PRIVACY

RangeTrail Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 16, 2026

RangeTrail is an iPhone app that answers hunting regulation questions with cited sources, keeps a local inventory and range log with an optional PIN lock, and offers an offline range finder. This page explains what data the app handles and where it goes.

The short version

- There is no RangeTrail account and no RangeTrail server.

- We do not collect your data, and the app has no analytics or advertising.

- Your AI provider key is stored on your iPhone and sent only to the provider you choose.

- When you ask a regulations question, the question and the matching regulation passages go to the AI provider you chose. That provider's own terms apply.

- A weak label scan photo goes to your AI provider only if you explicitly tap to send it. Provider terms and charges apply.

- Your inventory and range log stay on your iPhone. Your local PIN never goes to a provider or server.

What stays on your iPhone

Your AI provider key. You enter a key for the AI provider you want to use. It is stored in the iOS Keychain, set to this device only and available only while the phone is unlocked. You can remove it in the app at any time.

Your settings. Which provider and model you picked, and whether you dismissed the first-run explainer.

Using the app without an AI provider. You do not need a provider to use RangeTrail. Without one, the Regulations screen matches your question against the app's bundled regulation text on your iPhone and shows the closest official passages with their source and date. Nothing is sent anywhere. A provider is needed only for written answers and for the optional AI lookup of a weak label scan. The first-run explainer describes this; whether you dismissed it is stored locally.

Guided questions. The guided question builder on the Regulations screen assembles a question from the state, species, topic and optional county you tap or type. It runs on your iPhone. The question is sent to your AI provider only if you have one set up and tap Ask, exactly as for a question you type yourself.

Quick-entry defaults. When you log a session, the app pre-fills the firearm, ammo stock and distance from your most recent session. This is read from your existing range log on the iPhone; no separate copy is kept. After you save a session you can undo it, which removes it and restores any deducted rounds.

Your trip plan. If you plan a trip, the app stores its name, the state you chose, the start and end dates you typed, and which checklist items you ticked, in its local database on your iPhone. The checklist is built on the phone from your own inventory. A trip plan is not uploaded, not sent to an AI provider and not included in backup files. Deleting the plan in the app removes it.

Your inventory and range log. Firearm names and calibers, an optional color or finish and optional modification notes for each firearm (such as an optic or trigger) that you type in, factory-ammo labels and calibers, optional grain and lot labels, optional price per box and rounds per box that you type in, stock counts, session dates, distances, rounds fired, group sizes and notes are kept in a local database inside the app. For each session you can also type a range or place name (free text, such as a range and bay number, which the app does not look up and which does not use your location) and up to eight short tags, plus an optional training type (Zeroing, Drills, Qualification, Practice or Other), a training-completed tick and a good or not-good rating. If you edit a saved session, the app records the date of the last edit on it. You can edit or delete firearms, ammo and sessions at any time; deleting a firearm also deletes its sessions after you confirm, and deleting an item removes its photo from the app's private storage. Linked sessions reduce recorded stock; deleting them restores those rounds. RangeTrail does not upload this data or include it in AI requests. Your own iPhone or iCloud backups may include the database, depending on your settings. Deleting the app deletes its local database. For each firearm you can also type an optional serial number, purchase date and price paid; these are stored only on your iPhone and are included in backup files you export.

Maintenance notes. For each firearm you can keep a log of service and cleaning notes. Each note holds a date, text you type (up to 300 characters) and the round count the app had recorded for that firearm when you added it. Notes are stored in the app's local database on your iPhone, are never uploaded or sent to an AI provider, and are included in backup files you export. Deleting a note, deleting the firearm, or deleting the app removes them. You can also type a cleaning interval (a whole number of rounds) for a firearm. It is stored with that firearm's record on your iPhone, is included in backup files you export, is never uploaded or sent to an AI provider, and is only used to show a reminder badge in the app. Deleting the firearm or the app removes it.

Cleaning supplies and magazines. You can keep a simple list of cleaning supplies and magazines. Each entry holds a name and a note you type, a whole-number quantity, and optionally the firearm it is for. These are your own records of what you own, not a shopping list: the app has no prices, links or ordering for them. Entries are stored in the app's local database on your iPhone, are never uploaded or sent to an AI provider, and are included in backup files you export. Deleting an entry, or deleting the app, removes it; deleting a firearm keeps the entry but removes its link to that firearm.

Ranges you add. In the Ranges tab you can add ranges of your own. Each holds a name, a state, and optionally an address, notes and comments that you type. They are stored in the app's local database on your iPhone, are never uploaded or sent to an AI provider, are kept separate from the built-in directory, are not checked or verified by RangeTrail, and are included in backup files you export. Tapping Open in Maps on one of your ranges sends the name and address you typed to Apple Maps, the same way Open in Maps works for the built-in directory. Deleting a range, or deleting the app, removes it.

Session templates. If you save a session setup as a template, the app stores its name, the firearm and ammo stock it points to, the distance, and the range text and tags you typed, in its local preferences on your iPhone. A template holds no rounds, dates or notes. It is not uploaded, not sent to an AI provider and not included in backup files. Deleting a template, or deleting the app, removes it.

Starter-list names you add. The add-a-firearm form offers a bundled starter list of popular firearm names to speed up typing. If your firearm is not in the list you can add its name yourself; names you add are stored in the app's local preferences on your iPhone under "Your additions". They are never uploaded, never sent to an AI provider, not shared with anyone, and not included in backup files. The bundled list itself is reference data shipped inside the app; it is representative, not individually verified, and RangeTrail does not sell firearms or link to sellers. Deleting the app removes names you added.

Your item photos. Photos you attach to inventory items are resized and copied into the app's private storage on your iPhone. They are never uploaded, sent to an AI provider or shared with anyone. Removing a photo in the app deletes only the app copy, not the original in your photo library. Your own iPhone or iCloud backups may include the app copies, depending on your settings. Deleting the app deletes them.

Target photos. A photo you attach to a range session is resized and copied into the app's private storage on your iPhone. It is never uploaded or shared with anyone, with one exception: if you tap "Analyze this target" on a session and then confirm, that one photo is sent to your configured AI provider to read the shot pattern, as described in the "what is sent" section below. Nothing is sent automatically. Removing the photo, or deleting the session, deletes the app's copy but never the original in your photo library.

Harvest record. In the Log tab you can keep a personal record of harvests. For each entry you type a date, species and state, and optionally a county or unit, a tag or permit number, a weapon or method, and notes. These are stored in the app's local database on your iPhone, included in a backup file if you export one, and removed if you delete the entry or the app. They are never uploaded, reported to any agency or checked against any rule. "Share or copy as text" opens the iOS share sheet with a plain-text copy only when you tap it; where it goes is your choice. The tag or permit number can be sensitive, so store any exported file carefully.

Records PDF. In Settings you can make a records PDF of your firearms for your own files, for example for an insurance conversation. After you read a warning and tap to confirm, the app builds the PDF on your iPhone from your inventory, and from the serial numbers, purchase dates and prices you typed only if you leave those switches on. It contains no photos. The file is written to the app's temporary cache, handed to the iOS share sheet so you choose where it goes, and then deleted from the cache. RangeTrail does not upload it or send it to an AI provider. The PDF is not password protected, so anyone you share it with can read it. It is a list you typed, not an appraisal or proof of ownership.

Backup files. If you tap Export, the app first shows what the file will contain (counts, date span, photo count and an estimated size) and then writes a file with your firearms, ammo (including any prices and box sizes you entered) and range sessions, including any maintenance notes, cleaning supply and magazine entries, ranges you added, harvest entries you recorded, range or place names, tags, training fields and last-edited dates you added, to a temporary location and opens the iOS share sheet so you choose where it goes. There is also an optional "Save a copy to iCloud Drive" button: you read and agree to a short notice, and then the same share sheet opens so you can pick Save to Files and iCloud Drive. Nothing is saved to iCloud unless you do that. Once the file is in your iCloud Drive, Apple stores it under your Apple account, not RangeTrail. The app itself does not upload it. By default the file also contains your item photos and target photos, copied into the file as text; you can turn photos off before exporting. It never contains AI keys or your PIN. By default the file is not encrypted, so anyone who gets it can read the records and view the photos; you can protect it with a password instead (next paragraph). Keep it somewhere you trust. To restore, you choose a file and the app reads it on your iPhone. Before anything is written, it shows a preview comparing the file with what is on your phone: what Merge would add and keep, and what Replace would add, replace and delete. Nothing changes until you choose Merge or Replace. Photos are restored only if you leave that option on. The app does not upload the file or its photos.

Password-protected backups. Before exporting you can switch on Password protect this backup. This is off by default and applies only to the exported file. If you turn it on, you choose a password of at least 10 characters, type it twice, and confirm that you understand it cannot be recovered. The app encrypts the file on your iPhone, with AES-256-GCM and a key derived from your password, before the share sheet opens. (An earlier test version used a different, home-made scheme; the app can still open those files but no longer creates them.) The password is not stored, not saved in the keychain, not sent anywhere and not included in the file. If you forget it, no one can open that backup, including you and the developer: there is no reset and no recovery. To restore an encrypted file, the app asks for the password, unlocks it on your iPhone, and then shows the usual restore preview. A wrong password or a changed file is rejected and nothing on your phone changes. This protects only the exported file, not the data inside the app on your phone.

Session cards. From a session in your history you can tap Share card to make a one-page summary as a PDF or an image. The card shows only what you typed for that session: firearm name and caliber, rounds, distance, group size, ammo, training type and your verdict. The range name and your notes are left off unless you switch them on for that card. Photos and location are never included. The app builds the file on your iPhone, opens the iOS share sheet so you choose where it goes (Messages, Mail, Files, AirDrop or anywhere else), and deletes its temporary copy afterward. RangeTrail does not store the card or upload it. Once you send it to someone, that person or service handles it under their own rules.

Feedback and requests. In Settings you can report a bug, ask for a feature, flag a data correction or suggest a store (a store name, city and website you type). You pick a type and area and type a short title, details and, if you want a reply, an address. The app shows exactly what the email will contain before anything leaves your phone: what you typed, plus the app version, your iOS version and your phone model. You can also switch on Include recent app errors, which is off by default and adds a short list of recent error messages the app caught, with file paths, links, keys and long numbers removed. It never includes firearms, ammo, ranges, sessions, notes, photos or location unless you type them yourself. Nothing is sent by the app itself or automatically: the button opens your own email app addressed to rangetrail@loomcloud.com, and you decide whether to press send. The recent error messages are kept in a short local list on your iPhone (the last 20), are not included in backup files and can be cleared in Settings. Once you send an email, it is handled by your email provider and by the developer, who uses it only to answer you and improve the app.

Date reminders. If you enter a license expiry or season date in Settings, the app stores the state and date in its local database and schedules notifications on your iPhone, using iOS local notifications. The first time you save a reminder, iOS asks whether RangeTrail may send notifications; you can decline or change this in iPhone Settings. Reminders are created and delivered on your device. They do not use push notifications, a RangeTrail server, an account or an AI provider, and the dates are not uploaded or included in backup files. RangeTrail does not know your license status or official dates. Reminder wording tells you to verify with the state agency.

Weekly reminder. In Settings you can turn on an optional weekly reminder. It is off by default. If you turn it on, you choose a day and a time, and iOS asks whether RangeTrail may send notifications. The app stores only those choices (on or off, day, time) in its local database on your iPhone and schedules one repeating local notification with fixed wording. The notification is created and delivered on your device. It contains nothing from your firearms, ammo, range, session or other records, does not use push notifications, a RangeTrail server, an account or an AI provider, and the choices are not uploaded or included in backup files. You can turn it off at any time.

Display name. The app can ask for an optional first name to use in the greeting on the Today screen. You can skip it, edit it or remove it in Settings. It is stored only in the app's local database on your iPhone and is not sent to any provider, server or other person.

Label scanning. When you scan an ammo box label, the photo is read on your iPhone first using Apple's built-in on-device text recognition. A resized temporary copy stays in the app cache while you review the scan and is deleted when you close the review. If the app is interrupted, a temporary cache copy may remain until iOS cleans the cache. If that read is weak or empty, you can explicitly tap to send this scan photo to your configured AI provider, using your own key. The review screen names the destination and explains that its terms and usage charges apply before you send. No photo is sent automatically. The photo is not added to inventory or kept as an item photo. Local text and AI draft fields are shown for you to check and edit; nothing is saved to inventory unless you choose to save it yourself.

Local PIN lock

RangeTrail offers a six-digit local PIN lock to stop casual browsing on an unlocked phone. The app stores a randomly salted, slow-derived PIN verifier in the iPhone Keychain, set to this device only and accessible while the phone is unlocked. It never saves the PIN itself in plaintext, logs it or sends it to an AI provider or server. Failed attempts and a cooldown time are stored with the verifier to slow repeated guesses. You must enter the current PIN to change or disable the lock.

The app offers you a PIN on first open. You can choose Set up later and turn the lock on in Settings whenever you like. If enabled, it locks on app open and when the app has been away from the screen longer than a lock timing you choose in Settings (immediately, 30 seconds, 1 minute or 5 minutes; 30 seconds by default). The screen is covered as soon as you leave the app. System pop-ups such as photo, share or permission sheets do not count as leaving. The timing choice is saved as one setting on your iPhone and is never sent anywhere. It is not a RangeTrail account, remote authentication or encryption of the inventory/range-log database. It does not replace your iPhone passcode or protect against someone who controls or has compromised the device.

Face ID and Touch ID (optional). If you turn on the Face ID shortcut in Settings, the unlock screen offers a button that asks iOS to check your face or fingerprint. iOS does the check and tells the app only whether it passed. RangeTrail never receives, stores or sends your face or fingerprint data. The app saves one on/off setting on your iPhone. The PIN remains the lock and always works. Turning the shortcut off or erasing local data removes the setting.

There is no PIN recovery. A clean deletion and reinstall without restoring app data starts fresh and loses the local inventory and range log. iOS Keychain entries can survive uninstall, so the app checks an installation marker in its local database and clears the old lock on a clean installation. Restoring an iPhone backup can restore the marker and old lock; do not restore app data if you are trying to start fresh. An ordinary app update keeps your data and lock.

What is sent to your AI provider

RangeTrail lets you choose your AI provider, for example OpenAI, Anthropic, or another compatible service you configure. When you tap Ask on the Regulations screen, the app sends this to that provider:

- your question, exactly as you typed it

- the state you selected and today's date

- the few regulation passages from the app's bundled data that best match your question

- your API key, as the credential for the request

Only when a label scan is weak or empty and you tap "Send photo to AI provider", the app sends the resized label photo and a short instruction to read its brand, caliber, grain and lot to your configured provider. Do not include personal information in the photo. Your inventory, attached item photos and range log are not part of this request. The provider must support images; its terms, retention rules and usage charges apply.

Only when you tap "Analyze this target" on a range session and then tap "Send photo for analysis", the app sends that one target photo and a fixed instruction (read the shot pattern and suggest shooting fundamentals; no load data, no purchase recommendations, no gunsmithing advice) to your configured provider. The confirmation screen names the provider and model before anything is sent, and every photo is asked about separately. The provider must support images; its terms, retention rules and usage charges apply. The written review is saved on the session on your iPhone and is included in backups you export; it is not sent anywhere else.

The app also contacts your provider to test your key and to list the models available to you, using your key.

The provider receives and processes this under its own terms and privacy policy, and under your account with it. RangeTrail does not see those requests and has no copy of them. Please do not put personal information in your questions.

The app does not send your location, your inventory and its item photos, your range log and its target photos, your local PIN or verifier, your contacts or your photos to anyone, except the single label scan photo or the single target photo you explicitly choose to send as described above.

Nearby ranges and location

The range finder uses a directory and small-scale map outlines bundled inside the app. By default it does not load remote map tiles or contact a range search service. If you tap "Show Apple Maps view", your iPhone loads map tiles from Apple Maps for the area shown on screen, and Apple can see that area under Apple's own privacy terms. That view shows only the bundled range points; RangeTrail does not add your location to it. When you tap "Use my location", RangeTrail asks iOS for one foreground location fix. It uses that fix on your phone to sort the bundled ranges by approximate straight-line distance. RangeTrail never sends your coordinates to us, an AI provider, a map service or a range operator, and it does not save them to a database or file. The fix is kept only in screen memory and is cleared when you leave the Ranges screen, clear it yourself or put the app in the background. Old or inaccurate fixes are not used. The app does not request background location or track movement.

You can browse by state and range name without granting location access. Your phone's own location services, which can use GPS and network-assisted positioning, are controlled by iOS and your device settings. RangeTrail cannot control Apple's handling of those services.

Opening an official range-information link launches your browser. That website receives a normal web request and follows its own privacy policy. RangeTrail does not add your coordinates to that link. The directory is incomplete and can be old; confirm access, hours, fees and closures with the operator before visiting. RangeTrail has no turn-by-turn directions; the optional Apple Maps view and Open in Maps are handled by Apple's Maps.

The range finder can also filter the bundled list by straight-line distance from that one fix, still on your phone. "Report a correction" and "Is a range missing?" open your own mail app with a draft addressed to rangetrail@loomcloud.com. The draft contains the range name, its listed address and source link, and a space for you to describe the problem. It never includes your location. Nothing is sent unless you send it from your mail app, and if you do, we receive the email and its contents like any other message.

Store locations. The Places tab also has a bundled directory of firearm store locations and hours, read from each store's own website. It is for finding a storefront only: RangeTrail sells nothing and shows no prices, inventory or ordering. If you tap "Use my location" on the Stores screen it works exactly like the range finder: your phone gives the app one location fix, the app uses it on your phone to sort stores by straight-line distance, keeps it on screen only, and never saves or sends it. You can browse stores by state and name without location access. "Open in Maps" gives your Maps app only the store's name and listed point, never your location. "Report a correction" and "Not a real store? Tell us" open your own mail app with a draft to rangetrail@loomcloud.com that contains the store name, listed address and source link, and never your location. The directory is incomplete and can be old; confirm hours with the store before visiting.

Range notes and Open in Maps. On the Ranges screen you can add a short personal note to any range. Notes are saved only on your iPhone, in the app's local storage. They are not uploaded, not sent to an AI provider, and not included in backup files, so they are removed if you delete the app. You can edit or delete a note at any time. The Open in Maps link hands the range's name and its listed point to your own Maps app on your iPhone; RangeTrail does not include your location, and what Maps does with that is covered by Apple's policies.

Optional data updates

RangeTrail can download newer range and store lists without a new app version. This is off until you turn on "Check automatically when I open the app" in Settings. The "Check for updates" button in Settings works only when you tap it.

What is sent. A plain download request to the update address built into the app, over HTTPS (https://mcooner.github.io/rangetrail-feed/, served by GitHub Pages, operated by GitHub), for a small manifest file and, when a newer version exists, the data files. Nothing from your inventory, range log, notes, photos, location or settings is sent. The request has no account, no identifier, no cookies and no query string, and it does not say which state or area you care about. GitHub, which serves the files, can see your IP address, your device's user agent and the time of the request in its ordinary server logs, as any website can.

What is stored on your iPhone. The downloaded data, kept in two local slots so a bad download can never replace working data, the number of the installed data version, the time of your last check and its result, your on/off choice, and the check interval you picked (daily, weekly or monthly). These stay on your iPhone, are not uploaded, and are not included in backup files. "Use built-in data" in Settings removes the downloaded data.

How downloads are checked. The maintainer signs each update. The app checks the signature and the file sizes and fingerprints on your iPhone and runs the same validity checks it applies to the built-in data. If anything fails, the app keeps the data it already has. A signed update is newer records from the maintainer; it does not make any entry more accurate than the source and checked date shown on it.

Regulations data

The regulation text is bundled inside the app. It was transcribed from the official pages of state wildlife agencies, and each answer links to the source page and shows the date it was checked. Asking a question does not send anything to those agencies.

Regulations change and the app's data can be incomplete or out of date. Answers are not legal advice. Always confirm with the state agency before you hunt.

What we do not do

- We do not sell or share personal data. We do not have it.

- We do not use advertising or cross-app tracking.

- We do not give reloading advice, and the app does not help you buy or sell firearms or ammunition.

Children

RangeTrail is not directed at children, and it does not collect personal information from anyone.

Your choices

- Remove your saved AI provider key in Settings at any time.

- Delete the app to delete its local inventory and range log. Keychain entries can survive uninstall. RangeTrail clears a surviving local lock on clean reinstall using its database installation marker. Your backup copies remain under your device settings.

- Edit or remove your display name in Settings at any time.

- Leave data updates off, or turn them off or reset to built-in data in Settings at any time.

- Remove a date reminder in Settings at any time, or turn off notifications for RangeTrail in iPhone Settings.

- Change or disable the PIN in Settings after entering the current PIN. There is no recovery. A clean reinstall without restoring data starts fresh; backups can restore the old lock.

- To remove data a provider already received, contact that provider.

Changes

If the app starts handling data differently, for example by adding an account or cloud sync, this page will be updated first and the effective date will change.

Contact

Questions about this policy: rangetrail@loomcloud.com.