Trailbuddy privacy policy
Last updated 21 October 2026
- Your pictures and videos stay on your own device unless you choose to share them.
- There are no ads, no tracking and no analytics.
- You don't need an account. Sharing uses a key created on your device.
- Anything you share is public.
Who we are
Trailbuddy is an app for getting pictures off trail cameras and sharing them with family and hunting friends. It is made by Nearhood, which also runs the servers used for sharing. Questions about this policy: CONTACT_EMAIL.
What stays on your device
- Pictures and videos you download from a camera or memory card, or import, are stored in Trailbuddy's library on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
- Settings, such as your camera's address and WiFi password, the name of your collective and your username.
- Your sharing key, kept in your device's keychain.
- A diagnostic log that helps fix connection problems. It is never sent anywhere unless you copy it and send it to us yourself.
Permissions the app asks for
- Bluetooth: to find your trail camera and wake its WiFi.
- Location: Apple requires this before an app may read the name of the WiFi network you are on. Trailbuddy only uses it to check that you are connected to your camera. Your location is never stored or sent.
- Local network: to talk to your camera over its own WiFi.
- Photos (add only): to save pictures to your Photos app when you ask it to. Trailbuddy cannot read your photo library.
- Files and memory cards: only the files and folders you choose.
What happens when you share
Sharing is optional. When you share a picture or clip:
- The file is made smaller and its hidden details, such as camera name, location and original file name, are removed.
- It is uploaded to Nearhood's media server and stored there.
- A post is published on Nearhood's relay, a server using the open Nostr protocol. The post contains your caption, the link to the file, the time, your public sharing key, and your feed code or collective name.
- If you set a username, it is published with your public sharing key so others can see who posted.
Shared posts and files are public: anyone with your feed link or collective name can see them, and Nostr posts can be copied by other servers. Do not share anything you want to keep private.
Nearhood's servers record technical data, such as IP addresses and the time of each request, to keep the service running and stop abuse. They are used only to run the service and prevent abuse.
Removing your data
- Delete pictures from the app, or delete the app, to remove everything stored on your device.
- Resetting your sharing account creates a new identity. Your old posts stay public under the old one.
- To have shared files or posts removed from Nearhood's servers, email CONTACT_EMAIL with your public key (Settings, Advanced). We cannot remove copies held by other Nostr servers.
Testing the app
If you test Trailbuddy through Apple's TestFlight, Apple shares crash reports and any feedback you send with us. Apple's own privacy policy covers TestFlight.
Children
Trailbuddy is not meant for children under 13.
Changes
If this policy changes, the date at the top changes too.