your Google or Apple account. If you sign in, we receive basic profile information (such as your email address or name) provided by those services strictly for the purpose of maintaining your account.
- Location Information: The App requests permission to access your device’s location data. This is used exclusively to append precise geographic coordinates to your manual logs when you record hearing a kiwi. You can enable or disable location services for the App at any time through your device settings.
- User-Provided Data: We collect the information you manually enter into the App, including the number of kiwi calls heard, timestamps, and any additional notes you choose to log regarding the encounter.
- Diagnostic and Crash Data: We collect anonymized crash reports and performance data to help us identify bugs and improve the App’s stability.
2. Third-Party Services
The App utilizes third-party services that may collect information used to identify you, store your data, or report errors. We use the following services provided by Google (Firebase):
- Cloud Firestore: Used as our primary database to securely store your kiwi records and authentication status.
- Firebase Crashlytics: Used to track, prioritize, and fix stability issues that erode app quality.
For more information on how Firebase handles data, please refer to the Google Privacy Policy.
3. How We Use Your Information
The information collected is used for the following purposes:
- To operate, maintain, and authenticate you within the manual registry.
- To accurately map and timestamp your recorded kiwi encounters.
- To diagnose technical issues and improve the overall user experience and application stability.
4. Data Storage and Security
Your data is securely transmitted and stored using Firebase’s infrastructure (Cloud Firestore). We value your trust in providing your information and are committed to using commercially acceptable means to protect it. However, please remember that no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure.
5. Account Deletion and Data Retention
You have the right to delete your account at any time directly within the App.
Important note regarding data retention: When you choose to delete your account, your personal authentication data (your link to Google or Apple) is immediately deleted and permanently unlinked from your records. However, the kiwi records you submitted (location, timestamp, number of calls) will be retained in the database as permanently anonymized data. This ensures the integrity of the kiwi registry is maintained without retaining any of your Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
6. Disclosure of Data
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may only disclose your data in the following situations:
- To comply with a legal obligation: If required by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities.
- To protect and defend our rights: To prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the App.
7. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your region, including under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. You can manage your data and exercise your right to deletion directly through the App’s account settings.
8. Children’s Privacy
This App does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we will immediately delete this from our servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our 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 “Effective Date” at the top. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, suggestions, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us at:
Website & Support: https://ihearda.kiwi/contact
Email: developer@vagrant.nz