Privacy Policy
Short version: DepthGaze does all camera processing on your phone, and the app sends us nothing. We operate no servers for the app: no photos, camera frames, sensor readings, usage analytics, or personal information from the app ever reach Sorte. The app's only network activity is: (1) the app store's standard check, on each launch, of whether your account owns the Pro upgrade (Section 7); and (2) only if you opt in to Save Location With Photos, one coarsened geocoder lookup per photo save (Section 6). The depthgaze.com website has its own limited data flows — the waitlist and support email (Section 13) and a cookie-less page-view counter (Section 9).
1. What we collect
Short answer: the app sends us nothing; its two network calls are listed below.
DepthGaze is an on-device app. All image processing, analysis, and enhancement happens on your phone's CPU and GPU. No camera frames, sensor readings, or app-state data are transmitted to any server we operate — we operate no servers for the app at all. The app's only network activity is the app store's Pro-status check on each launch (Section 7) and, if you opt in, the Save Location With Photos geocoder lookup (Section 6). If you enable Save Location, location data is collected on your device and written into your own photos (Section 6) — it is not sent to Sorte.
2. Camera and microphone access
The app requests camera access to provide real-time visibility enhancement. Microphone access is optional and only used when you record video with audio.
- Camera frames are processed in real time and are never transmitted, uploaded, or stored beyond your active session unless you save them.
- Microphone audio is only captured during video recording, and saved with the video file to your device.
- You can revoke either permission at any time via your device settings.
3. Device sensors
The app may access:
- Accelerometer — to display tilt angle and adapt processing.
- Ambient light sensor — to adapt display brightness for bright outdoor use.
Sensor readings are used in real time only. They are not recorded or transmitted.
4. Saved settings
The app saves your preferences locally on your device (Android DataStore / iOS UserDefaults). This includes things like your selected mode, slider positions, and toggle states, plus a record of which numbered version of the in-app safety and terms acknowledgement you accepted and when. This data stays on your device and is wiped when you uninstall the app or clear its data via system settings.
5. Photos and videos
When you save a photo or record a video, the file goes directly to your device's photo gallery. We do not upload, share, or process captures after they are saved. Saved files are yours, in standard formats, on your device.
Be aware that saved photos contain metadata written on your device: standard EXIF fields (date, camera parameters), optional location data if you enable Save Location With Photos (Section 6), and two small audit fields — DG-Safety-V and DG-Safety-At — recording which numbered version of the in-app safety acknowledgement you had accepted and when the photo was saved. Saved images also carry a visible mode chip identifying the enhancement mode used (and, on the free tier, a DepthGaze watermark), so that anyone viewing the image can tell it is an enhanced rendering. None of this metadata is transmitted to Sorte, but it stays inside the image file if you share it. You can strip metadata with your device's or a third-party editing tool before sharing.
6. Optional location tagging
If you turn on the optional Save Location With Photos setting (a Pro feature), the app reads your device's last-known GPS fix at the moment of capture and writes it into the saved photo's EXIF metadata. The precision of those coordinates is determined by your Android permission choice — Android 12 and later show a Precise / Approximate dual prompt when you grant location access, and DepthGaze honours whichever you pick. If you grant Approximate, Android coarsens the coordinates before delivery; if you grant Precise, full-precision coordinates are written to the EXIF.
When network is available, the app also calls your device's system geocoder (a Google service) to resolve a suburb-level place name and write it into the saved photo's user-comment field. The query sent to the geocoder is coarsened to approximately 500 metres before transmission, so the geocoder server never receives your precise coordinates even if you granted Precise location to the app. If you keep Save Location off, the app makes no location-related network calls at any point.
The Save Location toggle is off by default. The Settings panel makes the network-call disclosure visible whenever the toggle is on.
7. Purchases (Pro upgrade)
DepthGaze offers an optional one-time Pro upgrade sold through the official app store (Google Play on Android; Apple App Store on iOS). The store — not us — processes the payment: we never see your card details, billing address, or any payment credentials. On each launch the app asks the store's billing service whether your account owns the Pro upgrade, and stores the yes/no answer on your device. This check is standard app-store infrastructure operated by Google or Apple under their own privacy policies; DepthGaze sends it no personal information beyond what the store platform itself already handles for any app purchase.
8. No analytics or tracking (in the app)
The DepthGaze app does not use:
- Google Analytics or any other analytics SDK.
- Advertising SDKs or ad networks.
- Crash reporting services.
- Social media tracking pixels.
- Fingerprinting, device identifiers, or behavioural tracking of any kind.
9. Third parties (website only)
The DepthGaze app itself sends no data to Sorte, so no third-party data sharing arises from app use beyond the app-store billing check and optional geocoder lookup described in Sections 6 and 7, which are operated by Google or Apple under their own privacy policies.
The depthgaze.com website uses three third parties:
- Netlify (website and waitlist-form host, US-based) — processes waitlist email addresses on our behalf (Section 13).
- Namecheap Private Email (support mailbox host, US-based) — processes support correspondence on our behalf (Section 13).
- Cloudflare Web Analytics — a privacy-focused, cookie-less script loaded by our web pages (including this one) that gives us aggregate page-view counts. It sets no cookies, stores no persistent identifier on your device, and does not track you across sites.
None of these is used for advertising or behavioural tracking.
10. Children's privacy
The app is not directed at children under 13, and our Terms of Service require users to be at least 13 (or older where local law requires). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children: the app sends Sorte no personal information from any user, and the only personal data it handles — optional location written into your own photos (Section 6) — stays on the device. If you believe a child has provided us personal information through the website (Section 13), contact us and we will delete it.
11. International users and cross-border flows
All camera processing is local and Sorte receives no personal data from the app, so the app itself involves no transfer of your data to us across borders. The limited, disclosed flows that do cross borders are:
- The optional geocoder lookup (Section 6), sent from your device to a Google service with coordinates coarsened to ~500 m.
- The app store's Pro-status billing check (Section 7), handled by Google or Apple under their own privacy policies.
- Website email flows (Sections 9 and 13), hosted by US-based providers (Netlify and Namecheap).
Sorte Pty Ltd is established in Australia. Given the minimal personal data we process about EU and UK users (email correspondence only), we rely on the occasional-processing exemption in Article 27(2)(a) of the GDPR and UK GDPR and have not appointed an EU or UK representative; we will appoint one if our processing changes.
12. Your rights and controls
Data on your device (which we never receive):
- Access — your saved preferences are visible in the app's Settings panel.
- Deletion — clear all data via Settings → Reset All Settings, or by uninstalling the app.
- Portability — your captured photos and videos are standard files on your device.
- Objection — revoke camera, microphone, or location permissions at any time via your device settings.
Data Sorte actually holds (website email only, Section 13): you can ask us to access, correct, or delete your waitlist entry or support correspondence at any time by emailing support@depthgaze.com. We will act on your request within 30 days. These rights arise under the Australian Privacy Act 1988, the GDPR and UK GDPR where they apply to you, and any equivalent privacy law of the place where you live.
13. Email correspondence (this website only)
If you join the waitlist on this website, we collect your email address solely to email you when DepthGaze launches and at major product milestones. We do not share your email with third parties. Each email contains a one-click unsubscribe link. Waitlist submissions are processed by Netlify, our website host.
If you contact us at support@depthgaze.com, we receive your email through Namecheap Private Email. We use the contents to respond to your inquiry. We do not share support correspondence with third parties. We keep personal information only as long as it is needed: waitlist addresses until you unsubscribe or the waitlist is closed out after launch, and support emails for as long as needed to handle your inquiry or for our own records of significant issues. You can ask us to delete a specific correspondence at any time (Section 12).
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected in the effective date at the top of this page. If a change materially affects how the app handles your data, it will also be presented through the versioned in-app acknowledgement described in the Terms of Service (Section 11) before you continue using the app. Continued use of the website after non-material changes constitutes acceptance.
15. Contact and complaints
The entity responsible for this policy is Sorte Pty Ltd (ACN 104 880 346) as trustee for the dos Santos Family Trust (ABN 66 826 239 450), 17 First Street, North Moonta, South Australia, Australia — publisher of DepthGaze.
For privacy questions or requests, contact us at support@depthgaze.com. If you have a privacy complaint, contact us first — we aim to respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response: in Australia, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au); in the UK, to the Information Commissioner's Office; in the EU/EEA, to your local data-protection authority.