Privacy Policy

This policy explains how Idea Heron's apps handle your information. It applies to Tremor and to this website.

Data Idea Heron collects

Tremor has no user accounts, and its requests for earthquake information carry no identifier for you or your device. Idea Heron's servers keep standard records of those requests: the internet (IP) address the request came from, the time, the file requested, whether the request succeeded, and the type of device and software that made it. The alert service keeps similar records of its requests: the IP address, the time, the request and its result, and the random ID for your device (see Notifications below).

Idea Heron uses these records only to operate, secure, and troubleshoot the service. Records of earthquake information requests are kept in private, encrypted storage for up to 90 days, and alert service records for 30 days. The records contain no cookies, and none of this is tied to your name or email address, used to profile you, or used to track you across apps or websites.

If you create saved alerts, Tremor also sends the information described under Notifications and Purchases below.

Location

Tremor can use your location to center the map on you, show your distance and direction from an earthquake, show earthquakes near you, and deliver alerts for quakes near you. This is optional; the app works without it.

Your live location stays on your device. Tremor does not save it or send it anywhere. On iPad, Tremor gets only your approximate location unless you turn on Precise Location for Tremor. On a Mac, Tremor gets only an approximate location.

If you save a Near Me alert, Tremor saves your location at that moment, rounded off so it is accurate only to about 11 kilometers (7 miles). It keeps that rounded point on your device with the alert, and sends it to Idea Heron's alert service along with a fixed area of 150 kilometers (93 miles) around it, so the service can notify you about nearby earthquakes. The point does not follow you as you move and does not identify an address. It is deleted when you delete the alert. You can turn off location access at any time in Settings on iPad or System Settings on Mac.

Notifications

When you save an alert, Tremor sends Idea Heron's alert service your alert choices, whether you use kilometers or miles, a random ID for your device, and the address Apple uses to deliver notifications to it. This alert setup is used only to send you the alerts you ask for, and it does not include your name or email address.

Idea Heron keeps a record of each alert sent to your device for 30 days, so no alert is sent twice and delivery problems can be fixed. Deleting your last saved alert deletes your alert setup and these records.

Alerts are informational. Delivery is not guaranteed. They are not earthquake early warning and must not be relied on for safety-critical decisions.

Earthquake data

To show seismic activity, Tremor retrieves earthquake information from Idea Heron's services. These requests do not include your location or an app-specific identifier. Standard request records may be kept as described under Data Idea Heron collects.

On-device storage

Tremor stores your app settings and a copy of recent earthquakes and seismograms on your device, so the app works quickly and remembers your choices. This data stays on your device and is removed when you delete the app.

Purchases

You buy Tremor's subscription through Apple, and Apple handles the payment under its own privacy policy. Idea Heron never receives your payment details, your name, or your email address. Tremor checks your subscription on your device to open the app.

Where your information is stored

Wherever you use Tremor, the information described in this policy is sent to and stored in servers located in the United States.

Data retention

Records of earthquake information requests are kept for up to 90 days and alert service records for 30 days, in each case only to operate, secure, and troubleshoot the service; both are stored in encrypted form. Alert delivery records are kept for 30 days.

Your device's alert setup is kept while your device has saved alerts and your subscription is active. It is deleted when you delete your last saved alert or when your subscription ends. If Apple reports that your device can no longer receive notifications from Tremor, for example because Tremor was deleted from it, the alert setup is turned off and deleted 30 days later.

If you delete Tremor without first deleting your saved alerts, the alert setup stays on Idea Heron's servers until your subscription ends or until Apple reports that the device can no longer receive notifications. To remove it right away, delete your saved alerts before you delete the app.

Tracking and third parties

Tremor contains no advertising, no analytics, and no third-party tracking software, and the data described above is never used to build a profile of you. Idea Heron does not track you across apps or websites, and never sells or shares your data. This website uses a privacy-first analytics service (see This website below) that measures aggregate traffic without cookies and without identifying you.

Children's privacy

Idea Heron's apps are not directed at children and collect no personal information beyond what is described above, from anyone.

This website

IdeaHeron.com uses Cloudflare Web Analytics to see aggregate traffic, such as page views and which sites link here. It's privacy-first: no cookies, no device identification tricks, no tracking across websites, and nothing that identifies you personally or builds a profile of you. Because it sets no cookies, you still won't see an annoying cookie prompt.

Visitors in the EU are excluded entirely: the analytics script is never loaded for them, so no data about EU visitors is collected.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Contact Idea Heron, the developer of Tremor.