Privacy Policy

Overview

Pathline is an Android app that helps you keep a private timeline of places you visit and trips between them. The app is designed to store your location history on your device and does not require you to create an account.

Information Pathline Processes

Pathline may process the following information on your device:

• Location data, including foreground and background location, to build your timeline.
• Physical activity signals to understand movement and reduce unnecessary location recording.
• Device context, such as network and optional phone-state signal information, to improve location context.
• Places, edits, diagnostics, trained models, settings, and backup metadata created while using the app.

How Information Is Used

Pathline uses this information to record and display your timeline, classify trips and visits, improve place matching, run diagnostics you choose to share, and create backups or GPX exports when you enable them. If you turn it on, Pathline can also make your data available on your device to other apps you specifically authorize, as described in Access by Other Apps on Your Device.

Storage and Sharing

Your Pathline timeline is stored locally on your Android device. Pathline does not sell your data, does not operate a Pathline account service, and does not itself transmit your location history off your device. If you enable backup, the app writes backup files to a folder you select, such as local storage or a cloud storage provider available through Android's folder picker. You are responsible for the privacy and security settings of that selected storage provider. Separately, you can choose to let other apps installed on the same device read Pathline data through an on-device interface you control — see Access by Other Apps on Your Device below.

Access by Other Apps on Your Device

Pathline includes an optional, read-only Data API that lets other apps installed on the same device read parts of your Pathline data — your timeline (visits and trips), your saved places, and raw location samples — directly on the device, over Android's standard inter-app interface. This data is not sent to Pathline servers (Pathline has none) and is not transmitted off your device by Pathline; another app reads it locally only when you have authorized that app.

This access is off by default and stays under your control:

• A master “Access to Pathline data” switch in Pathline's settings is off until you turn it on. While it is off, no other app can read your data through this interface.
• Each app must additionally hold the specific Android permissions you approve, scoped to what it may read (for example, timeline only, trip routes, or raw location samples).
• Pathline keeps an on-device access log recording every read — and every blocked attempt — that you can review, and you can revoke any app's access at any time from Pathline's settings or Android's app permission settings.
• This access log stays on your device and is not included in Pathline's backups.

Once you authorize another app to read Pathline data, what that app does with the data it reads is governed by that app's own privacy policy and terms, not this one. Grant access only to apps you trust.

Third-Party Services

Pathline uses Google Maps Platform (Google Maps and Google Places) to display maps and to help identify places. Using these features sends location information to Google, because providing them requires it:

• When a map is shown, the map area you are viewing is sent to Google to fetch map imagery. Because those maps are usually centered on the places and routes in your timeline, this conveys the corresponding location coordinates to Google.
• If you grant precise-location permission and use the on-map location layer or the recenter control, your device's current location is also sent to Google so the map can show or center on it.
• When you search for a place, or when Pathline suggests nearby places as you confirm a visit, the relevant coordinates — a point and a surrounding search area — are sent to Google's Places service so it can find and rank results.

These requests are made to Google to provide the map and place features and are governed by Google's applicable terms and privacy policies. They require network access; if you do not use the map or place features, this information is not sent. Pathline does not send your location to any other third party.

Permissions

Pathline requests Android permissions only to provide app functionality:

• Location permissions are used to record visits and trips, including in the background when enabled.
• Physical activity recognition is used to detect movement and travel state.
• Notifications are used to show a status notification while recording is active.
• Network and Wi-Fi state may be used for location context and map functionality.
• Phone state is optional and may be used to improve cell-signal context; Pathline works if you deny it.
• Boot completed permission is used to re-arm recording after device restart when recording is enabled.
• Pathline also defines its own access permissions that other apps must request, and that you must approve, before they can read Pathline data on your device (see Access by Other Apps on Your Device).

Backups and Exports

Backups and one-time database dumps are created only when you configure or start them. Backup encryption can be disabled or enabled with a password or passkey. GPX exports, when enabled, are open and unencrypted files.

Data Retention and Deletion

Pathline data remains on your device until you delete it, clear app storage, uninstall the app, or remove backup/export files from the storage locations you selected. Android system backups, if available on your device, may also be controlled through your Android and Google account settings.

Children's Privacy

Pathline is not directed to children under 13. The app does not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to This Policy

This policy may be updated as Pathline changes. The effective date above will be updated when material changes are made.

Contact

For privacy questions about Pathline, contact: privacy@extrawdw.net.