Pawhub Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 29 July 2026

1. Introduction

Pawhub ("we", "us", "our") provides a social platform to help pet owners connect, chat, share activities, and discover nearby pet-friendly places. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and protect it, and the choices you have. By using Pawhub, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account and Profile

We collect information you provide when creating an account or editing your profile, such as your display name, email address, profile photo, bio, and details about your pets (e.g., name, age, breed, images). Authentication may use Firebase Auth, Google Sign-In, or Apple Sign-In.

When you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive only your name, email address, and profile photo (if available). We do not access your Google contacts, Google Drive, Apple iCloud, or any other data from these services beyond basic profile information.

2.2 Usage and Communications

We process app interactions (likes, matches, chats, activities), notifications, and limited analytics (e.g., app opened) to maintain and improve the service.

2.3 Location

With your permission, we collect device location via the operating system to show your position on the map, find nearby pets and places, and improve discovery features. You can disable location access in your device Settings at any time.

2.4 Device and Log Data

We may receive basic device and app diagnostics for reliability and security purposes. Error reporting is minimised and may include anonymous logs.

3. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

4. Sharing and Visibility

Your profile and pet content may be visible to other users according to app features and your settings. The "Show friends activities" feature is mutual — if you disable it, you will not see others’ activities, and others will not see yours.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

5. Data Processing and Third-Party Services

We use trusted third-party services to operate the app, including:

These providers process data on our behalf under their respective terms of service and security standards. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

5.1 AI Features (“Pawhub AI”)

Two optional features in Pawhub use an artificial-intelligence model to generate a result. Both are powered by the Google Gemini API, which acts as our service provider. You only send data to these features when you choose to use them — nothing is sent in the background, and you can use the rest of Pawhub without them.

Food safety check (Pet Nutrition & Care). When you ask whether a food is safe for your pet, we send the AI:

We do not store the photo. It is transmitted for the single purpose of answering that one question and is not written to our servers or kept in your pet’s gallery. We do keep a record of the check itself — the food that was identified, the result, the explanation shown to you, your pet’s species and name, and the time — so that you can see your recent checks. You can delete these with your account.

Day-out planner (Travel). When you generate a plan, we send the AI your pet’s species, the general area or town you are planning for, a short weather summary, the number of stops you asked for, any free-text preferences you typed, and a list of candidate places retrieved from Google Places. We send the name of the area, not your precise coordinates, to the AI. Your coordinates are used separately by Google Places and by our weather provider to find nearby places and the local forecast.

What we never send. We do not send your email address, phone number, date of birth, password, payment details, private messages, or your precise location to the AI provider.

Accuracy. AI output can be wrong or incomplete. The food-safety result is general guidance and is not veterinary advice. If your pet may have eaten something harmful, or you are unsure, contact a vet immediately. Day-out plans are suggestions; always check a venue’s own pet policy and opening hours before travelling.

Provider terms. Google processes this content on our behalf under the Google APIs Terms of Service and the Gemini API terms, which state that content submitted through the paid Gemini API is not used to train Google’s models. We do not sell this content, and we do not use it for advertising.

6. User Content

You may upload photos, descriptions, and chat messages about you and your pets. These are stored securely in Firebase services (Firestore/Storage) and shared with other users according to the features you use (for example, public pet cards, matches, and chats). Please avoid sharing sensitive personal information in free-text fields or images.

7. Adoption Data (retired feature)

Pawhub withdrew its adoption and rehoming features on 29 July 2026. Current versions of the app no longer allow you to list a pet for adoption or apply to adopt one. This section is kept because older app versions may still show these features until they are updated, and because a small amount of data from earlier use still exists.

Where adoption features were used, we collected:

Adoption application details were only ever visible to the pet owner who created the listing. We have never shared adoption data with third parties for marketing purposes.

Residual adoption data is retained for a reasonable period for safety and dispute resolution. When you delete your account, all adoption data associated with it is deleted in accordance with our data retention policy (see Section 13).

8. Analytics and Diagnostics

We use Firebase Analytics (where available) to understand feature usage and app performance. Analytics may collect event data, device identifiers, coarse location, and app interactions. You can disable analytics in your OS settings where supported. Analytics is optional, and the app continues to function without it.

9. Push Notifications

If you enable notifications, we generate a push token (via Expo/OS services) and store it with your account to send alerts about messages, matches, reminders, and safety updates. You can disable notifications in the app or your device settings. Revoking permission stops new notifications, though previously received notifications may remain on your device.

10. Location and Maps

When enabled, precise or approximate location (depending on your device permissions) is used to centre maps and show nearby pets and places. We do not continuously track your location in the background. You can disable location permissions at any time in system settings; some features may be limited when location is off.

Map visibility and location offset. Pawhub never shows a pet's exact location to other users. Every pet's map marker is shifted at least 300 m away from the real position — normally between 300 m and 500 m. The offset is deterministic per pet, so the shifted position stays consistent rather than drifting between sessions. Your own pets always appear at their true location on your own map. A small number of pets created before 29 July 2026 use a larger offset (up to 5 km) that their owner chose at the time; we keep that larger offset in place.

New pets are shown on the map by default. You can turn map visibility off for any pet at any time from that pet's Edit screen; while it is off, the pet does not appear on other users' maps at all. Turning device location off in your system settings stops location being collected altogether.

11. Children’s Safety

Pawhub is intended for adults aged 18 and over, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us at support@pawhub.info.

Parents and guardians should supervise children around unfamiliar pets and people.

12. Safety and Reporting

Use in-app tools to block users and manage visibility. For safety concerns or policy violations, use the report options available on user cards. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, contact local authorities.

13. Data Retention

We retain personal data for as long as necessary to provide the service and for legitimate business needs, including security, fraud prevention, and legal compliance. When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

You may request deletion of your account at any time (see Section 17: Account Deletion). Some information may be retained as required by law or to prevent fraud.

14. Your Choices

Account: You can access, update, or delete your information in Settings.

Notifications: Enable or disable in Settings or your OS preferences.

Location: Turn on or off precise location in OS settings and in-app.

Visibility: Control activity visibility and who can interact with you.

Advertising: Opt out of personalised ads in your device settings.

15. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you suspect unauthorised access to your account, please contact us immediately.

16. International Transfers

Your information may be processed in countries different from your own. We rely on appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses, where applicable) when transferring data internationally, consistent with applicable data protection law.

17. Cookies and Tracking

We use analytics and basic diagnostic tools to improve reliability and performance. Ad-related SDKs may use identifiers for advertising where permitted. You can adjust ad and analytics settings in your device OS where available.

On this website (pawhub.info), we use Google Analytics (provided through Firebase) with cookies to measure how many people visit and which pages they view, so we can improve the site. These analytics cookies load only if you choose “Accept” in the cookie banner shown on your first visit; if you choose “Decline”, no analytics cookies are set. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your browser’s site data for pawhub.info. This website does not use advertising cookies.

18. Advertising and AdMob

We use Google AdMob to display advertisements. AdMob and related Google services may collect device identifiers (such as the advertising ID), IP-based coarse location, app usage and diagnostics, ad impressions, and interactions to deliver and measure ads, prevent fraud, and enforce frequency caps. Where personalised ads are enabled and permitted by law, Google may use approximate demographics or interest segments.

Controls

You can opt out of personalised ads in your device settings (e.g., "Opt out of Ads Personalisation" or "Limit Ad Tracking") and reset your device advertising ID at any time. Non-personalised ads may still appear. For EEA/UK users, we request consent for personalised ads and store your choice; you can change or withdraw consent in-app where provided.

Children and Sensitive Categories

The app is not directed to children. Where required, AdMob settings (such as child-directed flags or max ad content rating) are applied to reduce sensitive ad content.

Data Sharing

Google may act as an independent controller for certain ad-related data. See Google’s AdMob/Ads privacy information for details on how data is used and retained. We do not sell your personal information.

19. Payments, Pawcoins, and Subscriptions

We manage in-app purchases (including Pawcoin balance, boosts, rewinds, premium plans, and map/who-likes-me add-ons) via app store billing. Purchase records, balances, and rewards are stored in your account in Firebase. We do not store full payment card details; payments are processed by the platform provider (e.g., Apple App Store, Google Play) under their own terms and conditions.

20. Account Deletion

If you wish to delete your account and all associated data, you can do so directly within the Pawhub mobile app under Settings > Remove Account.

Alternatively, you can request account deletion by emailing us at support@pawhub.info. Please include your registered email address. We will verify your identity and permanently delete your account and personal data within 30 days of verification. Residual copies in encrypted backups are purged within 90 days. Once deletion is complete, this action cannot be reversed.

21. Data Breach Notice

If we become aware of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected users and/or relevant supervisory authorities without undue delay, as required by applicable law.

22. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated in-app or by other appropriate means. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of Pawhub after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

23. Your Rights

Subject to your local laws, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or export your data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. We will respond to verified data access or deletion requests within 30 days. You can make many changes directly in Settings; for other requests, contact us at support@pawhub.info.

For California Residents (CCPA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), you have the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used, to request deletion of your personal information, and to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell your personal information. To exercise your rights, contact us at support@pawhub.info.

For EEA/UK Residents (GDPR)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, data portability, and to object to processing of your personal data. Our legal bases for processing include:

You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing. To exercise your rights or lodge a complaint, contact us at support@pawhub.info or your local data protection authority.

24. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at:

support@pawhub.info

© 2026 Pawhub. All rights reserved.