Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 14, 2026 · Last Updated: July 21, 2026

This Privacy Policy (the "Policy") describes how PackBuddy ("PackBuddy", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, discloses, retains, and otherwise processes personal information in connection with the PackBuddy mobile application (the "App") and the packbuddy.io website (the "Site", and together with the App, the "Service"). By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy and agree to the processing of personal information as described herein.

PackBuddy is operated by an independent developer in the United States. PackBuddy is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or licensed by Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., or any of their respective affiliates or licensees.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

In connection with the creation of an account on the Service, we collect (i) your email address, used for authentication and account-recovery purposes, and (ii) a password, which is retained solely in cryptographically hashed form. The Service does not, at this time, support federated sign-in via third-party identity providers.

1.2 Collection and Usage Data

In connection with your use of the Service, we collect and retain information you create within the App relating to your trading- card collection, including without limitation catalog identifiers of cards recorded, variant designations, quantity, date and time of records, and contemporaneous market-value snapshots.

Frames used for ordinary card recognition are processed locally on your device and are not uploaded. Structured catalog metadata resulting from a scan may be transmitted to our backend systems.

1.3 Studio Media

If you deliberately record or upload content through PackBuddy Studio, we collect the resulting video, narration or other audio, Studio edit instructions, and images you deliberately select as Studio assets. This content is linked to your account and uploaded to our cloud storage so the Service can save, edit, render, and export your project. Studio recording is optional and separate from ordinary card scanning.

A Studio original may first be stored under a temporary, random video identifier while the upload is finalized. After authenticated validation, the Service promotes that object into your account-linked Studio library. Abandoned or late temporary uploads are not made active and are removed under the staging schedule described in Section 7.

1.4 Subscription Information

Where you elect to purchase a subscription to the Service, payment is processed by the operator of the platform application store from which the App was obtained. We receive information about your subscription status (including, without limitation, whether such subscription is active, in introductory trial, or has been canceled, expired, or refunded) from the platform application store or its designated subscription-management service provider. We do not receive, store, or otherwise have access to your payment-card details, billing address, or platform-account credentials.

1.5 Diagnostic and Operational Information

To operate and improve card scanning, we collect account-linked operational records about scan attempts. These records can include the catalog card involved, whether a scan matched, confidence and quality scores, processing timings, diagnostic counters, App version, and detector version. They do not include ordinary camera frames or recognized text. We use these records for App functionality, reliability analysis, abuse prevention, and defect investigation. Our App Store privacy disclosures classify this product-interaction, performance, and diagnostic information as linked to your account.

Where the App or our backend systems encounter an exception, fault, or unexpected operating condition, we may also send crash and error information to a third-party diagnostic service. Such information may include device model, operating system version, App version, the software path leading to the exception, and a limited log of recent in-App actions. Before transmission, PackBuddy applies redaction designed to remove email addresses, user identifiers, authentication credentials, and text recognized from imagery. Crash reports are not used to track you or for advertising.

1.6 Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect, store, process, or transmit:

• Camera frames or recognized text from ordinary card scanning, except content you deliberately record or upload through Studio;
• Physical mailing addresses, telephone numbers, or government-issued identifiers;
• Geolocation data (the Service does not request location permissions);
• Information stored in your device contacts, calendar, or other system-level data stores that you do not deliberately provide; or
• Behavioral advertising identifiers, cross-site tracking pixels, or similar tracking technologies.

2. Purposes of Processing

We process the information described above for the following purposes:

• Authenticating users of the Service;
• Operating and displaying your collection and portfolio within the App;
• Storing, editing, rendering, and exporting Studio projects you create;
• Periodically refreshing market-value information and updating portfolio metrics;
• Verifying the status of subscriptions;
• Detecting, investigating, and remediating defects and security incidents;
• Providing transactional communications relating to your account; and
• Complying with applicable legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations.

3. Disclosure of Information to Third Parties

PackBuddy does not sell, rent, or otherwise commercially distribute personal information. We disclose information only to service providers retained to process such information solely on our behalf and subject to confidentiality and data-protection obligations consistent with this Policy. Such service providers may include, without limitation, providers of:

• Identity, authentication, and database services;
• Content-delivery, object storage, media processing, networking, and backend hosting infrastructure;
• Subscription-management services associated with the platform application store;
• Diagnostic, observability, and security-monitoring services;
• Transactional electronic-mail delivery services; and
• Such additional categories of service providers as may from time to time be reasonably necessary to operate the Service.

We may additionally disclose information where required by applicable law, valid legal process, or governmental request, or where we determine, in our reasonable discretion, that disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of PackBuddy, its users, or the public, or to investigate suspected misuse of the Service.

4. On-Device Processing

Card recognition, image processing, and related computer-vision operations performed in connection with the Service are executed locally on the user's device. Frames used for ordinary scanning are not uploaded. This does not apply when you deliberately use Studio: Studio video, audio, edit instructions, and selected image assets are uploaded and processed as described in Section 1.3.

5. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under thirteen (13), and PackBuddy does not knowingly collect personal information from a child under thirteen. If you are a parent or legal guardian and believe that a child under thirteen has provided personal information through the Service, please contact us at support@packbuddy.io, and we will investigate and take appropriate action consistent with applicable law.

The Service contains no in-app advertising, no third-party behavioral tracking, no interactive messaging or chat functionality with other users, and no public posting of user-generated content.

6. Your Rights

6.1 Account Deletion

You may permanently delete your account and the account-linked information controlled by PackBuddy from within the App at Settings → Account → Delete Account. A successful in-App deletion removes the account from active systems and prevents temporary Studio uploads from being promoted back into the active library; temporary staging, limited backup rotation, and legally required retention are described in Section 7. The deletion cannot be undone. Deleting a PackBuddy account does not cancel a subscription billed by Apple; subscriptions must be managed through the Apple subscriptions interface. Where the App is inaccessible, you may submit a deletion request by electronic mail to support@packbuddy.io from the email address associated with the account. We will verify and process such requests in accordance with applicable law.

After a deletion request, the App may keep a limited safety record in local device storage so a stale sign-in, delayed recording callback, or interrupted file cleanup cannot restore deleted information. That record can include the PackBuddy account identifier, local media identifiers, sandbox file names, and a bounded file fingerprint. PackBuddy does not send this deletion-control record to its servers or analytics. Local recordings and retry records are removed only after cleanup can be safely verified; a confirmed anti-restoration receipt may remain in the device's secure storage while that storage record remains available.

6.2 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a resident of the State of California, you have the right to (i) know the categories of personal information we have collected about you, (ii) request the deletion of such information, (iii) opt out of any sale or sharing of such information (PackBuddy does not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising), and (iv) not be discriminated against for exercising any of the foregoing rights. Requests should be submitted to support@packbuddy.io. We will verify your identity prior to processing any such request.

6.3 European Economic Area and United Kingdom Residents (GDPR / UK GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have the right to access, rectify, port, restrict, or erase your personal information, and to object to certain processing. Our lawful bases for processing are (i) your consent, which may be withdrawn at any time by deleting your account, and (ii) the necessity of such processing for the performance of the contract for the Service to which you have subscribed. Requests should be submitted to support@packbuddy.io.

7. Data Retention

We retain account, collection, account-linked scan-operation, and Studio information while the applicable user account remains active, unless you delete the applicable Studio content earlier. Upon deletion of an account, the associated information is removed from active systems without undue delay. To prevent in-flight Studio work from recreating deleted data, we may retain a one-way deletion marker that does not contain the raw user identifier on our service for up to twenty-four (24) hours. This service-side marker is separate from the limited device-local deletion-control record described in Section 6.1. Temporary Studio uploads that were never promoted into an active project are eligible for deletion after twenty-four (24) hours and are checked by a daily cleanup process; depending on arrival and cleanup timing, an orphaned staged object may remain for approximately twenty-four to forty-eight (24–48) hours. Encrypted backup copies are isolated from ordinary use and expire under our infrastructure providers' limited backup-rotation schedules. Scrubbed crash and error reports are retained only for the period configured with our diagnostic provider and only as long as reasonably necessary to investigate reliability or security issues. Legal obligations, fraud prevention, or an active security investigation may require us to preserve a limited record for longer.

8. Information Security

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards consistent with generally accepted industry practice and designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information we process. Such safeguards include, without limitation, encryption of information in transit and at rest, hardware-backed storage of authentication credentials on the user device, access controls enforced at the database layer, and a prohibition on the use of third-party technologies that uniquely identify users for advertising purposes.

No security control set is impenetrable. If you have reason to believe that your account has been compromised, you should promptly change your password and notify us at support@packbuddy.io.

9. International Transfers

Our backend systems are located within the United States. By accessing the Service from outside the United States, you acknowledge and consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of your information in the United States.

10. Changes to this Policy

We may, from time to time, amend this Policy. The amended Policy will be made available at this URL with an updated "Last Updated" date. Material changes will additionally be announced from within the App. Your continued use of the Service following any such amendment constitutes your acceptance of the amended Policy.

11. Contact

Questions or requests regarding this Policy or our information practices may be directed to support@packbuddy.io.