Effective Date: February 15, 2026 | Last Updated: October 8, 2026
CarbonAware ("the App", "we", "our") is a personal carbon footprint tracking application developed by SA Mobile. This Privacy Policy describes what data the App collects, how it is used, and your choices regarding that data.
We do not collect personal information such as your name, email address, phone number, or account credentials. The App does not require you to create an account.
A random identifier is created on your device to deliver messages between Apps you choose to connect with. It is not linked to your name, email, or any account, and it is deleted when you uninstall the App.
The App collects location data to calculate carbon emissions from your transportation and daily activities. This includes:
Location data is collected continuously in the background while the App is installed, including when the App is not in the foreground. This is necessary for passive transport mode detection, which is a core feature of the App.
The App uses Android's Activity Recognition API and on-device machine learning to detect your mode of transportation (walking, cycling, driving, public transit, etc.). This includes:
This data is processed and stored entirely on your device.
If your device supports ambient environmental sensing, the App may collect ambient conditions (such as temperature or light) to provide environmental context for carbon calculations. This data is stored locally on your device.
You may optionally provide information to refine your carbon estimates, such as vehicle details, household energy preferences, or physical calibration metrics. This data is stored locally on your device and is not transmitted without your explicit direction.
If you invite someone and they join, your Apps connect and exchange limited information needed to do so, such as an identifier and a randomly generated nickname.
Beyond that, the App shares your information — such as location, activity, or carbon data — with another person or service only if you choose to, and only what you choose. You can turn off any such sharing at any time.
The App integrates the following third-party services, each of which has its own privacy policy:
| Category | What they receive | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weather services | Approximate location (coarse geographic area) | Local weather for emissions context |
| Map data services (open map databases) | A precise location with a search radius | Nearby roads, stops, and buildings, used to detect how you travel |
| Address lookup (your phone's built-in service: Google on Android, Apple on iOS) | A precise location | Turning a position into a street address |
| Transit and bike-share data services | Regional transit feed identifier | Public transport and bike-share context |
| Energy data services | Your electricity region | Local grid emissions and energy prices |
| Our map data network (carbonaware.app) | Regional map tiles for your general area | Offline map context; tiles are public data |
Vehicle data services receive only the vehicle make and model you enter. To ask which specific services are in a category, contact us.
All data collected is used exclusively for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Data Used |
|---|---|
| Calculate your estimated carbon emissions | Location, activity, transport mode, vehicle info, home energy data |
| Detect your mode of transportation | Location, activity recognition, on-device ML models |
| Display your carbon history and trends | Locally stored emission calculations |
| Suggest personalized reduction strategies | Carbon calculations, user preferences |
| Connect with people you invite | Identifier and nickname (via Firebase Cloud Messaging) |
We do not use your data for:
The App contains no third-party analytics or usage-tracking SDK. Learning and model improvement happen entirely on your device and are never transmitted. We do not track which screens you visit, how long you use the App, or any other usage behavior.
All carbon tracking data, location history, activity data, and user preferences are stored in an encrypted local database on your device. This data:
Messages between connected Apps are routed through Firebase Cloud Messaging. These messages are transient and are not stored permanently by our Firebase project.
The App maintains local diagnostic logs on your device. These logs are stored only on your device, are not transmitted, and are deleted automatically.
We share data only in the following limited circumstances:
| Recipient | Data Shared | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| People you connect with (via Firebase Cloud Messaging) | Identifier and nickname; anything else only if you choose to share it | Connecting and sharing (Section 2.6) |
| Google (Maps SDK) | Map tile requests | Map display |
| Weather services | Approximate location (coarse geographic area) | Weather data retrieval (Section 4.4) |
| Map data services; your phone's address lookup | Precise location | Nearby travel context; street addresses (Section 4.4) |
| Transit, bike-share, and energy data services; our map data network | Your region, or the map area you are in | Local transport, energy, and map context (Section 4.4) |
We do not:
You can revoke location permissions at any time through your device's Settings. Note that the App's core carbon tracking functionality requires location access to detect transportation modes.
You may choose to grant only foreground location access. Background location enables passive, automatic transport tracking. Without it, the App can only track when actively open.
You can revoke the activity recognition permission through your device's Settings. This will reduce the accuracy of transport mode detection.
Body sensors (heart rate, step counter) are optional. The App functions fully without these permissions.
Uninstalling the App from your device permanently deletes all locally stored data, including:
There is no residual data on any server after uninstallation, as the App does not maintain user accounts or cloud-stored personal data.
You can turn off any sharing you have chosen at any time (Section 2.6). When you uninstall the App, its connections end.
The App is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect data from children. Since the App does not collect personal information or require account creation, there is no mechanism through which a child's personal data could be stored or transmitted.
We take the following measures to protect your data:
The App's Firebase services are hosted in the United States. The following data may be processed in the US:
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or other jurisdiction with data protection laws, please note that Google LLC operates these Firebase services and processes data in accordance with its own privacy policies and applicable data processing agreements.
If you are a California resident, you have the right to:
Since the App does not collect personal information (no name, email, account, financial data, or advertising identifiers), most CCPA provisions do not apply. Location data is stored on your device. Individual location points are sent to the services described in Section 4.4 to fetch local information; we do not sell location data or use it for advertising.
If you are located in the EEA or UK:
For GDPR inquiries, contact us at the address below.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected by an updated "Last Updated" date at the top of this document. If we make material changes to how we handle your data, we will notify you through the App.
Your continued use of the App after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
All carbon emission estimates provided by the App are approximations for educational and informational purposes only. They should not be relied upon for regulatory compliance, carbon credit verification, or official reporting. Calculation methodologies are based on publicly available emission factors and may not reflect your exact circumstances.
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the App's data practices, please contact us at:
Email: [email protected]