CAR PLAY CONNECT PRIVACY POLICY
Effective Date: June 9, 2026
Last Updated: June 9, 2026
Car Play Connect ("Car Play Connect," "we," "us," or "our") turns your iPhone into a driving display for older vehicles. This Privacy Policy explains what information the app handles, how it is handled, and the choices you have.
By using Car Play Connect, you agree to this Privacy Policy.
THE SHORT VERSION
Car Play Connect has no user accounts, no servers of ours, no tracking, no advertising, and no analytics SDKs. Your settings, favorites, selected car, widget configuration, and trip statistics stay on your device, because there is no backend of ours to upload them to. The only times data leaves your device are when you use a feature that inherently requires the internet (streaming a radio station, fetching weather, handing a destination to a maps app, or signing in to a music service), and in those cases the data goes directly to that third party under their own privacy policy, never to us. The one exception: if you choose to email our support address, your message and any device details you include reach us through your own email provider (see Section 1.3).
1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
1.1 Information that stays on your device
Car Play Connect stores the following locally, in an iOS App Group container (group.com.car.play.connect.shared) on your device:
- App settings and preferences (units, default map/player, sounds, alternate app icon, keep-awake).
- Radio station favorites.
- Your selected car (brand and model identifiers).
- Widget configuration (selected styles, colors, photo slots).
- Drive layout, wallpaper, and map theme choices.
- Trip statistics (e.g., top speed, average speed, 0-60 timing) computed on-device.
This data is not transmitted to us. It may be included in your device's iCloud or iTunes backup if you have enabled backups, in which case it is governed by Apple's privacy policy, not ours.
1.2 Information we do not collect
To be explicit, Car Play Connect does not:
- Create accounts or require sign-up.
- Operate any backend server that receives your data.
- Track you across apps or websites (NSPrivacyTracking is set to false).
- Integrate any analytics, telemetry, crash-reporting, or attribution SDK (no Firebase, Amplitude, Sentry, Adjust, and so on).
- Use advertising identifiers (IDFA) or serve ads.
- Sell, rent, or share your personal data for advertising.
1.3 Information you choose to send us (support email)
Car Play Connect has no in-app data collection, but the "Contact us" button (Settings) and the "Bad" option in the post-drive feedback prompt open your own email app with a message pre-addressed to our support address (carplayconnect@163.com). To help us reproduce issues, that draft is pre-filled with basic diagnostics: your device model, iOS version, and the app version and build. This is optional and fully editable. Nothing is sent unless you tap send, and if you do, the email reaches us through your email provider. We use it solely to respond to your request.
2. LOCATION INFORMATION
Location is central to a driving app, so we treat it carefully and honestly.
- Purpose. Your device location (GPS) is used on-device to power the speedometer, the 0-60 acceleration timer, the live map, and the navigation route preview.
- Not retained by us. We have no server; we do not store your location anywhere off your device.
- Honest signal. When GPS is weak or unavailable, Car Play Connect shows a "weak signal" state and does not fabricate, smooth, or reuse a previous speed value.
- Weather. To show local weather, the app sends your approximate location to Apple WeatherKit. This is handled by Apple under Apple's privacy policy.
- Navigation hand-off. When you start turn-by-turn navigation to an external maps app, the destination is passed via a deep link to Apple Maps or Google Maps; from that point the maps app's own privacy policy applies.
You can revoke location access at any time in iOS Settings, under Privacy & Security, then Location Services. If revoked, location-dependent features degrade honestly (for example, the speedometer shows "weak signal").
3. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES
Car Play Connect connects to third-party services only when you use the relevant feature. We do not proxy, intercept, or store the content of those connections.
- radio-browser.info, when browsing or playing internet radio: the app lists stations, resolves a stream URL, and connects directly to the audio stream. Your IP address and a standard HTTP request reach radio-browser and the station's stream server, which is an inherent property of internet streaming. We send a "User-Agent: CarConnect/<version>" header. We do not proxy, transcode, or store the audio.
- Apple (WeatherKit, MapKit, MusicKit, StoreKit), for weather, maps and search, Apple Music playback, and purchases: handled by Apple under Apple's privacy policy. Apple Music requires your own subscription and sign-in.
- Google Maps, optional, only if you switch the map source to Google: map tiles and navigation hand-off go to Google under Google's privacy policy.
- Spotify, optional, only if you connect Spotify: Spotify's official SDK (SPTAppRemote) reads your real playback state under Spotify's privacy policy and developer terms. It requires the Spotify app and a Spotify account.
We do not control, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices of these third parties. Please review their policies.
4. HOW WE USE INFORMATION
Because data stays on your device, "use" means on-device functionality only:
- Display the speedometer, maps, weather, now-playing, and widgets.
- Remember your preferences, favorites, and selected car between launches.
- Drive WidgetKit timelines and, on iOS 26 and later, CarPlay Dashboard widgets, through the shared App Group container.
- Verify your Pro subscription entitlement on-device (see Section 7).
We do not profile you, build advertising segments, or make automated decisions about you.
5. DATA STORAGE AND SECURITY
- Local-first. Data is stored in the iOS App Group container, protected by the operating system's app sandbox and device-level encryption (when your device passcode is set).
- No backend. There is no server of ours that could be breached to expose your data, because we do not collect it.
- In transit. Feature connections you initiate (radio, weather, maps, music) use the security provided by those services, typically HTTPS, except where a specific legacy radio stream is plain HTTP, which is a property of that station, not of Car Play Connect.
- Backups. If you enable iCloud or iTunes backup, locally stored Car Play Connect data may be included and is then protected under Apple's backup security.
6. DATA SHARING AND DISCLOSURE
- We do not sell or share your personal data.
- We do not disclose your data to third parties for their marketing.
- The only data that reaches third parties is what is inherent to a feature you use (for example, your IP address reaching a radio stream server, or your approximate location reaching Apple WeatherKit), sent directly by your device to that service.
7. SUBSCRIPTIONS (CAR PLAY CONNECT PRO)
- Pro features are sold through the Apple App Store using StoreKit.
- We verify your entitlement on your device (Transaction.currentEntitlements). We do not receive your payment details, and there is no backend receipt validation.
- Apple processes the payment and manages billing under Apple's terms and privacy policy.
- See the Terms of Service for subscription pricing, auto-renewal, and cancellation details.
8. DATA RETENTION
- Locally stored data persists until you delete it or uninstall the app.
- Uninstalling Car Play Connect removes its App Group container and the data within it from your device, subject to any backup you have separately created.
- You can also clear individual data in-app (for example, remove favorites, or change or clear your selected car).
9. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS
Because we hold no data about you on any server, most rights are exercised directly on your device:
- Access and portability. Your data lives on your device; there is no remote profile to request.
- Deletion. Delete favorites, car selection, or widget configuration in-app, or uninstall the app to remove everything locally.
- Permission control. Location, notifications, Apple Music, and similar permissions are controlled by you in iOS Settings and can be revoked at any time.
- Opt-out of tracking. There is nothing to opt out of, because we do not track you.
If you are in a jurisdiction with specific data rights (see Sections 10 and 11) and have a question, contact us (Section 13).
10. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
Car Play Connect is a driving utility intended for licensed drivers and is not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Because we collect no personal data at all, this is structurally enforced.
11. REGIONAL PRIVACY NOTICES
California (CCPA / CPRA)
We do not "sell" or "share" personal information as those terms are defined under California law. We do not collect personal information on a server, so there is no category of personal information sold, shared, or disclosed for a business purpose. California residents retain the right to know, delete, and not be discriminated against for exercising these rights; contact us with any request.
European Economic Area and United Kingdom (GDPR / UK GDPR)
We are not a data controller of personal data held on a backend, because we operate none. Data you generate stays on your device under your control. Where a feature you use transmits data directly to a third party (for example, Apple, Google, radio-browser, or Spotify), that third party acts as the controller or processor for that data under its own policy. You may contact us regarding this policy at any time.
International Data Transfers
Car Play Connect itself transfers no data to us. When you use third-party features, your data may be processed by those providers in countries other than your own, under their respective policies.
12. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in the app or legal requirements. We will revise the "Last Updated" date above and make the current version available in-app (Settings, then Privacy Policy). Material changes will be reasonably highlighted.
13. CONTACT US
Questions about this Privacy Policy or your privacy:
Email: carplayconnect@163.com