Can I Fly? is a drone flying conditions tool. It uses your location and current weather data to give you an instant, plain-English answer about whether conditions are suitable for flying. This policy explains exactly what data the app collects, why, and what happens to it.
All flight decisions remain yours. Can I Fly? provides information to support your judgement, not authorisation to fly.
Your Location
When you open the app, it requests permission to access your device's location. Your latitude and longitude are sent to our weather backend to retrieve conditions for your area. If you search for a location manually, those coordinates are used instead.
The app requests location access only while it is in use. We do not track your location in the background.
If you save locations or enable forecast notifications, your saved coordinates are stored locally on your device and are also sent to our backend to check conditions and send you notifications. Location data is not linked to your name, email address, or any other identifying information.
Anonymous Device Identifier
The first time you open the app, a random identifier is generated and stored on your device. This identifier has no connection to you personally and cannot be used to identify or contact you.
It is sent with every weather request so our backend can apply rate limiting and detect misuse. It is not shared with third parties and is not used for advertising or tracking.
Push Notifications
If you grant notification permission, Firebase Cloud Messaging assigns your device a push notification token. This token is sent to our backend and stored there so we can deliver flight condition notifications to you.
The FCM token is a technical device identifier. It is not linked to your name or contact details. If you uninstall the app, the token becomes invalid and is no longer used.
Crash Reports
We use Firebase Crashlytics to collect crash and error data in production builds. When the app crashes or encounters an unhandled error, diagnostic information including a stack trace, device type, and OS version is automatically sent to Google's Firebase service. Crashlytics is disabled in debug builds and does not collect your name, location, or any other personal data.
Drone Requests (Optional)
If you request that we add a drone to the app, you may optionally provide a drone name, manufacturer, and an email address. This information is used only to process your request. Submitting this form is entirely optional.
What We Do Not Collect
- We do not require you to create an account
- We do not collect your name or contact details (unless you voluntarily submit a drone request)
- We do not use analytics. Firebase Analytics is disabled.
- We do not track how you use the app or build a usage profile
- We do not serve advertising
- We do not sell or share your data with third parties for commercial purposes
Data Stored on Your Device
The following data is stored locally on your device only and is not transmitted to our servers:
- Your selected drone model
- Your saved locations (name and coordinates)
- Cached weather data (to reduce repeat requests)
- Your notification and disclaimer preferences
This data is removed when you uninstall the app.
Third-Party Services
Google Firebase: Crash reports are processed by Firebase Crashlytics and push notifications are delivered via Firebase Cloud Messaging. Both are subject to Google's Privacy Policy.
Open-Meteo: Weather data is sourced from Open-Meteo via our backend. Your coordinates are passed to Open-Meteo to retrieve local conditions. Open-Meteo is an open-source service.
Apple WeatherKit: On supported requests, our backend may also use Apple's WeatherKit to improve precipitation accuracy. Your coordinates are passed through our backend to Apple's service. See Apple's Privacy Policy.
Apple App Store / Google Play: If you purchase a premium upgrade, the transaction is handled entirely by Apple or Google. We do not receive your payment details, only confirmation that a purchase was completed.
Data Retention
- Crash reports are retained by Firebase Crashlytics for 90 days by default
- Push notification tokens are stored on our backend for as long as your device remains registered; invalid tokens are no longer used
- Saved locations and weather cache are stored on your device and deleted when you uninstall the app
Your Rights
If you are in the EU or UK, you have rights under the GDPR including the right to access, correct, or delete any personal data we hold about you. Because the app does not collect identifying personal data by default, these rights are most relevant if you have submitted a drone request that included an email address.
To make a request or ask a question, contact us at hello@benfurfie.co.uk.
Changes to This Policy
If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the date above. Continued use of the app after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact
Questions about this policy: hello@benfurfie.co.uk