Privacy policy

Last updated 6 October 2026

View Scanner is built so that your photos and your location stay on your phone. This policy explains exactly what the app does with your information, in plain terms.

View Scanner is made by Huw Baynham ("we", "us"), who is responsible for your information under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR). You can contact us at any time at support@viewscanner.app.

The short version

• Your photos and location are used on your phone and are not sent to us.
• There are no adverts, no analytics and no tracking in the app, and we never sell or share your information.
• Map data is downloaded from our server; like any download, that server sees your device's internet (IP) address.
• If you buy credits, Apple or Google handle the payment. We keep only what's needed to give you the areas you've bought.

Your location

View Scanner uses your phone's location (GPS) while the app is open, to work out where you are standing and which hills you can see. This is done entirely on your phone. Your recent position is kept on your phone so the app can start quickly next time. We do not receive your location.

Your photos

Photos you take in View Scanner are matched against the map on your phone and kept in the app's own storage on your phone, with a record of the match (where you were standing and which way the camera faced). They are not uploaded. Deleting the app deletes them. On iPhone you can also see and copy them in the Files app under "On My iPhone".

Compass and motion sensors

The app reads your phone's compass, tilt and motion sensors to see which way the camera is pointing. These readings are used on your phone only.

Map data downloads

When you download an area, or check for updated map data, your phone fetches files from our server, hosted by Microsoft Azure in the UK. As with any internet request, the server receives your device's IP address and basic request details. We use these only to deliver the files and do not use them to identify you or keep them to build any record of your use.

Maps shown in the app

Some screens show a map (choosing areas, and seeing a place on a map). These maps are provided by Apple Maps on iPhone and Google Maps on Android, which receive the map areas you view and, if you choose to show it, your position. Their own privacy policies apply: Apple, Google.

Purchases and your account

You can try every area free. To keep areas after the trial you buy credits through the App Store or Google Play; Apple or Google take the payment and we never see your card details. To keep your areas when you change phones, you sign in with Apple or Google. We then store:

• an account identifier from Apple or Google (and an email address only if you choose to share it),
• your credit balance and the areas you have unlocked, and
• the purchase receipts Apple or Google provide, to confirm each purchase.

We use this only to provide your purchases, keep it while you have an account, and delete it when you delete your account (see Delete your data). This information is stored on Microsoft Azure in the UK.

Sending diagnostics (test versions)

Test versions of the app, used by people helping us test it, have a "Send diagnostics" option. Only if you choose to use it, it sends us the app's log and its record of your recent photos – including where you were standing (GPS) and the compass readings – and, if you leave that box ticked, the photos themselves. We use these only to find and fix problems, keep them no longer than 12 months, and you can ask us to delete them at any time. The version of the app in the App Store and Google Play does not include this option.

Legal basis

We process the small amount of information we receive to provide the app and your purchases to you (performance of a contract), and diagnostics only with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

Your rights

You can ask us for a copy of the information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it, by emailing support@viewscanner.app. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).

Children

View Scanner is not aimed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from them.

Changes to this policy

If we change how the app uses information, we will update this page and the date at the top before the change takes effect.