Lodeline Privacy Policy

Plain summary. Map and terrain data come from the public USGS service with no account or key. Your waypoints, notes, photos, dig logs and trips are stored only on your device. The optional AI features (Lodeline Pro) send a small, structured terrain description to our server and Google's Gemini API to generate the reply. We keep no request content, no accounts, and no personal identifiers.

What stays on your device

Waypoints, coordinates you save, photos you attach, notes, dig logs, trips, settings, and any offline map packs are stored locally. We do not upload them.

Map & terrain data

Terrain visualizations and the Paystreak score use the public USGS 3DEP service. Requesting a tile sends the map location to USGS, like any map app. No account, key, or identifier is attached.

AI features (Lodeline Pro, optional)

If you are a Pro user and you tap an AI feature, Lodeline sends a structured terrain context to our server (Google Cloud Run) and on to Google's Gemini API to produce the text you see:

• The location, with coordinates rounded to ~1 metre (5 decimal places).
• The active terrain layer and the Paystreak score and its factor breakdown.
• For the Trip Planner: the spots you selected and the distances between them (computed on your device).

Photos are never sent by the AI features. There is no field for a free-form message — only these typed fields are accepted.

What we retain

• An anonymous install identifier — a random value created on first launch, used only to apply fair-use limits. It is not your name, email, device id, or advertising id, and it resets if you reinstall.
• Usage counters (how many AI requests an install made today) to enforce limits.
• Transient operational logs (status code, latency, token count) — never the request content, coordinates, or generated text.

These records carry no personal information and auto-expire. We do not sell data, and we do not use it for advertising.

Google as a processor

The AI request is processed by Google's Gemini API to generate a reply, under Google's terms. We send only the structured terrain context above.

Permissions

Lodeline asks for location and photo access only to do what you ask — read a photo's location, show the terrain there, or attach a photo to a waypoint. Granting them is optional and the app degrades gracefully if you decline.

Children

Lodeline is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect their data.

Changes

If this policy changes materially, we will update this page and the "last updated" date.

Contact

Questions: admin@lodeline.app.