Privacy policy
Hey is an iPhone app made by Aleph House. It is built to work without knowing who you are: there is no account, no sign-in, no advertising and no analytics, and we don’t run a server that receives your data.
Your location
Hey uses your device’s location to show you on the map and to find things near you. To do that, the app sends your current position and a search radius directly from your phone to the data provider for the mode you’re using:
- Places: Google (Places API and Maps SDK). Google’s handling of that request is covered by the Google Privacy Policy.
- Nature: iNaturalist (api.inaturalist.org), to look up public observations nearby. See the iNaturalist Privacy Policy.
These requests contain no name, account or advertising identifier. We don’t receive them and can’t see them.
If you allow “Always” location access, Hey uses your location in the background only during a walk or ride you’ve started, so it can alert you while the phone is in your pocket. The trip ends when you stop it, or automatically after a period without moving.
Motion
Hey reads motion activity (whether you’re moving or still) on the device to check your location less often while you’re standing still. This stays on your phone.
What stays on your phone
Your chosen categories and colors, the places and sightings found near you, your recent path (about the last two hours of a trip), the history of alerts (so each one isn’t repeated), and your settings are stored only on your device. Deleting the app deletes them.
Notifications and speech
Alerts are local notifications created on your device. If you turn on spoken alerts, they’re spoken with the device’s built-in voices; no audio is recorded or sent anywhere.
Children
Hey isn’t directed at children under 13 and doesn’t knowingly collect information from anyone.
Changes
If this policy changes, we’ll update this page and the date above.
Contact
Questions: [email protected]