Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what information Quietful collects when you use the Quietful app, why we collect it, and the choices you have. Quietful is a product of Outhaul LLC, a Florida limited liability company ("Outhaul," "Quietful," "we," "us," or "our"). It applies to the Quietful iOS app and to quietfulapp.com.

1. Information we collect

Quietful collects three kinds of information:

• Anonymous device identity. Quietful creates an anonymous device credential for submitting readings, maintaining history, and abuse controls. We do not collect an account email address, display name, or login.
• Readings you submit. Each noise reading you contribute includes average, minimum, and maximum estimated dBA values, duration, busyness, sensory and work tags, the venue, precise capture coordinates, averaged raw dBFS, calibration-profile version, and Bluetooth-input status. Readings are tied to an anonymous device identity for history and abuse controls, but the data shown to other users on a venue page is not attributed to you by name.
• Device and diagnostic information. This includes device attestation data (see Section 5) and standard crash and performance diagnostics. Quietful stores the precise capture coordinates submitted with each reading, along with the calculated distance from the venue. There is no background location tracking.

2. Microphone access

Quietful only accesses your microphone while you are actively taking a reading, which you start deliberately from the app. The app estimates loudness on-device over a 15-to-60-second window and produces average, minimum, and maximum estimated dBA values.

We do not record, store, or transmit audio. No audio clip, recording, or raw waveform ever leaves your device or is saved by Quietful. Microphone samples are temporarily processed in memory on your device to derive loudness. Quietful sends derived loudness values and reading metadata, including duration, busyness, sensory and work tags, precise capture coordinates, averaged raw dBFS, calibration-profile version, Bluetooth-input status, and the anonymous device identity, to its backend. Microphone access ends when the reading finishes or you cancel it.

3. Decibel readings are indicative, not calibrated

Readings come from consumer phone microphones, which are not certified measurement instruments and vary by device, case, and how the phone is held. Quietful's decibel numbers, tiers, and averages are indicative estimates for planning purposes only, not calibrated acoustic measurements. Don't rely on them for hearing-safety decisions, compliance, or any purpose requiring a certified sound-level meter.

4. How we use information

We use the information above to:

• Show venue noise levels, ranges, and hourly patterns to the community;
• Maintain your anonymous device history and let you review your recent contributions;
• Detect spam, abuse, and low-quality or fabricated readings;
• Operate, secure, and improve the app; and
• Respond to support requests.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use your data to serve you ads.

5. Device integrity checks (DeviceCheck / App Attest)

Quietful uses Apple's DeviceCheck and App Attest frameworks to confirm that readings come from genuine, unmodified copies of the app running on genuine Apple hardware. This produces a device-level attestation token, not a persistent advertising or tracking identifier. Its only purpose is anti-abuse: preventing scripted or spoofed submissions from skewing venue data. It is not used to track you across apps or websites, and it is not linked to an advertising profile.

6. Analytics

Quietful's product analytics run server-side, computed from the requests our own backend already receives. We do not embed third-party analytics or advertising SDKs in the app, and we do not use cross-site or cross-app tracking. Analytics data is aggregated (for example, "readings submitted per day") and is not used to build individual behavioral profiles for advertising.

This website, quietfulapp.com, additionally loads Cloudflare Web Analytics, a privacy-first measurement tool. It is cookieless: it sets no cookies, uses no localStorage, and does not fingerprint your device, which is why this site shows no cookie or consent banner. It reports aggregate page-view and performance data only, does not track you across sites, and does not build a personal profile of you. It is the only third-party script on this site.

7. Content moderation

Readings, tags, and any other user-submitted content go through moderation to catch spam, harassment, and clearly fabricated data. You can report a reading or venue entry from within the app; our team reviews reports and may remove content or restrict device access that violate our Terms of Service.

8. Venue claims

A business can claim its own venue listing to correct details or respond to readings. The claim flow collects information to verify the claimant is authorized to represent the venue — for example, a work email at the venue's domain or other proof of association. The exact verification method may evolve as we refine the claim flow.

9. Data retention

Readings, including the derived dBA values and precise capture coordinates submitted with them, are retained indefinitely as part of a venue's noise history. They stay linked to your anonymous device identity for as long as needed to operate history and abuse controls, unless and until you request that the link be severed, at which point the reading becomes an anonymized, aggregate contribution (see Section 11).

Server-side product analytics (Section 6) are pruned after 90 days. To detect duplicate, automated, or abusive submissions, we also keep a short-lived ledger of recent submission records, which is deleted after a short period once it's no longer needed for that check.

10. Sharing and disclosure

We share information with service providers who host our infrastructure and process data on our behalf, under confidentiality obligations, and only as needed to run the app. This currently includes Cloudflare, for the website analytics described in Section 6. We may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Quietful, our users, or the public. We do not sell personal information to third parties.

11. Your choices

You can request that we de-link your anonymous device identity by contacting us using the details in Section 14. De-linking is irreversible: it severs the connection between your device and your past readings and removes the precise capture coordinates from those readings. The readings themselves are not deleted — they remain in Quietful as anonymous, aggregate contributions to the venue's noise history, no longer associated with your device in any way. The current app does not offer account creation or in-app deletion; de-linking today is a manual request handled by our team.

12. Children's privacy

Quietful is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will sever the anonymous device-identity link described in Section 11, removing any connection between that information and a specific device.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app changes. We'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page when we do, and for material changes we'll provide more prominent notice in the app. As with any legal document, we review this policy periodically with counsel as the product evolves, and recommend anyone relying on it for compliance purposes do the same.

14. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to us through the Contact page.