How the Circuit Skipper app handles your data.

Last updated 23 July 2026

This policy covers the Circuit Skipper iOS and Android apps and the cloud backend that supports them. For the marketing website at circuitskipper.com, see the website privacy page.

Circuit Skipper is published by Obanite Technologies LLC ("we" / "us"). Contact: circuitskipper@obanite.com.

Account model

By default, your Circuit Skipper account is anonymous: we create an opaque device identifier the first time you open the app and tie your boats, photos, and chats to it. We don't ask for your name, phone number, address, or social account.

You can optionally add an email address so you can recover your data after reinstalling the app or switching phones. We use the email only to send you a one-time login code; we don't market to it.

What we collect

• Device identifier. An app-generated random ID that anchors your account. Not the device's IDFA or advertising ID.
• Email address (optional). Only if you opt into email recovery.
• Vessel data. Boat configurations you create — equipment, systems, wiring, notes, logs, and open review items.
• Photos you attach or upload for boats, systems, logs, Smart Add, or Skipper. Stored in our AWS S3 bucket in us-east-1.
• Voice notes. When on-device transcription is available, the app can send the resulting transcript. Otherwise, the raw recording is sent to OpenAI for transcription.
• Skipper data. Questions, recent chat and answers, attached photos, voice recordings or transcripts, and the assembled vessel, system, wiring, note, log, and review context used to answer.
• Live Skipper data. Microphone audio, camera video, and the resulting conversation transcript. The transcript is saved in your Skipper chat and can be used as context for later online questions.
• AI data-sharing choice. On iOS, we store whether you allowed OpenAI data sharing.
• Subscription status. Whether you're on Free or Pro, managed through RevenueCat.
• Crash and performance telemetry. When something goes wrong we record the error, the screen you were on, and basic device info (model, OS version). We don't collect screen contents.
• Server logs. Standard request logs (timestamp, route, status code, anonymous user ID) kept for operational debugging.

How we use it

• Run the app and store your boats, photos, logs, and chats.
• Send authorized data to OpenAI to answer questions, transcribe voice, identify equipment, create searchable automatic photo captions, and provide Live Skipper assistance.
• Process payments through Apple App Store or Google Play, with RevenueCat tracking your entitlement so we can restore Pro after a reinstall.
• Diagnose crashes and slow requests so we can fix bugs.

How OpenAI requests are routed

Most OpenAI requests pass through Circuit Skipper's backend. Live Skipper connects directly to OpenAI using a short-lived token issued by our backend. OpenAI may retrieve a Skipper photo directly from our first-party AWS S3 storage using a short-lived presigned download URL. Inline or backend-proxied image data is used as a fallback.

On iOS, Circuit Skipper asks before sharing data with OpenAI. If you choose Not Now, the requested AI action is cancelled. You can allow or revoke permission in Tools → App data. Revocation blocks future OpenAI requests from the iOS app. It cannot recall data already sent and does not affect Android devices signed in to the same account.

Who we share with

We don't sell your data. We don't run ad networks or analytics SDKs. We share data only with the third-party processors we need to run the service:

• Amazon Web Services (us-east-1, account we control) — storage, compute, logs.
• OpenAI — answers, transcription, equipment identification, searchable photo captions, and Live Skipper assistance. OpenAI does not use API data to train its models by default unless Obanite opts in. See OpenAI's API data controls.
• RevenueCat — subscription state and restore.
• Apple and Google — billing and store delivery, per their own privacy practices.

Crash and performance telemetry is handled by our own backend (AWS, above) — we don't send it to a third-party crash-reporting service.

We require processors, through applicable service agreements and data processing terms, to protect personal data to the same or an equal standard required by this policy and applicable law.

How long we keep it

We retain operational data indefinitely so we can debug rare issues, audit AI behavior over time, and improve the app. Content you control is deleted when you delete it:

• Vessels and photos — until you delete them in-app or delete your account.
• Skipper chats and saved Live transcripts — until you delete them in-app or delete your account.
• Server logs — retained indefinitely. Logs reference your opaque device ID, not your name or email.
• Backups — purged within 30 days of you deleting the source data, so account deletion really does take your data out of our systems.
• Crash reports — error, screen, and basic device info kept on our own backend as anonymized diagnostics, referenced by your opaque device ID.
• OpenAI API data — OpenAI may retain content in abuse monitoring logs for up to 30 days by default, unless law requires longer retention. The Responses API can also retain application state for at least 30 days under its default settings. Retention varies by endpoint. OpenAI does not use API data for model training by default unless Obanite opts in.

If you're in the EU, UK, or California and want a specific piece of data removed, see Your choices below — your deletion rights override our default retention.

Your choices

• Stay anonymous — don't link an email. You give up cross-device recovery in exchange.
• Delete a single boat or chat from inside the app at any time.
• Delete your account from Tools → Account → Delete Account. This wipes your boats, photos, chats, and account record from our backend. Backups roll off within 30 days. Subscription cancellation has to happen separately through Apple or Google.
• Manage subscription — Tools → Account → Manage Subscription opens the Apple or Google subscription screen.
• Allow or revoke OpenAI data sharing on iOS — Tools → App data. Revocation applies to future iOS requests. It does not recall data already sent and does not affect Android devices on the same account.

Children

Circuit Skipper is not directed at children under 13 and we don't knowingly collect data from them. If you believe a child has used the app, email us and we'll delete the account.

International users

Our servers are in the United States (AWS us-east-1). If you're outside the US, using the app means your data is processed in the US.

EU / UK (GDPR): our lawful basis is the contract you enter when you use the app, plus our legitimate interest in keeping it running. You have the right to access, correct, export, or delete your data — email us and we'll handle it within 30 days.

California (CCPA / CPRA): we don't sell or "share" your personal information as those terms are defined under California law. You have the right to know, delete, and correct; exercise them by emailing us.

Security

Data in transit is encrypted with TLS. Data at rest in S3 and DynamoDB is encrypted with AWS-managed keys. We don't promise the impossible, but we follow the standard practices for an app of this size.

Changes

If this policy changes materially, we'll update the date at the top and call out what changed. Continued use of the app after a change means you accept the new version.

Contact

Privacy questions, deletion requests, or any other concern: circuitskipper@obanite.com.