Privacy Policy

Last updated 6 October 2026

The short version

• Reeef has no accounts, no advertising and no tracking, and we never sell information. Reeef itself collects no analytics; the map provider’s software sends anonymous usage data, which you can turn off.
• Zone checks run on your phone. Your exact position and your saved spots stay on your phone.
• To draw the map and the weather, Reeef asks outside services about the area on your screen. When the map follows you, that area is around you. Those services see the area and your internet (IP) address.
• Test versions only: error reports go to our error-reporting service, with locations and web addresses removed.

Who we are

Reeef is made in Queensland, Australia. Reeef is provided by Andrew Bucknell. As a small developer we may not be covered by the Privacy Act 1988, but we aim to follow the Australian Privacy Principles.

What stays on your phone

• Your location. If you allow “While Using the App”, Reeef uses your position to show where you are and check the zone you are in, on your phone. We don’t receive your location or keep a history of your movements. You can turn location off in iOS Settings and still use Reeef by moving the map.
• Your saved spots and the times you visited them (Reeef notes a visit when you are within about 150 m of a saved spot), map areas saved for offline use, your settings, when you accepted these terms, and a small error log with coordinates, web addresses and file paths removed.

Deleting Reeef deletes all of this from your phone. Copies in your iPhone or iCloud backups follow your backup settings.

What leaves your phone

Reeef talks directly to these services. We don’t run a server that receives this information.

• Mapbox (USA), for maps and satellite imagery. It receives requests for the area of the map you view, your IP address, and basic device and app details. Its map software can also send anonymous usage data (“telemetry”) that may include your location; you can turn this off with the (i) button on the map. Mapbox’s privacy policy is at mapbox.com/legal/privacy.
• Open-Meteo (Switzerland, with servers in Europe and North America), for wind, rain, swell and sea-level forecasts. It receives the coordinates of the area you’re looking at (the centre of a roughly 5 km area around the crosshair, or a grid of points across the visible map) and your IP address. Open-Meteo says its server logs, which can contain coordinates, are deleted after 90 days.

• Our website, for rule updates. A few times a day Reeef asks our website whether there are updated Queensland rules and closures. The request contains no location or personal information. Like any web request, it shows the website host your IP address.

The map area you look at could show places you are interested in, and when the map follows you it shows roughly where you are, though never your exact GPS track.

Error reports in test versions

Test versions of Reeef, such as those on TestFlight, send a report to our error-reporting service, Sentry, when something goes wrong, but only after you have accepted these terms. A report contains the error and where in the app it happened, the app version, your phone model and iOS version, and a short trail of recent steps in the app (for example “rain turned on” or “activity changed to snorkelling”). Reeef removes coordinates, web addresses, file paths and keys from what it records, and reports contain no name, account, screenshots or location. We have asked Sentry not to store IP addresses, and reports are used only to find and fix problems.

If you test Reeef through TestFlight, Apple also shares your crash logs, usage information and any feedback with us, with your name and email address unless you joined through a public link. Apple’s privacy policy applies to that.

Sharing a spot

When you share a saved spot, the link contains its coordinates and the name you gave it. It goes only to the people and apps you choose. We don’t receive it.

What we don’t do

No advertising, no analytics of our own, no tracking across other companies’ apps or websites, no profiles, and no sale or rental of information.

Overseas services

The services above may process information in the USA, Europe and other countries where they operate.

Keeping and deleting information

The only information we hold is error reports from test versions and the TestFlight information Apple provides. To see or delete anything we hold, contact us and we’ll reply within 30 days. Mapbox and Open-Meteo can’t link their records to you through us, so contact them directly about theirs.

Children

Reeef is not designed for children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect information about them.

Security

Reeef uses encrypted connections (HTTPS) and keeps as little as possible. If information from the app were ever compromised, we would tell the people affected as the law and Apple require.

Complaints

Contact us first. If you’re not satisfied with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

Changes

If we change how Reeef handles information, we’ll update this policy and Reeef will ask you to read it again before you continue.

Contact

Questions? Email reeefapp@gmail.com.