Privacy Policy
Effective date: June 1, 2026 · Last updated: June 1, 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how the Florida Weather & Tides mobile application ("FWT", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and protects information when you use the app on iOS, Android, or other supported platforms.
FWT is an independent app published by Dean Fletcher. It is not affiliated with NOAA, the U.S. Government, the State of Florida, or the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Location data
With your permission, FWT uses your device's location to show nearby buoys, tide stations, boat ramps, and weather forecasts. Location is used in real time on your device and is not transmitted to our servers for analytics or profiling.
Location requests are made directly to NOAA and other public marine data sources using approximate coordinates needed to retrieve the relevant data. You can disable location access at any time in your device settings; FWT will fall back to manually selected locations.
1.2 Account information
If you create an account (for syncing your Fish Log across devices), we collect your email address and an authentication identifier provided by Firebase Authentication. We do not collect your password — passwords are handled by Firebase and never stored by FWT.
1.3 User content (Fish Log)
If you use the Fish Log feature, the following content is stored locally on your device and — only when you sign in — synced to your private Firebase account:
- Catch records (species, length, weight, notes, timestamp)
- Catch photos you take or import
- The catch location you choose to record
- Associated weather, tide, and buoy snapshots at the time of catch
This content is private to your account. It is not shared with other users, sold, or used to train AI models.
1.4 Diagnostic and analytics data
FWT uses Firebase Crashlytics to collect crash reports and Firebase Analytics to understand how features are used in aggregate. This data may include:
- App version, device model, operating system version
- Anonymized session events (which screens were viewed)
- Crash stack traces and the state of the app at the time of the crash
Verbose logs in release builds are capped to warnings and errors and are scrubbed of coordinates and station identifiers.
1.5 Device and integrity data
When enabled, Firebase App Check verifies that requests originate from a genuine, untampered installation of FWT. This helps protect API quotas and prevent abuse. App Check does not identify you personally.
2. How We Use Information
- To deliver weather, tide, buoy, and ramp data for your area
- To sync your Fish Log catches between your devices
- To diagnose crashes and improve app stability
- To understand which features are useful so we can improve them
- To prevent abuse of the app's backend services
3. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with advertisers. We share information only with the following service providers, and only as needed to operate the app:
- Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Storage, Crashlytics, Analytics, App Check) — Firebase Privacy & Security
- NOAA (tides, buoys, weather forecasts) — your device queries NOAA's public APIs directly. See weather.gov/privacy.
- Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission — public boat ramp data is bundled in the app; no personal data is sent to FWC.
We may disclose information if required by law, valid legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of users, the public, or FWT.
4. Data Retention
Fish Log content is retained as long as you keep your account. You can delete individual catches in the app, or request full account and data deletion by emailing flweathertides@gmail.com. Crash and analytics data is retained per Firebase's standard retention windows.
5. Your Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or port your personal data, and to object to or restrict its processing. To exercise any of these rights, contact flweathertides@gmail.com. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.
California residents (CCPA/CPRA): we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
EEA/UK residents (GDPR): our legal bases for processing are your consent (location, account creation) and our legitimate interest in maintaining a stable, secure app (crash/diagnostic data).
6. Children's Privacy
FWT is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
7. Security
Account data and Fish Log content are stored in your private Firebase project space and protected by Firestore Security Rules. Transit is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS. No system is perfectly secure — we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to follow industry-standard practices.
8. International Users
FWT is operated from the United States. If you use the app from outside the U.S., your information will be processed in the U.S. and other countries where Firebase operates.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected by a new "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the app after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
10. Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy? Email flweathertides@gmail.com.