Summary

Your data is none of our business—our business is building the best workout planner we can. We don’t sell data, and we’re fully funded by user subscriptions. Here’s a quick overview of how we handle your data:

• We don’t require you to create an account or log in. All of your personal data is stored either on your device or in your private iCloud account. We don’t operate our own servers and never store your data ourselves.

• Whistle includes optional AI features. If you choose to enable them, selected data is securely sent for temporary processing on a regional Google server and deleted afterward. These features are entirely optional, and you can control them at any time in the app’s privacy settings.

• To improve the app, we collect anonymous usage data through Mixpanel. This helps us understand which features are working well and where we can improve. This data is completely anonymized, and you can opt out whenever you like.

If you’d like the full details, keep reading.

Vogelhaus Apps GmbH (“we,” “our,” or “us”) operates the mobile app Whistle. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how it’s used, and what choices you have. If you use Whistle, you agree to these terms. If not, we kindly ask you not to use the app.

What We Collect and Why

Personal Data You Provide

You have the option to enter basic profile information such as your name, age, biological sex, and preferred activities. This information helps personalize your training experience and improve the relevance of your workout suggestions. Everything you enter is stored locally on your device or in your iCloud account. 

You can remove your personal data at any time using your device’s iCloud settings.

Health Data (HealthKit)

If you give your explicit permission, Whistle can access relevant health and fitness data through Apple HealthKit. This includes metrics like your heart rate, VO₂ Max, activity rings, completed workouts, and daily steps. This data is used exclusively to help generate better workouts and track your fitness over time.

Access to HealthKit data is strictly opt-in, and your consent is required before any data is read. All such data is stored locally or in iCloud. It is never stored by us in any way.

AI Coach (Optional Feature)

Whistle includes an optional AI-powered coaching feature that can generate personalized workouts based on your health and activity data. If you choose to use this feature, a selection of your health information is temporarily sent to Google Vertex AI via Firebase for real-time processing. This may include details like your age, fitness level, goals, recent workout summaries, preferred activities, and relevant environmental data such as weather forecasts. It does not include your precise location or personal identifiers like your name or email.

This AI processing only occurs if you explicitly opt in, either during onboarding or later in the settings. If you choose not to enable the AI features, no data will be shared outside your device, and the AI coach will remain disabled. 

When processing does occur, the data is encrypted during transmission, processed on a regional server (in Belgium for users in the EU, and in the United States for other regions), and deleted after use. No data is stored on these servers beyond what is necessary for the immediate response. Once processing is complete, the data is deleted automatically.

Whistle does not use automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects for users.

To ensure fair usage and system stability, Whistle enforces a limit on how much data (measured in tokens) can be processed by the AI coach. This limit helps us provide a consistent experience for all users. If you reach this limit, the app will notify you, and AI features may pause until the limit resets.

Regional Processing

We don’t operate any servers of our own. When AI features are enabled, data is routed through Google’s infrastructure and processed in a region selected based on your device’s regional settings. For users in the European Union or surrounding countries, data is processed on a server in Belgium. For users elsewhere in the world, the processing occurs in Iowa, United States. Users whose device regions are set to mainland China currently do not have access to AI features.

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on your consent (e.g., for HealthKit access and AI features), legitimate interests (e.g., improving the app via anonymized analytics), or to fulfill our contractual obligations as part of your subscription.

Analytics (Anonymous Only)

To understand how people use Whistle and where we can improve the experience, we collect anonymized usage data through Mixpanel. This data helps us identify patterns like which features are most popular or where users may drop off.

All analytics data is completely anonymous. It is stored securely within the European Union and is retained for up to five years. You can disable analytics tracking at any time in the app’s privacy settings. Because the data is anonymized, we cannot associate it with any individual user or delete specific entries.

Emails & Communication

If you contact us directly or choose to sign up for our newsletter, we collect and store your email address and the contents of your message. We use this information only to respond to your inquiries or to send you updates if you’ve asked to receive them. Our newsletter is managed through Loops, and we do not collect email addresses automatically. We retain email communication only as long as needed to respond to your inquiry or provide the newsletter service. To request deletion of past email communication, please contact us at contact@vogel.haus. If you unsubscribe, we will stop sending you emails and delete your address from our active mailing list.

Third-Party Services We Use

To operate certain features of Whistle, we use a few trusted third-party services:

• Google Firebase and Vertex AI – for optional AI coaching functionality

• Mixpanel – for anonymous usage analytics

• Loops – to manage optional email newsletters

We only share data with these services when necessary, and only as described in this policy.

Your Rights

As an EU-based company, we are committed to complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• You have the right to access the data we process about you.

• You can correct any incorrect or outdated information.

• You can delete any personal data stored in your iCloud account at any time. Since we do not store your personal data ourselves, deletions must be handled directly on your device.

• You can withdraw consent for AI features or HealthKit access at any time via the app’s settings.

• You can opt out of analytics collection.

• You have the right to file a complaint with your national data protection authority.

Children’s Privacy

Whistle is not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect or process data from users in this age group. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a minor, we will take immediate steps to delete that information.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect new features, legal requirements, or other changes.

Contact

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about our privacy practices, feel free to reach out.