Effective date: September 12, 2026
This notice applies to the RockClue iOS app. It does not replace the separate RockClue website and waitlist privacy notice. Some account, Community, Marketplace, notification, and cloud features may be unavailable during testing; when a feature is unavailable, the app does not collect information through that feature.
Our position: we do not sell personal information, use third-party advertising, or track you across other companies’ apps and websites.
Information kept on your device
RockClue can keep identification results, specimen photos, collection records, notes, dates, field observations, trip plans, saved places, searches, and reminders on your device. Identification photos stay on your device unless you deliberately use a sharing, Community, Marketplace, support, or backup action that says it will send them elsewhere.
Exact specimen and personal field-location coordinates are private by default. Public or shared location choices are separate from the saved private coordinate. RockClue removes recognized photo metadata when it prepares supported images for an enabled public upload, but it cannot remove private details visible in the image itself.
If you create a manual encrypted collection backup, the backup can include private notes, exact coordinates, history, and app-managed photos. You choose where to save it through Apple’s Files interface. RockClue does not keep your passphrase and cannot recover it. Your selected Files provider may store or sync the exported copy, and deleting information in RockClue does not delete copies you exported.
Optional account and shared features
If you sign in with Apple or use an enabled cloud feature, RockClue and its service providers may process an account identifier and information Apple supplies with your permission, such as your name, email address, or private relay address. An enabled profile, Community, or classifieds Marketplace can also process content you deliberately submit, such as a display name, listing, post, comment, photo, saved search, report, block choice, message, or non-binding offer.
Community and Marketplace content intended to be public can be visible to other people after any review required by the app. Private messages are not end-to-end encrypted. The Marketplace is classifieds-only: buyers and sellers arrange payment, pickup, and shipping outside RockClue. RockClue does not collect card or bank details, provide checkout or escrow, or process Marketplace payouts.
Cloud publishing and messaging remain unavailable unless the app shows that the corresponding service is enabled. Samples and device-only prototypes are labelled and do not become public submissions.
Location, maps, and field information
RockClue asks for location access only when you use a feature that needs it, such as centering the map, finding nearby content, or recording a private field location. You can browse and search without granting location access. A typed city or region search is sent to Apple Maps; the text you type can itself identify a place.
For supported weather, alerts, geology, land, claims, tides, or nearby-service lookups, RockClue limits the request to the information needed by that provider. Where a coordinate is required, the app generally rounds latitude and longitude to two decimal places—roughly kilometre-scale context—and does not attach your private place name, specimen record, photo, or account identifier. The service can still receive ordinary connection information such as your IP address and request time.
If you choose Directions, RockClue confirms before handing the exact destination coordinate to Apple Maps. Opening an external source, including an official USGS geology page, is user-initiated and subjects the request to that provider’s privacy practices. Map data, geology, access labels, and weather are informational; they do not establish property boundaries, collecting permission, safety, or a guaranteed identification.
RockClue Pro subscriptions
RockClue Pro is purchased through Apple In-App Purchase and subscription access is managed with RevenueCat. Apple and RevenueCat may process purchase history, transaction and entitlement information, an app-specific user identifier, and ordinary service information under their own privacy terms. RockClue does not receive your full payment-card details.
Deleting a RockClue account does not cancel or refund an Apple subscription. You must manage or cancel the subscription in your Apple Account settings.
Service providers and sharing
Depending on the features you use, RockClue relies on:
- Apple for app distribution, Sign in with Apple, In-App Purchase, Apple Maps, Files, and notification delivery.
- Google Firebase for enabled authentication, database, storage, server functions, abuse protection, and notification routing.
- RevenueCat for subscription entitlement and purchase-lifecycle management.
- Public map and field-data providers, including OpenStreetMap/OpenFreeMap-related services and selected government or scientific sources, when you request their map or field information.
Providers may process information in other countries and retain security or service logs under their own policies. We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to protect users, investigate abuse, comply with law, or complete a business transfer, subject to applicable law. We do not share personal information with advertisers for their own marketing.
Retention, deletion, and your choices
Device records remain until you delete them, remove the app, or replace local data through a restore. iCloud or device backups controlled by Apple may retain app data according to your backup settings. Cloud content is kept while needed to provide the feature, maintain safety and integrity, resolve reports, meet legal obligations, or complete account deletion. Public copies already downloaded or shared by other people may not be recoverable.
You can deny or later change Camera, Photos, Location, and Notification permissions in iOS Settings. You can remove individual local records in the app. For an enabled cloud account, use the in-app account-deletion control; if you cannot access it, contact us. Account deletion does not remove manual Files exports, content another person retained offline, or records we must keep for security or legal reasons.
You may ask to access, correct, or delete personal information associated with an enabled account. Depending on where you live, additional rights may apply. We may need to verify the request before acting on it.
Children
RockClue is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child submitted personal information, contact us so we can review and remove it where required.
Changes to this notice
We may update this notice as RockClue’s features and providers change. We will revise the effective date and provide additional notice in the app when a material change requires it.
Contact
For app support, privacy questions, or a privacy-rights request, email hello@rockclue.com with the subject “RockClue privacy request.” Do not send specimen coordinates, passwords, passphrases, or payment details by email.