Privacy & data
Your trail. Your choice.
How the standalone AreaSearch app uses location, keeps search records and handles the information you choose to share.
This website
The AreaSearch website serves static pages, fonts and example app screenshots. The website files contain no cookies, account system, contact form, advertising or analytics software. The example searches use synthetic records, not a user’s recorded GPS trail.
The hosting service may process visitor IP addresses and request details to deliver and protect these pages. Its provider details, logging and retention periods remain to be confirmed; the absence of analytics software does not mean hosting logs are absent. Emailing support sends the information you choose to include through your email provider and the support mailbox.
Your search records
AreaSearch uses your iPhone’s location to record a solo search, handle entry and exit from your selected boundary, and estimate road or ground coverage. A saved search can include its boundary, original GPS trail and available point times and accuracy, search mode, assumed off-road width, estimated coverage, active time, distance, name and notes.
Saved searches and recovery records stay in AreaSearch’s private storage on your iPhone. They are encrypted with an app-specific key held in the iPhone Keychain. AreaSearch does not require an account, share these records with PatrolGrid, or include advertising or analytics software.
The encryption key is bound to this device and does not sync through iCloud Keychain. Saved searches and recovery records are excluded from device backups. There is no cloud sync or new-phone restore. Deleting AreaSearch removes its local records. Export important trails before deleting the app or changing devices; a GPX export cannot restore a complete AreaSearch search.
Location permission and screen lock
You control location access and Precise Location through iPhone Settings. Precise Location helps recording and estimates work as intended. When background recording is enabled, an active or waiting search can request location updates while the screen is locked or another app is open.
You can pause or finish a search, turn off background recording, or revoke location permission. Turning background recording off pauses capture when you leave the app. Force-quitting stops recording. A recovered search returns paused for review. iOS, permission and device conditions control location delivery; background recording can increase battery use.
Off-road shading represents an assumed width around usable GPS trail sections. Road matching and both coverage estimates can be uncertain or unavailable. An estimate does not prove that every point was observed or that a physical search is complete.
Maps, places and road data
Apple Maps provides the basemap and place or address search. Apple handles these requests, which can include the viewed or searched region and search text. Read Apple Maps & Privacy for Apple’s practices. AreaSearch does not provide downloaded offline basemaps.
When road snapping and estimates are enabled in Road mode, AreaSearch sends the selected area’s bounding coordinates to its dedicated HTTPS road-data service. That service can see the requested area, client IP address and generic app version identifier. The request does not contain your recorded trail, saved name, notes or an account identity. Off-road estimation does not request road data.
The current public road dataset covers Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is not included. Road geometry uses OpenStreetMap data.
Downloaded public road geometry is cached on the iPhone to reduce repeat requests. A seven-day freshness check is used when reading it; this is not a promise that cache files are deleted after seven days. This cache is separate from encrypted saved-search records and may remain until it is removed by the app, iOS or app deletion.
GPX sharing
Exporting through the iOS share sheet creates an unencrypted copy for the app or person you select. It contains the original GPS trail, search name, notes, start time and available recorded point times. It does not include the boundary or coverage shading, and AreaSearch cannot import it to restore a search.
Trails displayed by the app and GPX exports retain the latest 20,000 GPS points. Distance and coverage estimates can include earlier travel. iOS handles transfer data and may create temporary copies. Shared copies are outside AreaSearch’s control; deleting a local record does not delete copies you sent elsewhere.
Deletion and data controls
You can delete saved records in the Saved library. Deleting a library record does not discard a matching current search or its recovery record. That trail remains on the Search tab until you choose New search, and can be saved again.
You can manage location access in iPhone Settings and delete the app to remove its app-held records. If a storage error appears, keep AreaSearch installed and follow the save and recovery guidance before attempting a reset or deletion. The developer cannot promise recovery of local encrypted records.
Contact and policy updates
For support and privacy enquiries, email support@areasearch.app. Support-message recipients, uses, attachment handling and retention remain to be confirmed in the final app privacy policy before public app release.
When contacting support, share only what is necessary. Check screenshots and exported trails for private locations, notes and other personal information. You do not need to share an Apple Account password or payment-card information.
The final policy will include a confirmed operator, effective date and update procedure and will be kept aligned with the app’s data practices. AreaSearch is not yet publicly released; this page does not replace its final privacy policy or App Store privacy disclosures.