SafeNav Privacy Policy
Effective date: 2026-04-20 Last updated: 2026-04-20
SafeNav is a navigation app that helps drivers in Australia avoid dangerous right turns and unprotected crossings. This policy describes what data the app handles, where it goes, and the choices you have.
We have tried to keep this policy short and plain. If anything is unclear, email us at feedback@safenav.com.au.
The short version
- SafeNav has no user accounts. You do not sign up, sign in, or give us a name.
- Your precise location is used to plan routes and guide you during navigation. It is sent to our map provider (Mapbox) and to our own server (for intersection safety lookups) while you are using the app. It is not sent anywhere else, not stored for advertising, and not sold.
- Search queries you type in the destination field are sent to Google Places so the autocomplete suggestions work.
- If you rate a trip on the arrival screen, we receive your thumbs-up or thumbs-down. We receive the trip's origin, destination, and route shape only if you tick the "Include trip details" box on that specific submission. The box is off by default every time.
- Crash reports are collected automatically so we can fix bugs. They contain no name, email, or IP address.
- No third-party advertising. No third-party analytics beyond Sentry. No data broker partnerships.
1. What we collect, and why
1.1 Precise location (GPS)
When: While SafeNav is open and you are planning or following a route. Why: To place you on the map, to set your starting point when you use "Your location", to guide you turn by turn, and to detect if you have gone off-route. Where it goes:
- On your device, for the map, for the navigation UI, and for the off-route check.
- To Mapbox (our map and navigation provider) as part of route requests and as your live position during navigation. See Mapbox's privacy policy at https://www.mapbox.com/legal/privacy.
- To our own server (
safenavapi.gpa555.com, hosted on Google Cloud Platform in the Australia Southeast region) as a list of latitude/longitude points along your route, so we can ask the OpenStreetMap database which intersections have traffic lights. These points are used for the safety check and are not stored after the request is served. Background location: SafeNav requests background location only so navigation keeps working when the phone screen is off or you switch apps briefly. It stops when you end navigation.
1.2 Destination searches
When: You type into the destination or origin field. Why: To suggest addresses and places as you type. Where it goes: To Google Places (autocomplete and place details) with a session token. See https://policies.google.com/privacy. What we keep: Nothing. Google returns suggestions; the app shows them.
1.3 Saved places
When: You tap "Set Home", "Set Work", or "Add" to save a place. Why: So you can reuse them with one tap later. Where it goes: Stored only on your device, encrypted using AES-GCM with a key held in the iOS Keychain. Nothing about saved places is sent to our servers. Delete: Long-press any saved place in the app to remove it. Deleting the app removes all saved places.
1.4 Search history
When: You complete a destination search. Why: So past searches appear in the suggestions list. Where it goes: Stored only on your device, AES-GCM encrypted. Not sent to our servers. Delete: Deleting the app removes all history.
1.5 Arrival feedback (optional, per-trip)
When: After you arrive at a destination, SafeNav may show a card asking how the trip went. What we receive if you tap thumbs-up: a rating of "positive", your app version. That is all. What we receive if you tap thumbs-down: a rating of "negative", the category you pick (for example "Wrong turn detected"), any text you write, and your app version. What happens to trip details: The thumbs-down card has a toggle labelled "Include trip details (origin, destination, route shape)". This toggle is off by default every time the card appears, and we never remember your previous choice. If you turn it on before submitting, we also receive:
- The origin string (e.g. "Your location" or a street address)
- The destination string
- The route's shape as an encoded polyline (a list of latitude/longitude points along the route)
We use feedback to find and fix bugs, improve the safety analysis, and prioritise features. It is not used for advertising.
1.6 Crash reports and performance data
When: The app crashes or hits a handled error. Plus a small sample of normal session traces for performance monitoring (about 20% of sessions) and profiling (about 5%). Why: So we can find and fix bugs before they affect more users. Where it goes: To Sentry (https://sentry.io/privacy/). What is included: stack traces, device model, iOS version, app version, a non-identifying install ID generated by the Sentry SDK. What is excluded: your Apple ID, your email, your name, your IP address, your precise location, the contents of saved places, and search queries. Sentry's "send default PII" setting is disabled in SafeNav.
2. What we do not do
- No user accounts. We do not collect your name, email, phone, Apple ID, or any other identifier by which you could be looked up.
- No advertising. SafeNav does not show ads. We do not share any data with advertising networks.
- No third-party analytics beyond Sentry. No Firebase, no Google Analytics, no Meta SDK, no TikTok SDK.
- No data sales. We do not sell personal information.
- No cross-app or cross-device tracking. We do not operate tracking pixels or device graphs.
- No contact, photo, microphone, or calendar access. SafeNav does not request these permissions.
3. Who processes your data on our behalf
| Third party | What they receive | For what | Privacy policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mapbox (Mapbox Inc., USA) | Route requests, live position during navigation | Map tiles, directions, turn-by-turn navigation | https://www.mapbox.com/legal/privacy |
| Google (Google LLC, USA) | Search queries, place ID lookups | Places autocomplete and place details | https://policies.google.com/privacy |
| Sentry (Functional Software, Inc., USA) | Crash reports, performance traces | Bug and performance tracking | https://sentry.io/privacy/ |
| Google Cloud Platform (Australia Southeast region) | Safety lookups, feedback submissions | Hosting our own backend server | https://cloud.google.com/terms/data-processing-addendum |
We do not share your data with any other third parties.
4. How long we keep data
- Navigation requests to our server (the intersection safety lookups): not retained. They are served in real time and discarded.
- Feedback submissions: retained indefinitely in our database while SafeNav is operating, so we can compare reports over time and fix recurring issues. You can request deletion — see section 6.
- Crash reports: retained by Sentry per their default retention (currently 90 days for events, 30 days for performance traces). We do not extend these.
- On-device data (saved places, search history, review-prompt counters): kept on your device until you delete the app or clear it yourself.
5. Children
SafeNav is rated 4+ but is a driving navigation app and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted information (for example via the feedback card), email feedback@safenav.com.au and we will delete it.
6. Your choices and rights
You can:
- Revoke location permission at any time in iOS Settings → SafeNav → Location. The app will stop working until re-granted, because location is required for navigation.
- Choose per-trip what feedback you share. The "Include trip details" toggle on the arrival card is off by default every time — leaving it off means we only receive your rating, category, and any text you wrote.
- Delete saved places and history by deleting the app.
- Request deletion of your past feedback submissions. Email feedback@safenav.com.au from any address and describe approximately when the feedback was submitted (we have no account to look you up by, so a rough time window is what we can act on). We will delete matching rows within 30 days.
- Request a copy of any feedback we have associated with you. Same email, same constraint: without an account we can only search by submission time.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws such as the Australian Privacy Act, the EU GDPR, or the California Consumer Privacy Act. Our contact email applies for any such request.
7. Security
- API traffic to our server uses HTTPS with a Let's Encrypt certificate and is authenticated with a server-side key, so the server only accepts requests from the app.
- Saved places, search history, and trip-log data on the device are encrypted at rest using AES-GCM with a key stored in the iOS Keychain.
- The Mapbox access token in the app is a public token intended to be embedded in mobile apps, scoped to the APIs SafeNav needs.
No system is perfectly secure. If you find a security issue, please email feedback@safenav.com.au instead of disclosing it publicly.
8. Changes to this policy
We will update this page when SafeNav's data practices change. The "Last updated" date at the top will move and, for material changes, the app will surface a notice on next launch.
9. Contact
SafeNav Email: feedback@safenav.com.au
If you have a complaint about how we handle personal information and you are in Australia, you can also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at https://www.oaic.gov.au.