FishForward is a fishing application designed to help anglers use fishing conditions, maps, Fishing Plans, weather and buoy observations, catch logging, fishing-activity intelligence, Community features, leaderboards and competitions, tackle tools, charter information, tackle-shop information, and related fishing features. FishForward is operated by FishForward LLC, a Michigan limited liability company ("FishForward", "we", "us").
Depending on the features you use, FishForward may collect or process the following types of information:
FishForward may use collected information to:
FishForward uses foreground device location for features where location is useful to the angler, including My Location, nearby fishing locations, weather, Fishing Plans, Boat Navigation, and catch logging.
When you log a catch and location permission is available, FishForward automatically attempts to obtain the device's current location. The exact coordinates associated with a catch are stored privately for features such as catch records and aggregated fishing-activity intelligence.
If device location is unavailable, FishForward may use the fishing location that you selected in the app as a location reference for the catch.
FishForward does not currently request Android background-location permission. Location is used while you are actively using FishForward and its location-enabled features.
FishForward is designed to protect anglers' exact fishing locations. Exact catch coordinates stored for FishForward's internal catch and activity systems are not intended to be displayed to other users as an individual angler's exact fishing spot.
Depending on the visibility settings you select, FishForward may show other users a named fishing area, approximate location, or rounded location rather than the private exact coordinates.
Public content may be visible to other FishForward users. Content restricted to Followers is intended to be visible according to those privacy settings. Private information is not intended to be publicly displayed.
FishForward may process catch records, fishing sessions, species, location, conditions, depth, water temperature, technique, and similar fishing information to provide aggregated features such as Hot/Cold activity and Fishing Plans.
FishForward's activity systems are designed to provide general fishing intelligence without publicly identifying an individual angler's private exact fishing location.
If you choose to upload photographs or videos, FishForward may store and process those files to provide catch, profile, Community, and other media features.
Media you intentionally make public or share with other users may be visible according to the selected feature and privacy setting.
FishForward allows users to create Community content and communicate with other users.
Community posts, comments, profile information, and other content may be visible to other users depending on the applicable privacy setting. Messages are intended for the participants in the conversation, but they are stored on FishForward's backend infrastructure as necessary to provide the messaging service.
FishForward Pro and Business Pro subscriptions are sold through Google Play. Payments are processed by Google; FishForward never receives your card or bank details. FishForward uses RevenueCat to manage subscription status. FishForward and RevenueCat receive your FishForward account identifier, the product you bought, purchase and renewal dates, and whether the subscription is active, so that FishForward can turn Pro features on or off. Records of subscription events are kept for accounting, tax, fraud prevention and customer support.
To find and fix problems, FishForward uses Firebase Crashlytics (Google). When the app crashes or hits an unexpected error, a crash report is sent with technical details such as the device model, Android version, app version, the screen in use and the error itself, along with your anonymous FishForward account identifier. Crash reports do not include your name, email, messages, photos or location.
FishForward shows in-app notifications for activity such as competition results, crew and group invites, open-seat alerts, replies and messages. If you allow push notifications on your device, FishForward stores a device token with Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) so those notifications can reach your phone. You can turn push notifications off at any time in your device settings.
Crews and Private Groups are visible only to their members. Members can see each other's display name, username and profile photo, and the posts, replies and photos shared in the group. Group owners and moderators can see join requests and manage members. A group's name, description and member count may be shown in Discover if the owner makes the group "Listed".
When you post an Open Seat, the general area, date and time are shown to the crew (or, for charters, to the captain's subscribers). Exact meeting details are shown only to the host and to people confirmed for that seat. FishForward does not process payments between anglers.
Competitions are free to enter. When you enter a catch, your display name, profile photo, the catch photo, species, length and catch date are shown on that competition's public standings. FishForward reviews entries to keep competitions fair. If you win a prize, FishForward may contact you to arrange delivery and may share your name and shipping details with the prize sponsor for that purpose. Prizes above amounts set by tax law may require tax information (such as a W-9), which is used only for tax reporting.
FishForward may share aggregated, non-identifying statistics with a competition sponsor, such as how many people viewed or entered the competition.
Fishing Stores, tackle shops and charters can see counts of activity on their own pages, such as page views, product views and link taps. FishForward does not show businesses which individual users viewed their page. Information you send to a business through FishForward, such as a message, order request or booking request, is shared with that business.
FishForward shows short summaries of publicly available fishing reports with a link to the original source, and species photos and descriptions from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons with credit to their authors. These reports describe general fishing areas and are not linked to FishForward users.
FishForward uses third-party services and infrastructure to operate the application. These may include:
These providers may process information necessary to provide their services and are subject to their own privacy practices and policies.
FishForward does not sell users' personal information.
Information may be shared or processed in the following circumstances:
FishForward stores account and application information using hosted backend infrastructure and may also store limited application data locally on the user's device.
FishForward uses HTTPS for production network communications where applicable and uses reasonable administrative and technical measures designed to protect information processed by the service.
No internet-connected service can guarantee absolute security.
FishForward retains account and user information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the service, maintain the user's account, protect the service, resolve disputes, comply with legal obligations, and enforce applicable agreements.
When an account-deletion request is completed, FishForward will delete or anonymize data associated with the account unless limited information must be retained for legitimate purposes such as security, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, or legal compliance.
Depending on the feature, users may:
Declining location permission may limit some location-based features, but FishForward can still be used for features that do not require device location.
FishForward users may request deletion of their FishForward account and associated account data.
Account-deletion requests may be initiated using FishForward's available account or Privacy & Data controls or through the external account-deletion resource provided for FishForward.
You may also contact FishForward at support@fishforward.app with privacy or deletion questions.
Deletion of an account includes deletion of associated user data except where limited retention is necessary for legitimate security, fraud-prevention, dispute-resolution, or legal-compliance purposes.
FishForward is not directed to children under 13, and FishForward does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it. Some features, such as Crews, Open Seats, Private Groups and prize competitions, are limited to users 18 and older.
FishForward continues to add and improve features. This policy will be updated when FishForward's data practices materially change.
FishForward may update this Privacy Policy when features, service providers, legal requirements, or data practices change. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page identifies the current version.
Questions about this Privacy Policy, personal information, account deletion, or FishForward's privacy practices may be sent to:
FishForward
support@fishforward.app