VialOwlPrivacy policy
VialOwl is made by Spherify Pty Ltd ("we", "us"), an Australian company. This policy explains what happens to information in the VialOwl app for iPhone and Apple Watch, the VialOwl app for Android phones and Wear OS watches (VialOwl Peptide Tracker on Google Play), and on this website. We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
The short version
- Everything you enter stays on your device. We do not have a server that stores your data, and we cannot see it.
- The app has no account, no sign in and no advertising.
- This website uses Google Analytics to count visits. If you join the email list, we keep your email address to send you updates.
- The app only goes online to look up public research or recall data when you open a screen that needs it, and then it sends compound names only, or to check your purchases with the App Store or Google Play.
- Weight and nutrition readings from Apple Health or Health Connect are read only, stay on your phone and are never used for advertising.
- Usage statistics in the iPhone app are off unless you turn them on. They count which features are used and never include your compounds, doses or health data. The Android app has no usage statistics.
- We never sell, rent or share your information.
Information you enter in the app
You may record doses, schedules, vials, weights, symptoms, readings, lab results, check-ins, medications, allergies, conditions, notes and progress photos. Much of this is health information, which Australian law treats as sensitive. It is stored only in the app's storage on your device, protected by the encryption built into iOS or Android and, if you switch it on, an app lock (Face ID on iPhone, fingerprint, face or screen lock on Android). We do not collect it, receive it or have any way to access it.
VialOwl does not use iCloud to store your records. On Android, the app is excluded from Google's automatic backup and from device to device transfer, so your records are not copied to your Google Account or to a new phone. If you delete the app, your records are deleted with it unless you have made a backup.
Age check
VialOwl is for adults. On first launch the iPhone app asks iOS whether you are 18 or over, using the age range in your Apple Account (Declared Age Range), or asks you directly if iOS cannot say. The Android app asks you directly. Only the answer (18 or over, or under 18) is kept, on your device. It is not sent to us or anyone else.
Apple Health (iPhone)
If you allow it, VialOwl reads weight, lean body mass and the energy and protein you log as food from Apple Health to show them next to your records. It never writes to Apple Health. Health data stays on your device, is never used for advertising or data mining, and is never shared with anyone. You can turn access off at any time in the Health app or iOS Settings.
Health Connect (Android)
If you allow it, the Android app reads the following from Health Connect:
- Weight, to show your weigh-ins next to your records, work out your starting weight and weight lost since your first entry, show progress to your own weight goal and BMI, and suggest a weigh-in when you log an entry.
- Lean body mass, shown as lean mass when you have not entered muscle mass yourself.
- Nutrition (daily energy and protein totals), to show your average daily energy and protein next to your history.
- Past readings (data older than 30 days), because your starting weight is often from before you began using VialOwl.
VialOwl only reads these. It never writes to Health Connect and asks for no write access. Data from Health Connect is used only to show you these features. It stays on your phone and is never sent to us or to any server. It is never sold, never used for advertising or to build profiles, never used to train AI models, and never shared with anyone. It leaves your phone only if you choose to export it yourself, for example a weigh-in you saved with an entry included in a backup, a CSV export or a PDF summary for your doctor.
VialOwl's use of information received from Health Connect adheres to the Health Connect Permissions policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
You can turn access off at any time in Health Connect, in Android Settings or the Health Connect app.
Other permissions
| Permission | What it is used for |
|---|---|
| Notifications | Reminders you set, and on Android an optional countdown before your next scheduled entry. They are scheduled on your device; nothing is sent to us. |
| Alarms and reminders (Android) | Showing reminders at the exact time you set. If you do not allow it, reminders still arrive, though Android may deliver them a little late. |
| Calendar | Adding your schedule to your calendar when you ask. On iPhone, access is write only; the app cannot read your calendar. Android grants read and write access together; VialOwl asks only when you add a schedule to your calendar, uses read access only to list your calendars so you can pick one, and never reads your events. |
| Photos | Choosing a label photo or progress photo. Only the photos you pick are used, and they stay on your device. On Android the system photo picker is used, so the app has no access to the rest of your photos. |
| Face ID (iPhone) | Locking the app. Face data is handled by iOS and never reaches the app or us. |
| Fingerprint, face or screen lock (Android) | Locking the app. Android's biometric prompt checks your fingerprint, face or screen lock and tells the app only whether it succeeded. Your biometric data never reaches the app or us. |
When the app goes online
VialOwl works offline. It contacts two public services, and only when you open the screen that needs them, plus Google Analytics if you turn on usage statistics in the iPhone app (below):
- Research updates asks ClinicalTrials.gov (run by the US National Library of Medicine) for trials matching the names of the compounds you track.
- Recall search asks openFDA (run by the US Food and Drug Administration) for recalls matching those compound names. Any lot numbers you have recorded are compared on your device and are not sent.
These requests contain compound names only, never your records or anything that identifies you. Like any internet request, they reveal your device's IP address to the service answering it, under that service's own privacy policy. Links to papers, labels and regulators open in your browser.
The app also checks your purchases with the App Store or Google Play (see Subscriptions), and the Android app may show Google Play's own rating prompt. These are handled by Apple and Google under their own privacy policies.
Usage statistics (optional, iPhone only)
This section applies to the iPhone app only. The Android app has no analytics or usage statistics and does not include Google Analytics for Firebase or any other analytics software.
In the iPhone app, in Settings, Privacy, you can choose to share usage statistics. They are off until you turn them on, and until then the app does not start Google's analytics software at all. When they are on, the app uses Google Analytics for Firebase to send us counts of which features are used, such as adding a compound, logging a dose or opening Learn, with a random ID for this install of the app, your device type and iOS version, basic diagnostic information about the analytics software itself, and the approximate location Google estimates from your IP address. The app does not use an advertising identifier.
These statistics never include which compounds you track, amounts, dates, sites, notes, weights, anything from Apple Health or anything else you enter. They are not linked to your name or email, are not used for advertising, and advertising identifiers are switched off. Google processes them under its own terms, in the United States and elsewhere. Turning usage statistics off stops them and deletes the analytics ID on your phone.
Backups, exports and shared copies
You can save a backup file, a shared copy for someone you trust, a PDF summary for your doctor, or spreadsheet (CSV) exports. These are created on your device and go only where you choose to send or save them.
- Backups and shared copies are encrypted with a password or passcode you choose (AES-256). We never see or store it, so we cannot recover a file if it is lost.
- A backup made on iPhone can be restored on Android, and a backup made on Android can be restored on iPhone. Moving the file between phones is up to you; it does not pass through us.
- PDF summaries and CSV exports are not encrypted. Treat them like any other health document.
Subscriptions
VialOwl Pro is bought through the App Store on iPhone and through Google Play Billing on Android. Apple or Google handles payment and your Apple Account or Google Account details; we receive none of them. The app checks your purchase status with Apple or Google Play on your device and receives only which plan is active and a purchase reference it uses to confirm the purchase with the store. See Apple's or Google's privacy policy for how they handle purchases.
Watch apps, widgets and shortcuts
On iPhone, the Apple Watch app, widgets, Live Activity and Siri shortcuts show information from the app on your own devices. Data moves between your iPhone and Apple Watch directly using Apple's encrypted connection and does not pass through us.
On Android, the Wear OS watch app, home screen widgets, the countdown notification and the launcher shortcut do the same. The phone and watch talk to each other only through the Wear OS data connection provided by Google Play services. The watch app does not connect to the internet itself, and nothing passes through us.
This website
vialowl.com uses Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics to understand how many people visit, which pages they read and where they came from. Google Analytics sets cookies and collects information such as the pages you view, your approximate location, your device and browser type, and your IP address, which Google Analytics uses to estimate your location and does not store. We do not send Google your name, email address or anything you enter in the app. We do not use advertising cookies. For visitors in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, analytics cookies are off. You can block these cookies in your browser settings or use Google's opt-out add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Google handles this information under its own privacy policy, and it may be processed outside Australia.
The site is served by Cloudflare, which processes your IP address and basic request details to deliver the site and protect it from attacks. We also use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which counts page views without cookies and without identifying you.
Email updates
If you enter your email address to hear when VialOwl launches, we store it with the date and the page you signed up on. We use it only to email you about VialOwl: a launch email and occasional updates. We do not sell or share it. Every email we send will identify us and include an unsubscribe link, and we remove you within five working days of an unsubscribe request, or you can email us to be removed at any time. The list is stored with Cloudflare, our hosting provider, in its Oceania region.
To stop automated sign ups, the sign up form keeps a one way hash of your IP address, mixed with that day's date, for 24 hours. The hash cannot be turned back into your IP address and is deleted after a day.
If you contact us
If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you choose to include. Our email is hosted by Microsoft 365. We use your message only to reply and keep it only as long as needed to help you. Please do not send health details you would rather keep private; we do not need them to help with the app.
Overseas disclosure
Some of the services we use store or process information outside Australia, including in the United States: Google (website analytics, and iPhone app usage statistics if you turn them on), Cloudflare (website hosting and analytics) and Microsoft (email). Compound names you search in Research updates or Recall search go to US government services (ClinicalTrials.gov and openFDA). Your app records are not sent overseas or anywhere else.
Children
VialOwl is intended for adults aged 18 and over, on the App Store and on Google Play.
Your rights
Because your records are only on your device, you control them directly: you can view, change, export or delete them in the app at any time. If you have joined the email list or contacted us, you can ask to see, correct or delete what we hold by emailing us.
If you have a privacy complaint, email us with the details. We will acknowledge it within 7 days and aim to respond in full within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.
Changes
If we change how the app handles information, we will update this page and its effective date before the change applies. A change that sends any of your records off your device would be explained in the app first and would need your agreement.
Contact
Spherify Pty Ltd
Email: hello@vialowl.com