Privacy Policy
Last updated: 25 September 2026
Grid North is developed and published independently ("we", "us"). This policy explains what Grid North does with your information. The short version: Grid North keeps your data on your device. We do not have a server, we do not have your data, and we do not track you.
1. We do not collect your data
Grid North has no user accounts, no login, and no backend server operated by us. We do not receive, store, or have access to your location, your waypoints, your routes, your recorded tracks, or any other information you create in the app.
2. Location
Grid North uses your device's GPS to show your position and to power navigation and track recording.
- Your location is used only on your device. It is never sent to us or to any third party.
- The app asks for "When In Use" location access when you first open it.
- The app asks for "Always / background" location access only when you start recording a track, so the recording can continue while your phone is locked or in a pocket. While a recording is active, iOS shows the blue location indicator in the status bar. Background location stops as soon as you stop the recording.
- You can change or revoke location access at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.
3. Data stored on your device
Waypoints, overlays, planned routes, recorded tracks, and your app settings are saved in a private database inside the app on your device. This data:
- stays on your device (and is included in your encrypted device backups if you use iCloud Backup or a computer backup — that backup is controlled by Apple and your settings, not by us);
- is removed when you delete individual items in the app, or entirely when you delete the app.
4. Network connections
Grid North's core navigation (your position, coordinates, compass, waypoints, routes, and track recording) works fully offline. The app makes network requests only in these cases:
- Map imagery. The map screen uses Apple Maps. When you view the map, your device requests map tiles from Apple's map servers, governed by Apple's Privacy Policy. As with any map app, the tile server can see your device's IP address and which map tiles you request, which indicates the general area you are viewing. We do not receive any of this.
- App Store. Downloading, updating, and any purchases (there are none in Grid North) are handled by Apple, subject to Apple's policies.
We do not use any analytics, advertising, crash-reporting, or attribution SDKs.
5. Speech recognition
The optional hands-free waypoint feature ("mark waypoint, call it OP3") uses Apple's Speech framework configured for on-device recognition only. Audio and transcripts are processed on your device and are not sent to Apple's servers or to us. The app requests microphone and speech-recognition access only when you use this feature.
6. Camera (AR Navigate)
The optional AR Navigate mode overlays your waypoints on your camera view. The camera feed is processed on your device only, is never recorded or saved, and is never sent to us or anyone else. The app requests camera access only when you open AR Navigate.
7. Trip mode: barometer, notifications and battery
During a trip, Grid North can read your phone's barometer (via Apple's Motion framework) to warn you when air pressure is falling fast. Pressure readings are kept in memory on your device only while the trip runs, and are never saved or uploaded. It also reads your battery level to estimate how long it will last. If you set an "I'll be back by" time, the app schedules a local notification on your device for that time; it is created and delivered by iOS on your phone, and nothing is sent to us or to anyone else.
8. Apple Watch
If you use the Grid North Apple Watch app, your iPhone sends your current position and active destination to your paired watch, and the watch can send a "mark waypoint" command back. This exchange happens directly between your own two devices via Apple's WatchConnectivity. The watch app keeps only the most recent position snapshot on the watch itself, so the watch face complication can display it; it is never uploaded, and the watch app makes no network requests of its own.
9. Sharing
Grid North never uploads or sends your data on its own. It has two optional Share buttons — sharing a picture of a finished trip, and sharing your last known position from the overdue screen. Each opens the standard iOS share sheet only when you tap it, and what you share, and with whom, is entirely your choice. Nothing is shared automatically, and the app cannot message anyone for you.
10. Children
Grid North is a general-audience navigation tool and is not directed to children under 13. It does not knowingly collect information from children.
11. Security
Because your data stays on your device, its security is provided by iOS device encryption and your device passcode / Face ID / Touch ID. Keep your device software up to date.
12. Your rights
We do not hold any personal data about you, so there is nothing for us to provide, correct, or delete on request — you already have full control of your data within the app and on your device. If you are in a region with data-protection laws (e.g. GDPR, CCPA), the same applies: we are not a data controller or processor of your personal information.
13. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, note it in the app's release notes. Continued use of the app after a change means you accept the updated policy.
14. Contact
Questions about this policy or your privacy in Grid North: