Privacy Policy
Effective: March 2026 · TraxLabs LLC
Short version: RiverTrax does not collect, store, or share your personal information. It displays public government data. Your favorites and alerts stay on your device.
What RiverTrax Does
RiverTrax is an iOS app that displays real-time river gauge data from public APIs operated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Weather Service (NWS/NOAA). No account is required.
Data We Do Not Collect
We do not collect, transmit, or store:
- Your name, email address, or any account information
- Your location history or GPS coordinates
- Personal identifiers of any kind
- Your favorites, alerts, or River Journal entries — these live only on your device
Location Services
RiverTrax may request permission to access your device's location. If granted, your location is used only on your device to show nearby USGS gauges on a map. Your coordinates are never sent to TraxLabs or any third party.
Location permission is entirely optional. You can use every feature of the app — search, favorites, alerts, charts — without granting location access.
Notifications and Alerts
RiverTrax may request permission to send push notifications. Notifications are sent only when a river gauge you've configured reaches a threshold you set. Alert configurations are stored on your device.
We do not use your notification activity for advertising or tracking.
Anonymous Usage Analytics
RiverTrax uses Aptabase, a privacy-first analytics service, to understand how the app is used in aggregate. Aptabase collects:
- Anonymous event names (e.g., "app opened," "alert created")
- App version and iOS version
- Country (derived from IP address at the time of the event — the IP address itself is not stored)
Aptabase does not collect device identifiers, personal data, or precise location. No data is linked to you as an individual. You can review Aptabase's privacy practices at aptabase.com/legal/privacy.
Third-Party Data Sources
River gauge data is fetched from public APIs operated by:
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) — waterservices.usgs.gov
- National Weather Service / NOAA — water.weather.gov
These requests contain no personal information. The app sends only station identifiers (public gauge IDs) to retrieve public data.
Data Stored on Your Device
The following is stored locally on your iPhone and is never transmitted to TraxLabs:
- Your favorite stations list
- Alert configurations (thresholds, enabled/disabled state)
- River Journal notes and entries
- App preferences and settings
Deleting the app removes all locally stored data.
Children's Privacy
RiverTrax does not knowingly collect information from children under 13. The app is rated 4+ and contains no content directed at children.
Changes to This Policy
If this policy changes materially, we will update the effective date above. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact
Questions about this privacy policy?
TraxLabs LLC