Privacy and App Quality
We think that respecting the users privacy is a fundamental aspect of making a high quality app. This document describes the approach we take with our own apps that we distribute under the nxtbgthng name. Apps for clients have their own privacy policies.
No tracking
Apple provides some simple and anonymized statistics for App developers, and it’s opt-in for the user. We think that’s enough data. Our apps do not have any additional tracking.
Where it makes sense, we use Apples iCloud infrastructure. This way, data can be synced between a users devices without us having any access to it. Here’s how that data is secured by Apple.
If you’re using a beta version of our apps, your usage might not be anonymous, and some parts of this privacy policy might not apply. This is by design – we need to be able to get to the bottom of bugs as they occur. This only applies to betas, and we keep that to a minimum.
No invasive third party frameworks
Our apps do not use invasive third party frameworks that are known to collect the user data beyond the clearly communicated use-case. We will not use any third-party-frameworks that leave any doubt about what they are really doing.
Additionally we minimize third party dependencies by not using cross-platform toolkits and using built-in functionality wherever possible. We avoid large frameworks that we use only a fraction of – this keeps code we don’t know to a minimum.
Transparent communication
When a feature of our apps needs to collect personally identifiable data, we’ll show it to the user. For example, our apps collect feedback via mail, so the users see what they send. If diagnostic information is being sent, it is a clearly visible attachment to that mail, that the user can inspect and decide not to send.
Reasonable usage of data where needed
Some features, like displaying the local weather, can’t work without providing a location. For this we only collect the approximate location, update it as little as possible, and, if possible, use services that provide their services without tracking the user, like Apple Weather.
Sustainable business model
Making good apps costs a lot of time and money. And maintaining apps means working with constant change – an app is never “done”.
We think the fairest approach to provide good apps is to charge with a subscription model. Our users expect long-term dependable apps from us, and we can only make them if our business model supports that.
This document is a work in progress, and will evolve as our apps evolve.