Privacy in the SnowSafe app

Last updated: 5 October 2026 · Deutsche Fassung

This policy covers the SnowSafe app for iOS, Android (Google Play) and Android (HUAWEI AppGallery). For this website, see the privacy information in the legal notice (German).

Controller

First Line Solutions GmbH
Kapellenweg 9
6352 Ellmau, Austria
info@snowsafe.at

In brief

• SnowSafe works without a user account. We ask for neither your name nor your e-mail address.
• We do not run a database of user data and we do not sell data.
• The app contains no advertising network and does not use your device's advertising ID.
• We collect usage statistics only if you agree when you first start the app. You can change this at any time in the app under "Help".
• Your location is not sent to our statistics provider.

Which data the app processes

Loading avalanche bulletins and app content

The app loads avalanche bulletins, region data, images and its configuration from Google Cloud Storage (Google Ireland Ltd., Ireland) and weather station data from avalanche.report (avalanche warning services of the Euregio Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino). For technical reasons your IP address is transmitted to these servers. The legal basis is providing the app (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Location

If you allow location access, the app determines your position to show you the matching avalanche region, your position on the map and the mountain weather for where you are. You can also pick a place by hand instead. The coordinates of the chosen or determined place are

• sent to MetGIS GmbH (Vienna, Austria) to retrieve the point forecast, and
• converted into a place name – by your operating system's service (Apple, Google or Huawei) and, as a fallback, by the Google Geocoding API (Google Ireland Ltd.).

We do not store your location on servers ourselves. The place you chose last is kept on your device only. You can withdraw location access at any time in your device settings. The legal basis is providing the feature you asked for (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Place search

When you search for a place in the app, your search term is sent to GeoNames (Unxos GmbH, Switzerland).

Maps

Map tiles and map layers are loaded directly from their providers: avalanche.report, Thunderforest (Gravitystorm Ltd., United Kingdom), OpenSlopeMap (Germany), MetGIS (Austria) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USA). These providers receive your IP address and the requested map section.

Push notifications

If you allow notifications, your device's push service creates a device identifier (token). The app registers this identifier for the regions and danger levels you want to be notified about. Depending on the app version we use Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google Ireland Ltd.; on iOS also the Apple Push Notification service) or HUAWEI Push Kit (Aspiegel SE, Ireland). You can switch notifications off at any time in the app or in your device settings. The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).

Usage statistics (only with your consent)

When you first start the app we ask whether we may analyse how it is used. Only if you agree do we use Google Analytics for Firebase (Google Ireland Ltd.) or, in the AppGallery version, HUAWEI Analytics Kit (Aspiegel SE, Ireland). Without your consent these services' data collection is switched off.

We record: features and regions you open, the chosen language and map layer, displays of and taps on partner banners, whether a premium subscription exists, as well as device type, operating system, app version, approximate origin (country/region, derived from the IP address) and a random identifier of the app installation. We do not record your coordinates, your name or your device's advertising ID. The data is pseudonymous; we do not combine it with other information about you.

The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, Sec. 165(3) Austrian Telecommunications Act 2021). You can withdraw it at any time in the app under "Help" with the "Share usage statistics" switch. Google stores event data for no longer than 14 months.

Error and crash reports

So that we can find and fix bugs, the app sends a report to Sentry (Functional Software, Inc., USA) when it crashes or an error occurs. It contains device type, operating system, app version, the error message, the technical steps before the error (including the network addresses requested last; we remove location coordinates from them before sending) and, for a small share of sessions, loading-time measurements. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in a stable and secure app (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Reports are deleted after 90 days.

Premium subscription

You make purchases through the Apple App Store, Google Play or HUAWEI AppGallery. Payment details go to the respective store only, not to us. To verify a subscription, the app sends the store's purchase receipt to our service provider iaptic (iOS and Google Play) or queries the status from Huawei. The receipt contains no payment details and no name. The legal basis is performing the subscription contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Partner banners

Without a premium subscription the app occasionally shows a partner's banner. Which banner appears is decided by the app on your device, based on the chosen avalanche region and the language. No advertising profile is built and no data is passed to advertising networks. When the banner image is loaded, the server delivering it receives your IP address. If you tap a banner, the partner's website opens; its own privacy policy applies there.

Camera and inclinometer

The inclinometer can show the camera image as its background. The image is only displayed live on your device; nothing is recorded, stored or transmitted.

HUAWEI watch

If you use the SnowSafe watch app and allow the connection, the app transfers your chosen region and its avalanche bulletin to your watch via Bluetooth. This data does not leave your devices.

Feedback and support

Our support form is run by Zendesk (Zendesk, Inc., USA). When you open it from the app, the app version, operating system, manufacturer and model of your device are filled into the form so that we can help you faster. This information and what you enter yourself are transmitted only when you submit the form. We use it solely to handle your request (Art. 6(1)(b) and (f) GDPR) and delete it once it is no longer needed for that and for statutory retention duties.

Data stored on your device

Your settings – chosen region, favourites, language, the place chosen last, notification settings, your decision on usage statistics and the subscription status – and cached bulletins are kept on your device only. They are deleted when you uninstall the app.

Transfers to countries outside the EU

Some of the providers named above also process data in the USA (Google, Apple, Sentry, Zendesk, U.S. Geological Survey), the United Kingdom (Thunderforest) or Switzerland (GeoNames). For the United Kingdom and Switzerland the European Commission has adopted adequacy decisions. Transfers to the USA rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where the recipient is certified under it, and otherwise on standard contractual clauses.

Your rights

You have the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection, and the right to withdraw consent at any time with effect for the future. To exercise them, contact info@snowsafe.at. As we keep no accounts, we usually cannot link data held by our providers to a person; the identifier of the app installation is reset when you delete and reinstall the app.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In Austria this is the Austrian Data Protection Authority, Barichgasse 40–42, 1030 Vienna.

Changes

If the app or the law changes, we will update this policy. The current version is always available on this page.