PRIVACY POLICY

We respect your privacy

WINGMATE BIRD INTERACTIVE PTY LTD respects your right to privacy and is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our customers and software application users. This policy covers both the Wingmate mobile application and our website, wingmate.org. We adhere to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) established by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and, for our New Zealand users, the Information Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act 2020 (NZ). If you use the Service from the United States, the section "For United States Users" below also applies to you.

Types of Information We Collect

• Identity Data: Name, username, profile picture.
• Contact Data: Email address.
• User Content: Photos, audio recordings, field notes, and bird sightings.
• Location Data: Precise GPS coordinates associated with bird sightings.
• Subscription Data: Premium subscription status, subscription tier (Silver, Gold, Plus), transaction IDs, purchase dates, renewal dates, expiry dates, auto-renewal status, trial information, price and currency, purchase verification tokens, and renewal history from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Purchase records are retained for 7 years for legal compliance.
• Preferences: App configuration, display themes, and notification settings.
• Technical & Analytics Data: IP address, device ID, screen views, button clicks, crash logs, and subscription events.
• Advertising & Attribution Data (Website): When you arrive at wingmate.org from an ad or shared link, we collect campaign identifiers (such as utm parameters and ad click IDs) so we can measure which campaigns work. Outbound links to the App Store and Google Play carry these identifiers so app installs can be attributed to a campaign.
• Approximate Location (Website): Country-level location derived from your IP address when you visit wingmate.org, used to show the correct regional app store and content. This is not GPS tracking.
• Offline Package Data: Download history of offline map/species packages.

Public Visibility and Friend Interactions

Wingmate is designed as a social platform. Please be aware of how your data is shared:

• Public Website Display: Your sightings, photos, and lists may be displayed on wingmate.org. By default, these are attributed to your Name and Profile Picture.
• Leaderboards: Your First Name, Profile Picture, and Sighting Counts (Day/Month) may appear on public leaderboards.
• Shared Lists: If you share a list with a friend, they can see all photos and details within that list.

Privacy Controls (Opt-Out)

You can toggle your profile to "Private" in settings. If you do this:

• Your records and photos may still be publicly visible (to support the community database).
• Your content will be displayed as "Anonymous" instead of your Name.
• Attribution for your images will be hidden.
• Note: Accepted Friends will still be able to see your identity and locations. You must unfriend users to revoke their access.

Analytics and Performance Monitoring (In the App)

We use third-party analytics services, including Google Firebase Analytics and Mixpanel, to understand how you use the Application.

• What we track: Screen views, button clicks, time spent on features, search queries, app crashes, subscription events, the approximate area of map interactions, and a pseudonymous user identifier. We do not use your name or email address in analytics.
• Purpose: This data allows us to identify bugs, improve app performance, and understand which features are most popular.
• Opt-Out: Crash and stability diagnostics are essential to keep the Service working and are always collected. If you object to usage analytics, contact us at contact@wingmate.au and we will assist. You can also limit ad-related tracking in your device settings (iOS: Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking; Android: Settings → Google → Ads).

Website Analytics, Cookies and Advertising

Our website, wingmate.org, uses the following tools:

• Google Analytics: Measures how the site is used (pages visited, clicks on download buttons) so we can improve it.
• Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Pixel: Measures the results of our advertising on Meta platforms and helps us build advertising audiences, including re-showing ads to people who visited our site and reaching similar audiences. It sets a cookie and shares information such as the pages you visit, clicks on app store buttons, your IP address and browser information with Meta Platforms, Inc.
• Vercel Analytics: Cookieless, aggregated visit and performance statistics.

Cookies We Set Ourselves

We set a cookie that remembers whether you are browsing from Australia or New Zealand, for about a day, so we can show you the correct app store and content. If you arrive from an ad, we also keep campaign identifiers in your browser for that session (deleted when you close the tab) so app store links can be attributed to the right campaign.

Your Choices

• You can block or delete cookies at any time in your browser settings.
• Manage how Meta uses your data for ads at facebook.com/adpreferences.
• Opt out of Google Analytics with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

We do not show third-party advertising on our website. These tools exist to measure and improve our own service and marketing only.

Where Your Data Is Processed

Wingmate operates from Australia. Our service providers, including Google (Firebase and Google Analytics), Mixpanel, Vercel and Meta, process data on servers located in the United States and other regions. We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers handle your information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles (APP 8) and, for New Zealand users, IPP 12 of the Privacy Act 2020 (NZ).

Offline Data Packages

Premium users may download large offline data packages (maps, images, audio). These files are stored locally on your device. We track download history to manage bandwidth and license restrictions. Records created while offline will automatically sync to our servers (and become visible to friends) once you reconnect to the internet.

Subscriptions and Payments

Payment Processing

Wingmate Plus subscriptions are processed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, depending on your device. We do not directly collect, store, or have access to your credit card, debit card, or other payment information. All payment data is handled by Apple or Google in accordance with their respective privacy policies and security standards.

Subscription Data Collection

When you subscribe to Wingmate Plus, we collect and store the following information to manage your subscription, verify your status with Apple/Google, prevent fraudulent transactions, and comply with app store requirements:

• Transaction Identifiers: Unique transaction IDs from Apple App Store or Google Play Store, including original transaction IDs for tracking renewals.
• Purchase Verification Data: Store verification tokens (purchaseToken for Android, receiptData for iOS), verification status and timestamps, environment (production/sandbox), and acknowledgment state.
• Subscription Status: Whether you have an active premium subscription, your subscription tier (Silver, Gold, or Plus), and current auto-renewal status.
• Purchase Records: Subscription purchase dates, renewal dates, expiry dates, price and currency information, and complete purchase history for your account.
• Trial Information: Whether you are currently in a trial period, trial duration, trial end date, and when trial converted to paid (if applicable).
• Renewal History: Complete tracking of all renewal events and payment state changes throughout your subscription lifecycle.
• Account Association: The link between your subscription and your Wingmate user account (Firebase User ID).
• Technical Data: Payment platform (iOS or Android), app version and build number at time of purchase.
• Premium Feature Usage: Your use of premium features, including photo storage usage (free: 200 photos, Plus: 10,000 photos), GPS location data, offline data downloads, and timeline access.

Important: We do NOT collect or store your credit card information, payment card numbers, or banking details. All payment processing is handled directly by Apple or Google.

Data Retention: Purchase records and transaction history are retained for 7 years for accounting, tax compliance, legal requirements, and fraud prevention purposes, even after subscription cancellation or account deletion.

Third-Party Integration

We may use Buy Me a Coffee for certain subscription services and supporter programs. If you subscribe through Buy Me a Coffee, we collect your email address for the purpose of linking your subscription to your Wingmate account. This requires manual email verification to ensure account security. Buy Me a Coffee may collect additional information according to their own privacy policy.

Subscription Analytics

We track subscription-related events for analytics and app improvement purposes, including subscription purchases, renewals, cancellations, restoration attempts, and premium feature usage. This data helps us understand which features provide the most value to our community and improve the subscription experience.

Auto-Renewal and Cancellation

Wingmate Plus subscriptions automatically renew on an annual basis unless you cancel before the renewal date. You can cancel your subscription at any time through:

• Apple Users: Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions → Wingmate
• Android Users: Google Play Store → Account → Subscriptions → Wingmate

Upon cancellation, you will retain access to premium features until the end of your current billing period. After your subscription expires, your account will automatically revert to the free tier with its associated limitations.

Data Retention After Subscription Ends

If your subscription expires or is cancelled, we retain your subscription history (purchase dates, transaction records) for accounting, tax compliance, and fraud prevention purposes. Your premium content (photos, locations, sightings) created during your subscription period will be retained according to our standard Data Retention policy (see above). However, if the number of photos you've uploaded exceeds the free tier limit (200 photos), you will not be able to upload additional photos until you either delete existing photos or resubscribe to Wingmate Plus.

Subscription Support

If you experience any problems with your subscription, please contact us:

Email: contact@wingmate.au

Response Time: We aim to respond to all subscription inquiries within 48 hours.

Email Communications

• Transactional Emails: We may send you essential notifications (password resets, security alerts, Terms updates). You cannot opt out of these.
• Marketing Emails: We may send updates about new features or offers. You may unsubscribe from these at any time via the link in the email or your account settings.

Device Permissions

To provide full functionality, our Service requests access to:

• Location: Required to log sighting coordinates. We do not track your location in the background when the app is closed.
• Camera/Storage: Required to capture and upload bird photos.
• Microphone: Required for audio recording features.

Data Access and Portability

Access: You may request details of personal information that we hold about you.
Export: You may export your sighting data (CSV/Spreadsheet format) at any time. Your Life List belongs to you.

Data Retention

Active Accounts: We retain your personal data while your account is active.
Deleted Accounts: If you delete your account, your personal identifiers (Name, Email, Profile Pic) are permanently removed from our systems. However, your bird sighting data (species, location, date) will be retained indefinitely in an anonymized format for scientific research and historical consistency. Usage analytics held by our analytics providers is keyed to a pseudonymous identifier, not your name or email; if you would like us to request deletion of those records as well, contact us at contact@wingmate.au.

For United States Users

If you use the Service from the United States, you may have rights under your state's privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act. Where those laws apply to us:

• No sale of personal information: We do not sell your personal information.
• Advertising: We share limited identifiers (cookies, device information, pages visited) with our advertising partner Meta for ad measurement and advertising, as described in the website analytics section above. You can opt out using the cookie and ad-preference controls above, or by emailing us.
• Your requests: You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information, or opt out of targeted advertising, by emailing contact@wingmate.au.

Artificial Intelligence and Image Rights

By uploading images to our Service, you grant Wingmate a license to use them for AI training, platform display, and marketing directly related to the Service. We will NOT sell your images to third-party stock agencies.

Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us at contact@wingmate.au. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verified parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

If you are between 13 and 18 years old (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction), you should review these Terms with your parent or legal guardian to ensure you both understand your privacy rights.

Questions and Complaints

For questions or complaints about this policy or how we handle your information, contact us at contact@wingmate.au. We aim to respond within 48 hours. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or, in New Zealand, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.