Privacy Policy

Overview

Vellore is designed with privacy in mind. Your collection data stays on your device and in your personal iCloud account, and there is no advertising or tracking of any kind. Data leaves your device in three cases, each described below: when you use the optional Vellore Pro AI features, the information needed for your request is sent to Google to generate a result; a small set of usage counts is sent to us, which you can switch off; and what you choose to post in the optional Vellore Club, including photos, is sent to us.

Data Storage

All data you enter into Vellore (including your watch collection, wear logs, service records, accuracy readings, photos, wishlist items, and app settings) is stored locally on your device and synced to your personal iCloud account via Apple's CloudKit service.

Your collection data is not stored on our servers or accessible to us, with one exception: a photo you choose to post to the Vellore Club (see Photos below). Apart from what iCloud syncs for you, data leaves your device only when you use the optional Vellore Pro AI features (see Vellore Pro AI below), through the usage counts (see Usage Statistics below), and when you post in the Vellore Club (see The Vellore Club and Photos below).

iCloud Sync

If you have iCloud enabled on your device, Vellore uses Apple's CloudKit to sync your data across your devices. This data is stored in your personal iCloud account and is governed by Apple's privacy policy. You can disable iCloud sync for Vellore in your device's iCloud settings at any time.

Vellore Pro AI (Optional)

Vellore includes optional AI features, such as Style Me, Populate Specs, Wishlist Advisor, and other collection insights. When you choose to use one of these features, Vellore sends the information needed for that request to Google to generate a result. Depending on the feature, this may include a photo you provide (for example an outfit or a watch) and details about the relevant watches in your collection, such as brand, model, reference number, and specifications.

These requests are handled through Google's Firebase AI Logic and processed by Google's Gemini models. The data is used only to generate your result and is returned to your device. It is not used to train Google's models (Vellore uses the paid Gemini API), and Vellore does not store it on any server of its own. Google's handling of this data is governed by Google's privacy policy.

To protect this service from abuse, Vellore uses Firebase App Check, which verifies that requests come from a genuine copy of the app. This does not collect personal information. You can avoid sending any data to Google by simply not using the AI features.

Data Collection

Whether or not you join the Vellore Club, Vellore never collects:

• Your name, email address, or phone number
• Location data
• Device identifiers for tracking purposes
• Any data from other apps on your device
• Anything from your collection that you do not choose to post in the Vellore Club: no watch, brand, model, reference, price, photograph, note, tag, or service record

We do not track you across apps or websites, and there is no advertising in Vellore. The usage counts described below are the only thing that leaves your device besides what iCloud syncs for you, what the optional AI features send when you use them, and what you choose to post in the Vellore Club.

The Vellore Club

The Vellore Club is optional. Joining creates an account through Sign in with Apple. We receive an anonymous identifier from Apple and never your name or your email address, even if you choose to share them with Apple. You pick a display name, and that display name, your posts, and your comments are what other members can see.

You can delete your Club account at any time from the Club account screen. Doing so removes your display name, your account, and the usage statistics below. Your photos are deleted with it, together with the comments under them, and your likes are removed (see Photos below for the one case where a private copy is kept for up to 30 days). Other posts and comments may remain in an anonymised form so that discussions other members took part in stay readable. Deleting your Club account does not touch the app, your purchases, or your collection.

Usage Statistics

Vellore sends a small set of counts about how much you use the app, so we can see what is worth building and improving. It is sent at most once a day. It is stored against your device rather than against you: the identifier used is Apple’s per-app vendor identifier, which is not shared with anyone and resets if you remove Vellore from the device. If you join the Vellore Club, these counts are filed against your Club account instead — including those collected before you joined. Specifically:

• how many watches are in your collection, and how many items are on your wishlist — the numbers only;
• how many Vellore widgets you have placed;
• how many wears you have logged, in total and per month;
• how many AI credits you used per month, and which AI features you used and how often;
• whether you own Vellore Pro, and whether an AI subscription is active.

It never includes a watch, a photograph, a note, anything you typed into an AI feature or anything it answered, or anything you searched for. It is never sold, never shared with anyone else, never used for advertising, and never given to an analytics company or a data broker. Only the developer of Vellore can see it, in a private dashboard.

This is on to begin with, and you can switch it off at any time in Settings, under About. Switching it off stops the sending and deletes the statistics already collected. The same list appears in the app next to that switch.

We rely on our legitimate interest in understanding and improving Vellore as the basis for this, and you have the right to object to it at any time — the switch is how you do that, and you can also write to us at info@vellorewatch.com.

Third-Party Services

Vellore does not integrate any third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking services. It uses Apple's StoreKit to process purchases, and Google's Firebase (Firebase AI Logic and App Check) solely to power the optional AI features described above. Firebase Analytics is not used. These services are governed by Apple's and Google's respective privacy policies.

Photos you post to the Vellore Club are stored and delivered for us by Cloudflare, with the photo storage in the EU. Where the automatic image check is in use, each photo is also sent to Amazon Web Services, in an EU region, solely so that the check can run. Neither is used for advertising or tracking, and each is governed by its own privacy policy.

In-App Purchases

Vellore offers a one-time lifetime Pro upgrade, an auto-renewing Vellore Pro AI subscription (monthly or yearly), and one-time AI token packs. All purchases are processed entirely through Apple's App Store; we do not receive or store any payment information.

Photos

Photos you add to your watch collection are stored on your device and in your iCloud account. Vellore accesses your photo library only when you explicitly choose to add a photo. Those photos are not transmitted to us. If you use an AI feature that relies on a photo (such as Style Me), that photo is sent to Google to generate your result, as described in Vellore Pro AI above.

The one exception is a photo you choose to post to Wrist Check in the Vellore Club. Posting uploads that photo to us, together with the watch details and caption you type. The location and other hidden data (metadata) are removed on your phone before it is sent, and again by us when we process it. We never keep the photo as you uploaded it; we keep a resized copy, stored in the EU, which other Club members can see once it is published. Your first photo, and any photo that is flagged or reported, is held back and is not shown to other members until we have published or removed it. A held photo is visible only to you and to us.

Where the automatic image check is in use, a copy of each photo is sent to Amazon Web Services, in an EU region, to look for explicit or violent content and for text that looks like a sale or contact details. Amazon processes it for us to run that check, and we do not keep that copy. The automatic check does not always run. If it cannot check your first photo, that photo is held back; a later photo it could not check is published without it. The caption and watch details you type are checked by our own automatic text checks. How photos are moderated is described in our Terms of Use.

If you delete a post, or your account, the photo is deleted, including from the public copy. If a photo was removed by us or by the automatic screening, was held by the automatic screening, or had reports that nobody had decided yet, we keep a private copy for up to 30 days from the day it was removed or you deleted it, so we can look at it again if you disagree and pass it to the authorities if the law requires. It is never shown to anyone else, and after the 30 days it is deleted; we then keep only what we decided and when. A photo held only because it was your first photo, or because it could not be checked automatically, is not kept.

If you are in a photo that someone else posted and you are not a member, you can ask us to take it down. You do not need an account: write to info@vellorewatch.com and say which photo it is. The Terms of Use explain what to include.

Children's Privacy

Vellore does not knowingly collect information from children under 13. The app itself does not require an account. The optional Vellore Club does, and you must be at least 13 years old to join it.

Data Deletion

You can delete all your data at any time from within the app via Settings. Uninstalling the app removes all locally stored data. To remove iCloud data, use your device's iCloud storage settings.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected on this page with an updated date.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, contact us at info@vellorewatch.com