Catshot Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 3, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Catshot ("we", "us", the "App") collects, uses, and protects your information. By using the App you agree to this policy.

Data controller: Catshot is developed and operated by Ayberk Karasoy (individual developer, Türkiye). Contact: ayberkkarasoy9@gmail.com

1. Information We Collect

Account information: email address, a nickname/username, and an encrypted (hashed) password. Optionally a profile photo.

Content you create: cat photos you choose to share, posts, comments, direct messages, trades, follows, and your synced collection.

Location (optional): see Section 5.

Camera: used solely to photograph cats. Cat verification and background removal run entirely on your device; camera images are never sent to us or to third parties for analysis.

Reports and feedback: reports you submit about content or users, and feedback messages (with an email address only if you choose to type one).

Automatic diagnostics: if the App crashes or hits an error, it sends us a technical report (error message, technical stack trace, OS type and version, and your account ID if you are signed in). We use no third-party analytics or crash-reporting services — only we can read these reports.

Usage and device data: basic technical and gameplay data needed to operate the App.

2. How We Use Your Information

To provide your account and the App's features (collection, care rooms, mini-games, feed, follows, messaging, trading, cat houses, leaderboards, catch map); to verify a photo is a real cat (on-device); to keep the community safe (filtering, reporting, blocking, moderation — feed posts are reviewed before they become publicly visible); to show ads on Android (Section 6); and to improve the App.

3. Photos & Camera

Photos are captured only with the in-app camera and stay on your device unless you choose to share them: signing in and syncing your collection, posting to the feed, trading a card, or setting a profile photo uploads the related image to our servers so the feature can work. Posted images become visible to other users after moderation approval; images are served over the internet via their links.

4. Community Content, Messages & Translation

Nicknames and chat messages pass an automatic profanity filter on your device. Feed posts are held for our moderation approval before other users can see them. You can report any post, comment, or user, and block any user — blocking immediately hides that user's content from your feed and notifies us. Direct messages are stored on our servers (they are not end-to-end encrypted), are visible only to the two participants, and are deleted with your account. If you tap "Translate" on a post or comment, that text is sent to a translation service (Google Translate, with Lingva as fallback) to produce the translation.

5. Location

With your permission, the App reads your device's precise location only at the moment you catch a cat (to place it on your personal map) and momentarily when you interact with neighborhood cat houses (a proximity check; this position is not stored). Your catch locations are stored only on your device — they are never uploaded to our servers, never shown to other players, and posts never include location. What can be visible to others: placing a cat in a city cat house shows your nickname together with that city's name to other players; the country where you catch cats is stored to build the country leaderboard but is not displayed. To draw maps and name places, coordinates are momentarily sent to mapping/geocoding providers (BigDataCloud, OpenStreetMap/Nominatim, and Google Maps on Android / Apple Maps on iOS). We never use your location for advertising and never share it with ad networks. You can revoke location permission at any time in your device settings; the map feature stops working but the rest of the App is unaffected.

6. Advertising (Android)

The Android version shows banner ads through Google AdMob. Google may collect and process your device's advertising ID, IP address, approximate location inferred from your IP address, and device information to serve, personalize, and measure ads. You can opt out of ad personalization or reset/delete your advertising ID at any time in Android Settings > Google > Ads. Learn how Google uses this data: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites and https://policies.google.com/privacy. In the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, ads that use personal data are shown only where consent has been given; otherwise limited, non-personalized ads are served. The iOS version currently shows no ads; if that changes, this policy will be updated and iOS users will first be asked for tracking permission (App Tracking Transparency).

7. Third-Party Services

Supabase — database, authentication, and file storage for your account and shared content.

Google — AdMob ads on Android (Section 6); Google Maps on Android; Google Play services (a one-time download of the on-device background-removal model); the translation service in Section 4.

Apple — Apple Maps on iOS.

BigDataCloud and OpenStreetMap/Nominatim — converting coordinates to place names and back (Section 5).

All cat-recognition AI runs on your device; no photo is sent to any third party for recognition.

8. Where Your Data Is Stored

Our service providers' servers (Supabase, Google) may be located outside Türkiye, including in the European Union and the United States. By using online features you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to and stored in these countries. We use providers that apply contractual and technical safeguards for international transfers.

9. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with the providers above as needed to operate the App, or where required by law.

10. Data Retention & Account Deletion

We keep your personal data while your account is active. You can permanently delete your account anytime from Profile → Settings → Delete Account. This removes your profile, email, nickname, profile photo, uploaded cat photos, posts, comments, likes, follows, messages, trades, and your cloud collection. After deletion we may retain, for safety and legal reasons: abuse/content reports and moderation records (up to 12 months) and automatic error diagnostics (unlinked from your identity). Guest-mode data exists only on your device and disappears if you uninstall the App. For any additional erasure request, contact us.

11. Children's Privacy

Catshot is intended for users aged 13 and older and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13; if we learn we have, we will delete it promptly. Parents or guardians may contact us to request review or deletion.

12. Your Rights

You may access, correct, or delete your information, object to or restrict its processing, request a portable copy, and withdraw any consent at any time — in-app or by contacting us; we respond within 30 days. If you are in Türkiye, you have the rights in Article 11 of Law No. 6698 (KVKK) and may complain to the Personal Data Protection Board. If you are in the EEA or UK, you may complain to your local data protection authority. California residents: we do not sell personal information for money; sharing the advertising ID with Google for ads may count as "sharing" under the CCPA — you can opt out via your device's ad settings or by contacting us.

13. Security

We use reasonable measures to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy; material changes will be posted here with an updated date.

15. Contact

Questions: ayberkkarasoy9@gmail.com