MikaRipple Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 23, 2026

MikaRipple (the "App") is an iOS app for recording your pet's respiratory rate. The App is developed, provided, and operated by GARLAND Inc. (referred to as "the developer" below). The App is designed with your privacy as the top priority.

1. Data reaches the developer's server only through "AI Chat"

Your records are stored on your iPhone. There are no accounts, no ads, and no tracking, and no usage-analytics tools (only purchase records are kept, via RevenueCat, to verify your subscription; see "8. Subscription and purchase records").

Data is sent to the developer's server only when you use "AI Chat" in Pet Secretary after giving your consent (see "7. AI Chat"). In addition, to verify your subscription, purchase records are sent to RevenueCat (a service that records purchases) under a random identifier generated by the App (see "8. Subscription and purchase records"). The App does not attach your name, e-mail address or Apple Account to either (whatever you type into an AI Chat question is sent as you wrote it).

2. Your data is stored on your device

Pet profiles (name, photo, birthday, alert threshold, etc.), measurement records, the care diary (daily notes, photos, videos and to-dos), emergency contacts, raw measurement data (CSV), and AI Chat conversations (questions and answers) are stored on your iPhone. Nothing is stored on the developer's servers.

The app sends your data automatically only in the cases you have turned on. All of them stay inside your own iCloud, and the developer cannot see the contents.

When you start Record Sharing (your records also reach their devices) — see "5. Record Sharing (iCloud)"
When Backup is on (a copy is kept in your own iCloud Drive; this works even if you are not sharing) — see "6. Backup (iCloud Drive)"
While "Also save to Photos" is on in the Pet Secretary settings (measurement videos are copied to your iPhone's Photos library; off by default). Note: once a video is in Photos, if your iPhone's iCloud Photos is on, it is uploaded to your own iCloud too — Apple's mechanism, separate from the backup above

When you send a question in "AI Chat", data is sent to the developer's server and to OpenAI, not to your iCloud (only after you have agreed, and only when you send a question — never automatically) — see "7. AI Chat".

Data also leaves your device when you send it yourself (sharing a summary, exporting a file, and so on) — see "4. Data leaves your device only when you act".

In addition, if you have your iPhone's own backup (iCloud Backup) turned on, this app's data is included in that backup, just like any other app's. This is Apple's mechanism: the copy stays inside your own iCloud, and the developer has no access to it.

3. Camera

The camera is used only to measure your sleeping pet's respiratory rate. The image is analyzed on your device in real time, and the footage used for the analysis is never saved. What is saved during a measurement is a time series of numeric motion values inside the measurement frame (CSV).

However, if you subscribe to Pet Secretary you can keep a video of the measurement (the "Also keep the video" switch on the measurement screen — it lets you look back and check whether the count was right; it is on by default for subscribers). While "Also keep the video" is on, the video of a measurement is saved on this device and is also covered by Record Sharing and Backup (see 5. and 6. below). Turn it off and no video is saved.

4. Data leaves your device only when you act

Data leaves your device in the following cases, each requiring your explicit action:

When you send it yourself

When you send a question in AI Chat (only after you have agreed; the question and a summary of the pet's records go through the developer's server to OpenAI. Note: this goes to the developer's server, not to your iCloud. See 7. below)
When you share a vet summary (such as the PDF report) via the share sheet (AirDrop, email, etc.)
When you export raw measurement data (CSV) via the share sheet (the CSV contains numeric motion data plus the device model, OS version, app version, and any observed count you entered when saving — no video, images, location, or personally identifying information)
When you export the care diary as CSV
When you use Settings → "Transferring your data" to send this device's data as a single file (.mikaripple), which contains your pets and records, the care diary and emergency contacts
When you send photos or videos (one at a time, or selected in the Photos tab and sent as a zip)
When you send a Record Sharing invitation link (QR code) — it contains no records itself
When you open the Maps app from an emergency contact (that contact's name and address are handed to the Maps app)
When you place a call from an emergency contact (the phone number is handed to the Phone app; on a device that cannot call, the number is copied to the clipboard instead)

When the app sends it automatically (only while you have it on)

When you start Record Sharing (see 5. below)
While Backup is on (see 6. below)
While "Also save to Photos" is on in the Pet Secretary settings (measurement videos are copied to your iPhone's Photos library; this is off by default). Note: once a video is in Photos, if your iPhone's iCloud Photos is on, it is uploaded to your own iCloud too — that is Apple's mechanism and is separate from the backup described above

Your iPhone's own backup (iCloud Backup), if you have it on, includes this app's data just like any other app's (see 2. above).

The App's storage folder is also visible in the iOS Files app, so you can inspect and delete your data at any time.

5. Record Sharing (iCloud)

Record Sharing lets someone else see the same pet records on their own devices. It is off by default and becomes active only when you create an invitation or accept one yourself.

It travels through your own iCloud. Nothing is stored on the developer's servers, and the developer cannot see the contents.
What is shared: pet profiles (name, photo, birthday, alert threshold, etc.), measurement records, and the care diary (daily notes, photos, videos and to-dos). Emergency contacts reach the other person only if you agree to share them (nothing is sent until you answer, and you can change it at any time in Settings). Raw measurement data (CSV) is not shared.
You can stop at any time from the Record Sharing screen in the App.
Anyone who has the invitation link (QR code) can join the share. Please do not pass it to anyone you don't want to share with.
Data held in iCloud is governed by Apple's privacy policy.

6. Backup (iCloud Drive)

Backup keeps a copy of your records in your own iCloud Drive so they come back after a new phone or a reinstall. The copy stays inside your own iCloud: nothing is stored on the developer's servers, and the developer cannot see its contents.

It is separate from sharing. It works even if you are not sharing with anyone.
You choose whether it is on. You can change it at any time in Settings → Backup. If you installed the app fresh, it is already on — you agreed to it in the first-run explanation. If you updated from an earlier version, we ask you once, and no copy is made until you answer.
Included: pet profiles, measurement records, the care diary (daily notes and to-dos), photos, and emergency contacts.
Not included: raw measurement data (CSV).
Videos: videos you attach to the diary are not included by default (a single video can be tens of megabytes and fills up iCloud quickly); turn them on in Settings to include them. Measurement videos are small, so they are always included regardless of that setting.
You can see the copy in the iOS Files app under iCloud Drive → "MikaRipple", and delete it yourself. You can also delete it from the Backup screen in the app. Note: deleting from that screen leaves the photos and videos in place (the app cannot tell from your device whether they are safe to remove, so it keeps them on purpose). If you don't need them, delete them from the Files app under iCloud Drive → "MikaRipple".
Turning Backup off does not delete copies already made (it only stops new ones). They also survive deleting the app, so delete them yourself if you want them gone. Conversely, you can restore from a copy that is still there.
Note: restoring merges with what you have now (it does not replace it). Records you deleted after that copy come back, and if you are sharing they come back on their devices too. However, for records the other person deleted, if you restore before that deletion has reached this device, the deletion can remove them again when it arrives (especially likely right after a reinstall).
Data held in iCloud is governed by Apple's privacy policy.

7. AI Chat

AI Chat lets Pet Secretary subscribers ask questions about a pet in plain language. Before the first use, a screen explains what will be sent. Until you agree, neither your question nor your records leave the device. You can withdraw your consent at any time in the Pet Secretary settings.

What is sent: when you send a question, the App builds a text summary of that pet's records on the device and sends it, with the question, to the developer's server. The summary contains:

the pet's name, species, age and breathing-rate threshold
per-day summaries of breathing measurements and care-diary entries (items, scores, text) for up to the 90 most recent days with records
the names of diary items, and reminders with their done/skipped status
the last 3 exchanges of the same conversation
if you use Record Sharing, entries written by the other person are part of the pet's records and are included in the same way (who wrote them is not included)

What is not sent: emergency contacts, photos and videos (nothing about them is sent), raw measurement data, and who wrote an entry. The summary is limited to 8,000 characters; if it cannot be made to fit, nothing is sent.

What happens to it: the developer's server forwards the question and summary to the API of OpenAI, L.L.C. ("OpenAI") and returns the answer to the App. The developer's server does not store questions, summaries or answers. It keeps only what is needed to run the service (random identifiers, usage and token counts, a copy of the subscription status, and standard server access logs); none of these contain pet records or conversation content. The request to OpenAI is made with storage turned off (OpenAI may retain it temporarily for abuse monitoring; OpenAI's handling is governed by the OpenAI Privacy Policy).

Answers are stored on this device (they are not delivered to Record Sharing participants; if Backup is on, they are included in the backup). You can delete conversations one by one or all at once.

AI answers are not a substitute for a veterinarian's diagnosis. The AI is instructed not to diagnose, not to give treatment or medication instructions, not to say it is safe to "wait and see", and to direct health-related answers to a veterinarian; these are instructions to the AI, not a guarantee about its answers. Always consult a veterinarian for decisions about your pet's health.

8. Subscription and purchase records

The Pet Secretary subscription (monthly, auto-renewing) is handled by Apple's in-app purchase system. To verify your subscription, the developer uses RevenueCat (a service that records purchases). RevenueCat receives the purchase record (product, period, status), a random identifier generated by the App, and the device information the RevenueCat SDK attaches to each request (the identifier for vendor (IDFV), device model, OS version, app version, preferred languages and App Store country). Your Apple Account, name and e-mail address are not sent. RevenueCat's handling is governed by the RevenueCat Privacy Policy. The same identifier is shared between your own devices through your iCloud Keychain so that your subscription is recognized after a device change.

The AI Chat allowance (a monthly limit) is counted per this identifier on the developer's server.

9. Third parties

Since the developer holds none of your records, nothing is provided or sold to third parties. The only data that goes to outside services is what is described in "7. AI Chat" (OpenAI) and "8. Subscription and purchase records" (RevenueCat). The only third-party SDK included in the App is the RevenueCat SDK, used to record purchases.

10. Disclaimer

The App is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. The same applies to AI Chat answers. Always consult a veterinarian for decisions about your pet's health.

11. Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, this page will be updated. Significant changes will also be announced in the App.

12. Contact

For questions about this policy, please use the contact listed on the Support page.