Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 1, 2026

This policy explains what the Pool Otter app for iPhone, iPad and Android ("Pool Otter"), a product of Bayou Browns LLC ("we"), collects, why, and the choices you have. Short version: everything stays on your phone unless you create an account to back up and sync. We do not sell your data, we do not show ads, and the app contains no advertising or tracking SDKs.

What stays on your phone

Your pool data (pools, tests, chemicals, maintenance, notes, targets and settings) is stored on your device. Without an account it never leaves it.

Camera. Used only when you scan a test kit's barcode or take a photo of your kit. Barcodes are read on the device; kit photos stay on the device. Nothing from the camera is uploaded.

Location. Used only if you set where your pool is, to show its local weather. You can tap Use my location, which asks permission and reads your approximate position once, or search an address, city or ZIP code. Either way Pool Otter rounds the spot to about 1 km (town level) before saving it with the pool; no street address is kept, and the app never tracks your location in the background.

Open at the pool I'm at. If you have several pools and turn this on, Pool Otter reads your approximate position when you open the app and compares it, on your phone, with your pools' saved town-level spots to open the nearest one. That position is not saved, synced or sent anywhere.

Weather. To get the forecast and recent rain and UV, the app sends that rounded location, and nothing else about you, to our server, which gets that spot's weather from Apple WeatherKit and doesn't store it (app versions before November 2026 asked Open-Meteo, open-meteo.com, directly). Your search, and the place name shown for the spot, are looked up with your phone's geocoding service (Apple's on iPhone and iPad, Google's on Android).

Files you import are read on the device.

Reminders are local notifications scheduled on your device; we have no push service.

What we collect, only if you create an account

Account. Your email address and a password, handled by Amazon Cognito. We never see your password.

Your pool data, synced to our servers so it is backed up and available on your devices. This includes the pool's rounded, town-level location if you set one.

Pages you share

If you tap Share › Link to my pool, Pool Otter publishes a read-only web page for that pool at a hard-to-guess address. No account is needed. The page shows the pool's name, its latest readings and what to add, and the tests, chemicals and maintenance from the last 30 days. It never includes your location, weather, name, email, costs or notes. Anyone you give the link to can see it; it is hidden from search engines. The page is stored on our servers and updates when you log something in the app. You can turn the link off or replace it at any time, which deletes the page; deleting the app does not, so turn the link off first.

Purchases

If you subscribe, the transaction information the App Store (Apple) or Google Play (Google) gives us is used to confirm your subscription. Apple or Google handles payment; we never receive your card details.

Where it is stored

Our servers run on Amazon Web Services in the United States (region us-east-2, Ohio). Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest, and access is limited to your account.

How it is shared

Only with our service providers, to run the service: Amazon Web Services (hosting, storage, sign-in), Apple and Google (App Store and Google Play, and looking up a searched place) and Apple WeatherKit (weather for your pool's rounded location; Open-Meteo in older app versions). On Android, scanning a test kit's barcode uses Google's ML Kit, which reads the barcode on your phone (the camera image never leaves it) and sends Google basic diagnostics about the feature: device and app details, speed and error codes, and a random per-install ID. We may disclose information if required by law. We do not sell or rent your data, use it for advertising, or share it with data brokers.

Your choices

Export all your data at any time (Profile › Import & export), on any plan. Delete your account and everything on our servers in the app (Profile › your account (top row) › Delete account); see Delete account. Deleting the app removes the data on your phone. To remove a shared page, tap Share › Link to my pool › Turn off link. To stop using your location, tap Remove on the pool's location screen, or turn off Location for Pool Otter in your phone's Settings.

Children

Pool Otter is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their information.

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date above, and tell you in the app if the change is significant.

Contact

info@bayoubrowns.com