Privacy Policy
Last updated October 31, 2026
This policy explains how Steppagotchi, operated by [LEGAL ENTITY TBD], handles your information. Steppagotchi is available in the United States only and is for users 13 and older.
What we collect
- Account data: the sign-in details you choose and your age band (from a neutral date-of-birth check and Apple's Declared Age Range, where available). Users under 13 are blocked, and their date of birth is not saved.
- Step and activity data: with your permission, step counts from Apple Health to grow your pet and track goals and streaks.
- Purchase records: Apple processes payments; we receive confirmation of what you bought, not your card details.
- Support messages you send us.
- Device and technical data: IP address, device model, iOS and app version, and crash logs.
- Wallet records: your Earned and Bought Leaves balances and spending history.
Data saved in your iCloud
Purchase records (transaction IDs, product, price, currency and date), Leaves pack balances, refunds and owned items are saved on your device and in your own iCloud account (Apple's iCloud key-value storage), so they are restored when you reinstall the app and on your other devices. The app also creates a random install ID, which is not your Apple ID or an advertising ID, to keep Leaves balances correct across devices. We do not receive this iCloud data on our servers.
Categories of personal information
| Category | Examples | Source | Purpose | Retention | Sold or shared? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | Account ID, sign-in email or Apple ID relay, IP address, device ID | You; your device | Run your account, security, support | Until you delete your account, plus 30 days in backups (server logs: 30 days) | Not sold or shared |
| Commercial information | Purchases, Pro status, Leaves and Wallet records | Apple; the app | Deliver purchases, purchase limits, refunds, accounting | 7 years | Not sold or shared |
| Sensitive personal information | Health and step data; account login | Apple Health with your permission; you | Grow your pet, goals and streaks; sign-in | Until you delete your account, plus 30 days in backups | Not sold or shared |
| Inferences | Pet mood, streak status | Derived in the app from your step data | In-app features only | Until you delete your account, plus 30 days in backups | Not sold or shared |
| Internet or network activity | Server logs, crash logs, app version | Your device | Security, debugging, keeping the service running | 30 days | Not sold or shared |
| Purchase and Wallet records in your iCloud | Transaction IDs, product, price, currency, date; Leaves pack balances; refunds; owned items; random install ID (not your Apple ID or an advertising ID) | The app, on your device | Restore purchases and items on reinstall and across your devices; keep Leaves balances correct | On your device and in your own iCloud account (Apple iCloud key-value storage) until you delete them; we do not receive this data on our servers | Not sold or shared |
Sensitive data
We process health and step data only with your consent and only to provide the app. We do not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you.
Crisis support
If the app detects signs of a crisis, it shows support resources (such as 988) and pauses goals, quests, offers and notifications until midnight. The pause is stored only on your device and is cleared at midnight. We never store or send the content that triggered it. If we count how often the support screen is shown, we do so only in aggregate, never linked to you, your account or your device.
How we use it
Only to run Steppagotchi: your pet, goals, streaks, challenges, purchases, purchase limits for users 13 to 17, safety and support. Steppagotchi has no ads. We do not sell or share your personal information for advertising, do not track you across apps or websites, and do not use Apple Health data for advertising, marketing or data mining. Apple Health data is never shared with third parties for those purposes.
AI features
Some of Steppagotchi's AI runs on your iPhone. On supported iPhones, your walk plans, weekly recaps and pet diary are written on your device with Apple's on-device models, and that data does not leave your phone for AI.
Cloud AI (optional). Recap voice always uses the cloud (MeloTTS). Walk plans use the cloud (Mistral Small 3.1) only if your iPhone cannot make them on the device. When available, AI outfit images will also use the cloud (FLUX.1 [schnell]). All of these run on Cloudflare Workers AI through Steppagotchi's servers, and only after you turn the feature on. Requests and generated images are checked for safety with Llama Guard 3 and Llama 3.2 Vision on Cloudflare. What we send: your weekly recap text for recap voice; a step summary (today's steps, your goal and streak) and your pet's species and mood for walk plans; and, for AI outfits when available, the style and options you choose. We never send raw Apple Health data, and we do not send your name, email or account ID. The models run on Cloudflare; their creators (Mistral AI, Black Forest Labs, MyShell and Meta) do not receive your data.
How Cloudflare uses it. Cloudflare processes this data for us only to give you the feature, under its data processing terms. It does not use it to train AI models, and does not keep inputs or outputs after the request is done, except for limited security and legal exceptions. Nobody uses it for ads or marketing. Steppagotchi keeps generated walk plans and recap audio (and outfits, when available) in your account until you delete them or your account.
Your choices. Each cloud feature is off until you turn it on, and you can turn it off anytime in Settings, AI; the app then uses pre-written content. Users 13 to 17 use the same choices and never type free text into AI features. AI-generated text, voice and images are labelled.
Coming later. Pet chat is not available yet. When it launches, we will update this section and ask for your permission first; open AI chat will be for users 18 and over and follow our published AI safety protocol.
Who we share with
Only service providers that process data for us to run the app (such as Cloudflare for hosting and cloud AI) and Apple for purchases, or when required by law. No sponsors, advertisers or data brokers.
Retention and deletion
- Account and step data: until you delete your account, plus up to 30 days in backups.
- Purchase records: 7 years.
- Support emails: 2 years.
- Server logs: 30 days.
- Cloud AI inputs and outputs: not kept by Cloudflare after the request (generated walk plans and recap audio stay in your account as described above).
- Under-13 date of birth: never saved.
To delete your data, go to Settings, Account, Delete account, or email support@steppagotchi.com. If we learn that a user is under 13, we delete their data.
Your rights
Depending on your state, you may have the right to:
- know what personal information we have and get a copy of it;
- correct inaccurate information;
- delete your information;
- opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and targeted advertising (we do none of these);
- appeal if we decline your request.
To make a request, use Settings, Account in the app or email support@steppagotchi.com. We may need to confirm your identity using information already linked to your account. We respond within 45 days, and may extend this once by another 45 days when reasonably necessary, telling you why. You can use an authorized agent; we may ask the agent for proof of your permission and ask you to confirm your identity. We will not discriminate against you for using your rights.
Appeals. If we decline your request, email support@steppagotchi.com with the subject "Appeal". We will answer in writing within 45 days, explaining what we did and why. If you are not satisfied, you can contact your state attorney general.
No sale or sharing. We do not sell or share anyone's data, including users under 16. We honour Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as a request to opt out of sale and sharing, though we do neither.
Washington residents: see our Washington Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy.
This website
steppagotchi.com uses no cookies, analytics, trackers or third-party scripts.
Changes
We will post updates here. For material changes, we will tell you in the app or by email at least 30 days before they take effect; if you do not agree, you can stop using Steppagotchi and delete your account. Changes are not retroactive. We will ask for your consent first before using health or step data in a new way or for a new purpose.
Contact
Steppagotchi ([LEGAL ENTITY TBD]) · support@steppagotchi.com