Privacy Policy for RainVu

Last Updated: November 2, 2025

Thank you for using RainVu. As an open-source project, we believe in full transparency regarding your privacy. This policy explains how information is collected, used, and handled within our application. You are encouraged to inspect our source code to verify these practices for yourself.

Our core principle is to protect your privacy; the app is designed to be a private, on-device tool.

1. Information We Collect

We collect a limited amount of information, which is categorized as follows:

A. Information You Provide Directly

This is the data you create and manage within the app. It is stored only on your device, and we do not have access to it. This can be verified by reviewing the public source code.

  • Rainfall Data: This includes the rainfall amount, date, time, and the specific rain gauge you associate with each entry.
  • Gauge Data: The names of the custom rain gauges you create.
  • App Preferences: Your chosen settings, such as measurement units (mm/in), theme ( light/dark/system), preferred hemisphere, and other in-app configurations.

B. Information Collected Automatically (With Your Consent)

To help us improve RainVu, we use industry-standard services to collect anonymous data about app usage and performance. This data collection is disabled by default and is only enabled if you explicitly opt-in during onboarding or in the app's settings.

  • Usage Analytics (via Google Firebase Analytics): We collect anonymized data about how you interact with the app, such as which features are used most frequently. This helps us understand what is valuable to our users so we can make improvements. We have configured this service to operate without using your device's advertising identifier.
  • Crash and Performance Data (via Google Firebase Crashlytics): If the app crashes, we collect anonymous reports that include information about the device (e.g., model, OS version) and the state of the app at the time of the crash. This is essential for us to diagnose and fix bugs.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To Provide Core Functionality: Your rainfall and gauge data is used to power all the features of the app, such as displaying your logs and generating charts and insights.
  • To Improve the Application: Anonymized usage analytics help us prioritize new features and enhance existing ones.
  • To Maintain and Stabilize the App: Anonymized crash reports are crucial for identifying and fixing bugs, ensuring the app remains reliable.

3. Data Storage, Security, and Sharing

A. Data Storage

Your personal rainfall data, gauge information, and preferences are stored in a local database on your device. We do not transmit this data to our servers, nor do we have access to it.

B. Device Backups

Your device's operating system (iOS or Android) may automatically back up the app's data as part of its standard backup service (e.g., Apple iCloud Backup or Google Backup). This process is controlled by you through your device settings and is governed by the privacy policy of Apple or Google.

C. Third-Party Services

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal data. We share a limited amount of data with the following third-party services only under specific circumstances:

  • Google (Firebase): If you opt-in to share usage data, anonymized analytics and crash reports are sent to Google's Firebase platform. You can find more information in Google's Privacy Policy.
  • Support Communications: If you contact us via email atdev@astraen.dev, your email address and the contents of your message will be processed by Zoho Mail's email services to facilitate our communication. To help us resolve your issue, the app may pre-fill an email draft with non-personal diagnostic information, such as the app version and build number.

D. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies only to the official version of RainVu distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It does not apply to any forks, modified versions, or third-party builds of the application derived from our public source code.

4. Your Rights and Choices

You have full control over your data within RainVu.

  • Opt-In/Opt-Out of Data Sharing: You can enable or disable the collection of anonymous analytics and crash data at any time from the app's Settings screen.
  • Data Portability: You can export a complete copy of your rainfall and gauge data at any time using the "Export Data" feature in the app.
  • Data Deletion: You can delete individual rainfall entries or gauges directly within the app. You can also delete all app data by using the "Reset App" function in Settings or by uninstalling the application from your device. For detailed instructions, please see our Data Deletion Page.

5. Children's Privacy

RainVu is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children.

6. Your Data Protection Rights

ASTRAEN (PTY) LTD is a company based in South Africa, and as such, we operate under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). We believe in providing a high standard of privacy to all our users, regardless of their location. Therefore, we extend the following data protection rights to everyone who uses RainVu:

  • The Right to Access and Rectify: Since all your primary data is stored on your device, you have direct access to view and correct it at any time within the app.
  • The Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You can delete your data at any time. Deleting individual entries, using the "Reset App" function, or uninstalling the application will permanently remove your data from your device.
  • The Right to Data Portability: You can export a complete copy of your data at any time using the app's "Export Data" feature.
  • The Right to Object to Processing: For the limited anonymous data we collect (with your consent), you can object to this processing at any time by opting out via the app's Settings screen.

For any questions about these rights or our privacy practices, you can contact our designated Information Officer.

Information Officer:

If you have a privacy concern that you feel has not been resolved satisfactorily, you have the right to contact the relevant supervisory authority. As our company is based in South Africa, our lead authority is the Information Regulator.

The Information Regulator (South Africa):

7. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact us at dev@astraen.dev.

You can also view the source code or raise an issue on our public repository: https://github.com/astraen-dev/RainVu