Privacy Policy

Effective date: September 17, 2026

Who We Are

DogTalk is an independent app made by James Baker. You can reach me at jbaker00@gmail.com.

Microphone Access

DogTalk asks for microphone permission so it can listen to your dog while you hold the Listen button (up to 15 seconds). While listening, the app reduces the incoming audio to two numbers per fraction of a second — loudness and a rough pitch estimate — and those numbers are used to pick a playful "translation." Specifically:

• The audio samples are never written to disk, never uploaded, and are discarded as soon as they are measured.
• The loudness/pitch measurements exist only in memory during analysis and are discarded immediately afterward.
• The microphone is only active while the app shows "Listening…"; it stops when you tap again, when 15 seconds elapse, or when the app goes to the background.

You can revoke microphone access at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. The app will simply be unable to listen until you re-enable it.

Information We Collect

DogTalk has no accounts and never asks for your name, email, or any other personal details. Translations shown in the app are kept only in memory for the current session and vanish when you close the app. The only data leaving your device comes from two Google services described below.

• Usage analytics: Google Firebase Analytics records anonymous events such as app opens, session length, device model, iOS version, and country. This helps us see which features are used and find crashes. It is not tied to your identity.
• Advertising identifier (IDFA): only if you grant permission through the iOS App Tracking Transparency prompt (see "Advertising" below).

Advertising

The app shows ads served by Google AdMob, which keeps the app free. When you first launch the app, iOS asks whether the app may track you:

• If you allow tracking, the advertising identifier (IDFA) may be used to show more relevant, personalized ads.
• If you decline, you still see ads — just non-personalized ones.

You can change this choice anytime in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking. In the EEA and UK you will also see a consent form for personalized ads. Learn how Google uses information from apps that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. Data is shared only with Google (Firebase Analytics and AdMob) to the extent required to provide analytics and ads, under Google's privacy policy. Microphone audio is never shared with anyone, including Google.

Sharing

If you tap "Share what they said," the text of the translation is handed to the iOS share sheet so you can send it wherever you choose. Nothing is shared unless you initiate it, and no audio is ever included.

Entertainment Disclaimer

DogTalk is a novelty app. Dogs don't speak English, and the "translations," moods, and confidence percentages are playful guesses based on how loud, how long, and how high-pitched the sound was. It is not a behavioral, veterinary, or training tool.

Children's Privacy

DogTalk collects no personal information from anyone, including children under 13.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes materially, this page will be updated and the effective date above revised.