Privacy Policy

Introduction

Welcome to PunpunEcho (怦怦回响). PunpunEcho is a “Local-First” life-logging utility that helps you automatically record your daily journeys, visualize memories (like photos tied to places), and log your emotions or mood check-ins – all in one private timeline.

Our philosophy is “Effortlessly captured, eternally yours,” meaning we strive to capture your moments easily while ensuring those moments remain yours and yours alone. Your privacy is fundamental to us.

This Privacy Policy is meant to help you understand what information PunpunEcho may access on your device, how it uses that information to serve you, and what information we do NOT collect or share. In fact, one of our core principles is that your core PunpunEcho data stays on your device. We do not operate developer-controlled servers that receive or store your timeline, photos, notes, or Health data. Some features (such as map display and place-name resolution) may use Apple system services (e.g., MapKit and Apple geocoding), which can involve network requests processed by Apple under Apple’s privacy policies. We do not receive your underlying personal data from those requests.

We are committed to transparency and compliance with applicable privacy laws and App Store guidelines. Although PunpunEcho does not collect personal data in the traditional sense, we want you to feel confident and informed. This policy will detail each permission and feature that might involve your data, and how we protect your information.

By using PunpunEcho, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us – we’ve provided contact information at the end of this document.

Data Permissions & Usage

PunpunEcho requires certain iOS permissions to function. It’s important to note the difference between accessing data and collecting data: when PunpunEcho “accesses” data (such as your location or photos), that information is used locally on your device to provide the app’s features. We do not “collect” (in the sense of uploading or storing on our servers) any of this data.

We do not collect this data by transmitting it to our own servers or storing it in developer-controlled cloud infrastructure. Some features (such as map display and place-name resolution) may use Apple system services (e.g., MapKit and Apple geocoding), which can involve network requests processed by Apple under Apple’s privacy policies. We do not receive your underlying personal data from those requests. Below is a list of the permissions we request and how each is used:

Location (Always and When In Use): PunpunEcho uses your location to build your personal timeline of places and routes. With your permission, the app gathers location data:

• “When In Use” location access allows the app to show your current position on the in-app map and help you review or edit timeline entries while the app is open.
• “Always” (background) location access allows PunpunEcho to continue logging your trips and stops even when the app is closed or in the background. This way, your daily movements (e.g. a commute, a walk, places you visit) can be recorded automatically without you needing to open the app each time.

Purpose: Location data is used to create a detailed timeline of where you’ve been, which is visualized for you in the app. For example, PunpunEcho might log that you went from Home to Work at 9 AM, and stopped by a cafe at 12 PM. This happens automatically if background location is enabled.

Privacy: All location processing happens on-device; your location history is stored in the app’s local database and is not uploaded to our servers. We (the developers) cannot see or access your location. If you ever disable location permission, the app will stop recording your movements in the background. Note: map display and place-name resolution may use Apple system services that can involve network requests handled by Apple (see Third-Party Services below).

Motion & Fitness Activity: We request access to Motion and Fitness data to detect your movement type. This permission allows PunpunEcho to infer whether you are walking, cycling, or driving during each trip.

Purpose: By knowing your mode of travel, the app can tag segments of your timeline (for example, noting that you “drove” vs “walked” to a location). This makes your timeline more informative and accurate.

Privacy: Motion data is processed on-device in real time to update your timeline. PunpunEcho does not share your fitness or movement information with anyone — it’s used locally and not collected or uploaded.

Health Data (Active Energy via HealthKit): With your explicit consent, PunpunEcho can integrate with Apple HealthKit to read your Active Energy data (commonly, calories burned). If you grant this permission, the app reads your active energy in order to display a “vitality trend” alongside your timeline.

Purpose: The idea is to give you insight into your daily vitality or activity level. This is for your informational and personal use only. It is not intended for medical purposes or health advice.

Privacy: None of your HealthKit information ever leaves your device or is shared. PunpunEcho does not store your Health data on any server — it only reads Active Energy values locally to display to you, and stores what it needs on-device. We do not use HealthKit data for advertising, marketing, or sale to data brokers.

Photos Library (Read Access): PunpunEcho asks for read access to your photo library, but only for the photos you choose to allow it to see. This is used to match your photos with your timeline and display memories on the map.

Purpose: With your permission, the app will scan the metadata of your photos (such as date, time, and location tags) to find pictures you took during your logged trips. It can then show these photos alongside the locations on your timeline map.

Privacy: All processing happens locally on your device. Photo access means the app can read the image files and metadata on your phone; it does not send your photos or their metadata to our servers. The app only looks at the photos that you allow it to (you may grant access to “Selected Photos” or all photos per your choice), and it only uses them to display back to you inside the app. If your Photos library uses iCloud Photos, iOS may download items needed for display; this transfer is handled by Apple.

Photos Library (Add/Write Access): In addition to reading photos, we also request permission to save images to your photo library. This is used only when you choose to export or save something.

Purpose: PunpunEcho allows you to export snapshots of your timeline or photos on the map. For example, you might choose to generate an image representing a day's timeline and wish to save that image to “Photos”.

Privacy: The app can only add images that it creates (like the exported snapshot) to your library; it does not otherwise alter or upload your existing photos.

Notifications (Optional): If you enable notifications, PunpunEcho can send you local reminders (for example, daily/weekly reflections or prompts to answer a check-in after a visit).

Purpose: Notifications help you remember to log a thought or finish a check-in at a relevant time, even when you’re not actively using the app.

Privacy: PunpunEcho uses iOS local notifications (generated on your device). We do not operate a push-notification backend for this app and we do not send notification tokens or your timeline data to our servers.

Emotional Check-ins (Mood Logs/Notes): PunpunEcho provides a feature for you to log your feelings or notes as “emotional check-ins.” There is no special iOS permission for this (it’s data you input yourself), but it involves personal information you may enter.

Purpose: This feature is like a private journal. You can record text notes about your mood or experiences, and attach them to your timeline so you can reflect on how you felt on different days or at different places.

Privacy: All your check-in entries and notes are stored locally within the app’s database on your device. We do not collect or see any of your written entries or mood logs. If you uninstall the app, these notes are deleted from your device (see Data Retention & Deletion below).

Important: Because these notes are only on your phone, remember that if someone else has physical access to your unlocked device, they could view them.

In summary, PunpunEcho accesses only the minimum data needed to provide its life-logging features, and uses that data strictly on your device. We do not transmit your personal timeline, photos, notes, or Health data to our own servers. Some features (such as Apple Maps tiles and place-name resolution) may use Apple system services that can involve network requests handled by Apple under Apple’s privacy policies; we do not receive your underlying personal data from those requests.

Data Storage & Security

On-Device Storage: All information logged in PunpunEcho is stored on your iPhone itself, within the app’s secure sandbox. This includes your location history, timeline events, photos (thumbnails or references), and mood notes.

• We (the developers) do not have any copy of your data on our servers (we do not operate servers for this app).
• Your data remains under your control. If you delete the app, the data in the app’s sandbox is deleted as well.
• There is no automatic backup to any of our servers. (Note: Your device may include app data in an iCloud Backup if you have that enabled, but that backup is managed by Apple and tied to your personal iCloud account, not accessible to us.)

Security Measures: We rely on iOS’s security architecture to protect your data:

• iOS Sandbox & Encryption: PunpunEcho runs inside iOS’s application sandbox, and iOS encrypts data at rest on the device (as long as you have a device passcode enabled).
• Network Transmission & Offline Use: PunpunEcho does not upload your timeline, photos, notes, or Health data to our own servers. However, some features rely on Apple system services that may make network requests — for example, loading Apple Maps tiles and reverse-geocoding coordinates into place names using Apple’s geocoding service. These requests are handled by Apple frameworks and governed by Apple’s privacy policies. The app’s core on-device logging can work offline, but map tiles and place-name resolution may be limited without an internet connection.

Third-Party Services

PunpunEcho does not use any third-party analytics, tracking, advertising, or data monitoring services. This means:

• No Google Analytics, no Firebase Analytics, and no custom analytics.
• No advertising networks or ad SDKs.
• No social media plugins and no third-party login integrations.

The only external services PunpunEcho interacts with are those provided by Apple as part of iOS:

• Apple MapKit / Apple Geocoding: When the app needs map data (like map tiles or reverse-geocoding a coordinate to a place name), Apple’s frameworks may communicate with Apple’s map services. This is handled by Apple and processed under Apple’s privacy policies. We do not receive your raw request details or personal identifiers from Apple — only the map tiles / place results needed to render the experience.
• Apple HealthKit: The app uses Apple HealthKit (for Active Energy) as described above. We read Health data locally on your device and do not send it to us or to third parties.

PunpunEcho does not sell or share your personal information, and we do not use your data for tracking across apps and websites. If we ever integrate a new service that might affect your data, we will update this Privacy Policy and notify you as required.

Data Retention & Deletion

Since PunpunEcho stores all data on your device and not on our servers, you have full control over your data retention. Here is how data retention and deletion works:

• Data Retention: Your timeline history, photos associations, and notes will remain in the app as long as you keep the app installed and do not delete them.
• User-Initiated Deletion: You can delete individual timeline entries, photos, or notes within the app. If you delete an item, it is removed from the local database and no longer visible.
• Uninstalling the App: If you uninstall PunpunEcho, all data stored by the app is deleted from your device. This action is irreversible unless you have a separate backup (for example, an iCloud device backup or an export you saved).
• Backups: iOS might include PunpunEcho’s local data in your encrypted iCloud backup or an iTunes/Finder backup if you have those enabled. This is handled by Apple and tied to your Apple account. We do not have access to it.
• No Server Retention: Since we don’t hold your data on our servers, we have no retention policy on our side – there’s nothing stored for us to retain or delete.
• Your Privacy Rights (GDPR/CCPA): Because PunpunEcho does not store your data on our servers, requests that involve accessing or deleting server-held data generally don’t apply to this app — your data remains on your device and you can delete it in the app or by uninstalling. If you have any questions or would like help understanding your options regarding personal data, you can contact us, and we will assist to the extent possible.

Children’s Privacy

PunpunEcho is designed to be safe for users of all ages. We do not knowingly collect, store, or share personal information from children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age in your jurisdiction).

Why PunpunEcho is Safe for Children: Since PunpunEcho is a “Local-First” application with no server-side data collection, no account registration, and no third-party tracking, all data created by a child remains strictly on their device.

Parental Guidance: We encourage parents and guardians to supervise children's use of mobile devices. If a parent wishes to remove any data generated by a child, they can delete the specific entries within the app or uninstall the app entirely, which will erase all data from the device.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about this Privacy Policy or about PunpunEcho’s data practices, please feel free to contact us:

Email: support@punpunecho.com (Attn: PunpunEcho Privacy)