Privacy Policy – Weather Lab

Effective date: 22 October 2026

Hectopixel built the Weather Lab app as an Ad Supported app. This SERVICE is provided by Hectopixel at no cost and is intended for use as is.

This page is used to inform users regarding our policies with the collection, use, processing, deletion, and disclosure of Personal Information if anyone decides to use our Service. Hectopixel is the controller of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy, except for data that third-party services process under their own responsibility (see “Third Party Services”).

We collect and process information only as described in this Privacy Policy. We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect and Process

We may collect and process the following types of information when you use the Service:

Location data: if you allow access to your device location, the app uses your precise location to show the weather where you are. With your permission, location may also be used while the app is in the background, so that home-screen widgets, the weather notification, and weather alerts stay up to date for your current place. You can use the app without location access by searching for a place instead, and you can withdraw the permission at any time in your device settings. Places you search for or save are stored on your device.
Weather requests: to provide forecasts, radar, weather warnings, and station observations, the app sends the coordinates of the place you are viewing (rounded to about 10 meters) to our weather server. To show a place name for a point on the map or for a widget, coordinates may also be sent to a reverse-geocoding service (BigDataCloud) or to your device’s built-in geocoding service (provided by Apple or Google). Map images are loaded from OpenFreeMap. We do not use these requests to build a history of your movements, and we do not store your coordinates in our user database.
Installation and device information: a random installation identifier generated by the app, the platform (iOS or Android), app version, the dates of first and most recent use, the number of app launches, whether a radar widget is placed, and, on iOS, a push notification token. We use this data to operate the Service, refresh home-screen widgets when new weather data is available, and understand how many people use the app.
Usage statistics: unless you turn them off, the app sends us information about how you use and set up the app. This includes which tabs and sections you have, which templates, forecast models, and settings they use, which widget types you have placed, actions such as adding, removing, or reordering sections, switching forecast models, opening screens, installing items from the gallery, and the result of a subscription purchase or a watched ad. It also includes general information such as your device’s time zone, language, operating system version, how long the app has been installed, and how many times it has been launched. Usage statistics do not include your location or coordinates, the names of places or tabs, the content of sections you create, or anything else you type. They are linked to the random installation identifier, not to your account, name, or email address. We use them only to understand which features are used and to decide what to improve. You can turn usage statistics off at any time in the app under Settings → Privacy → Share usage statistics. Data already collected is then kept only for the retention period described below.
Account data: the app automatically creates an anonymous account so that your custom sections and settings can be saved and restored. If you choose to sign in with Apple, Google, or your email address, we also process your email address, your name (if provided by the sign-in service), and the identifier assigned to you by that sign-in service. If you sign in by email, we send a one-time login code to that email address.
Content you create and share: custom sections, widget designs, and templates you create are stored on your device and, to restore them on your other devices, on our server. If you share a section via a link or publish it to the in-app gallery, its name, description, and content become available to other users.
Feedback: if you rate the app or contact support from within the app, we receive your rating, your message, your email address (only if you enter it), and diagnostic information such as the app version, platform, device model, and operating system version.
Advertising-related data: because the app is ad supported, Google AdMob may process information such as advertising identifiers, device information, approximate location derived from IP address, ad interactions, and other data needed to show, measure, limit, and improve advertisements. Where required by law, ads are personalized only with your consent (see “Advertising and Your Choices”).
Log data: when the app communicates with our server, the server may record technical log data, such as your device’s Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, the time of the request, the requested address (which for weather requests includes coordinates), and the app version.

Purpose of Processing User Data

We process user data for the following purposes:

to provide and operate the Service, including forecasts, radar, maps, weather alerts, widgets, and notifications for the places you choose;
to save, synchronize, and restore your custom sections, settings, and account;
to let you share or publish sections, and to review sections submitted to the gallery;
to display advertisements and support the free version of the Service;
to measure ad performance, prevent fraud, and comply with advertising platform requirements;
to understand how the Service is used and improve the app, features, performance, and user experience;
to protect the Service against abuse and to detect, diagnose, and fix technical issues and errors;
to respond to your feedback and support requests, including requests regarding your personal data.

Legal Basis for Processing

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we process personal data on the following legal bases: performance of a contract (providing the features of the Service you use, such as forecasts for your location, your account, and content synchronization); consent (access to your device location, personalized advertising, and app tracking on iOS – you can withdraw consent at any time); and our legitimate interests (operating, securing, and improving the Service, including usage statistics, which you can turn off at any time; showing non-personalized ads to fund the free Service, and responding to your requests).

Advertising and Your Choices

The app shows ads provided by Google AdMob. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the app asks for your consent before personalized ads are shown, using Google’s consent tool. You can review or change your choices at any time in the app under Settings → Privacy choices. On iOS, the app asks for permission to track via Apple’s App Tracking Transparency; if you decline, the advertising identifier is not shared. You can also reset or limit your advertising identifier in your device settings. If you decline personalization, you will still see ads, but they will be less relevant to you.

Third Party Services

The app uses third-party services that may collect and process information used to identify you or your device. These third-party services process data according to their own privacy policies.

Link to privacy policy of third-party service providers used by the app:

How We Process and Store Data

Your settings, saved places, and layouts are stored on your device; if usage statistics are on, a summary of your layout and settings (without place or tab names) is also sent to our server. Account data, installation information, usage statistics, content you choose to synchronize or share, and feedback are stored on servers operated by us. Advertising data is processed by Google. Some third-party service providers, such as Google and Apple, may process data outside your country, including outside the European Economic Area; in such cases they rely on safeguards required by law, such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.

Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We may share or make data available to third-party service providers only when necessary to operate the Service, provide advertising, or comply with legal obligations. Content you publish to the gallery or share via a link is visible to the people you share it with or to all users, respectively.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Service does not use cookies explicitly. However, the app uses third-party code and libraries, in particular for advertising, that may use cookies, advertising identifiers, or similar technologies. You can control these technologies through the consent options described in “Advertising and Your Choices” and through your device settings.

Data Retention

We keep account data, synchronized content, and installation information for as long as you use the Service or until you delete your account. Feedback is kept for as long as needed to handle it and improve the app. Usage statistics are deleted automatically after 13 months. Server log data is kept only for as long as needed to operate and secure the Service, diagnose technical problems, and investigate abuse or security incidents. Content you published to the gallery may remain available after you delete your account, as described in the app. Advertising data is retained by Google for the periods described in its privacy policy. When data is no longer needed for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, we delete or anonymize it.

Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access your personal data, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict or object to its processing, to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal. To exercise these rights, contact us at support@hectopixel.com. If you are in the European Economic Area, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, for example in the country where you live.

How to Delete Your Personal Data

You can delete your account directly in the app under Account → Delete account. This permanently deletes your account and your unpublished sections. Usage statistics are not linked to your account, so they are not removed by this; they are deleted automatically after 13 months. Uninstalling the app removes all data stored on your device.

You may also request deletion of your personal data by sending an email to support@hectopixel.com. Please include the name of the app, “Weather Lab”, and enough information for us to identify the data that should be deleted, such as the email address of your account. After receiving your request, we will delete or anonymize the personal data that we control, unless we need to retain certain information for legal, security, or fraud-prevention reasons. Advertising data controlled by Google can be managed through Google’s own tools and your device’s advertising settings.

Security

We value your trust in providing us your Personal Information, thus we are striving to use commercially acceptable means of protecting it. All communication between the app and our server is encrypted (HTTPS), and access to our server requires authentication. But remember that no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure and reliable, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Links to Other Sites

This Service may contain links to other sites. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that site. Note that these external sites are not operated by us. Therefore, we strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of these websites. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Children’s Privacy

These Services do not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. In the case we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we immediately delete this from our servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we will be able to do necessary actions.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time, for example when we add new features. Thus, you are advised to review this page periodically for any changes. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the effective date above. These changes are effective immediately after they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, suggestions, or requests about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, do not hesitate to contact us at support@hectopixel.com.