1Who we are & scope
Vet Charted is provided by (“we”). It is a veterinary clinic management system for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, serving clinics and their teams and pet owners through the owner app.
This policy covers the apps and the backend API they use. Because clinics enter their own client and animal records, roles are split:
- We (responsible for account and service data): sign-in data, profile, notifications, and the technical data needed to run and protect the service.
- The clinic (responsible for its records): client, animal, examination, invoice and appointment records entered by clinic staff. We process these on the clinic’s behalf and under its instructions; the clinic’s own policy and local law apply.
2Data we collect
| Category | What it includes | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Account data | Email or username, display name, photo (if any), WhatsApp number, country/governorate/city, account ID, role and clinic membership, language and appearance preferences. | Create the account, sign you in, apply permissions, personalise the app. |
| Sign-in authentication | Handled by Firebase Authentication (email/username and password, or Google / Apple sign-in). We never see or store passwords in readable form. We may verify a phone number with a code sent via WhatsApp. | Prove your identity and protect the account. |
| Clinic records (entered by the clinic) | Clients (name, phone, WhatsApp, city, notes), animals (name, species, breed, date of birth, microchip, photos), allergies and health problems, vaccinations, medical examinations (vitals, diagnosis, procedures, attachments such as photos and lab results), invoices, vouchers, stock and accounting, appointments. | Run the clinic, deliver care and bookkeeping. |
| Owner-app bookings | Animal, service, requested time, owner note, clinic reply and booking status. | Coordinate appointments between owner and clinic. |
| Shared record (QR) | Linking one animal to several clinics with the owner’s consent, plus a log of who viewed the record and when. | Continuity of care across clinics, with transparency. |
| Notifications | Push token (FCM), installation ID, platform, app version, language, notification preferences and the notification inbox. | Deliver alerts and reminders you enable. |
| WhatsApp (clinics) | A clinic links its number by scanning a QR code; we keep the session state (encrypted) and a log of outgoing messages (recipient, text, status). | Send appointment and vaccination reminders. |
| Location | We do not track you in the background. It is used only when you tap “Nearest to me” to find nearby clinics, or “Locate me” (clinic owners) to place a clinic on the map, which they confirm before saving. A clinic’s public location appears in the clinic directory. | Sort clinics by distance and place the clinic. |
| Camera & photos | Scanning an animal’s QR code and capturing or choosing images (clinic logo, animal photo, examination attachments). Images are uploaded to file storage through our server. | Link animals to clinics and attach medical documents. |
| Technical & diagnostic data | Request logs (time, path, request ID), audit and activity logs (who did what inside a clinic), crash and error reports (Firebase Crashlytics and app error reports), app performance (Firebase Performance) and aggregated usage statistics (Firebase Analytics). Active in release builds; availability varies by platform. | Security, quality and bug fixing. |
| App verification | Firebase App Check tokens (Play Integrity, App Attest, DeviceCheck depending on platform). | Prevent abuse and untrusted clients. |
We do not collect bank or card payment details inside the app. Amounts and payments shown are bookkeeping entries made by the clinic for its own records.
3How we use data
- Run your account and the service, and enforce permissions based on your role.
- Let clinics manage animals, examinations, vaccinations, invoices and appointments.
- Send notifications, appointment and vaccination reminders, and verification codes.
- Link a record across clinics only when the owner consents.
- Protect the service: prevent fraud and abuse, trace errors, and keep backups.
- Improve performance and quality using aggregated statistics.
- Meet legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.
We do not use your data for advertising, and we do not sell or rent it to third parties.
4Who we share data with
- The clinic you deal with: sees its clients, animals and bookings. Team members only reach what their permissions allow, and clinics are isolated from each other.
- Other clinics: only with the animal owner’s consent (see section 6).
- Service providers acting for us: Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Messaging, Storage, Analytics, Crashlytics, Performance, Remote Config, App Check), Google and Apple sign-in, and our own hosting servers.
- Maps: when choosing a clinic location, map tiles load from OpenStreetMap servers, so that provider receives your IP address and tile requests.
- WhatsApp: reminders are sent from the clinic’s linked number over the WhatsApp network and are subject to WhatsApp’s policies.
- Legal authorities: where required by law or to protect rights and user safety.
5Device permissions
- Camera: scan QR codes and capture attachment photos. Optional; revoke it in device settings.
- Photos & files: pick a logo, animal photo or attachment only when you ask.
- Location (while using the app only): when you tap “Nearest to me” or “Locate me”.
- Notifications: to receive alerts; you can turn them off entirely or by type.
6Shared pet record
An animal’s owner can link its record to multiple clinics through a QR code. A clinic gets access only after the owner approves, and sharing is limited to clinical facts (such as diagnoses, vaccinations and allergies), not free-text notes. Views are logged, and the owner can withdraw consent at any time, which ends the clinic’s access.
7Retention
- Account data: until you delete your account. Deletion removes the login, profile, push tokens and notification preferences.
- Clinic records: kept by the clinic while it uses the service, and it may have legal duties to keep them (medical and accounting records). Deleting your personal account does not delete them; to have them removed, contact the clinic directly.
- Audit and security logs: kept for protection and accountability, without unnecessary detail.
- Technical request keys: purged automatically after 90 days.
- Backups: rotate on a schedule; deleted data disappears from them as they are replaced.
8Security
- Encrypted HTTPS between the app and server, with Firebase authentication on every request.
- App Check verification, role-based permissions, and isolation between clinics’ data.
- Encrypted WhatsApp sessions and audit logs for sensitive actions.
- Regular backups and restore drills.
No system is perfectly secure. We use reasonable efforts, and recommend a strong password you do not share.
9Your rights & choices
- Access and correction: view and edit your profile inside the app.
- Notifications and permissions: control them in app and device settings.
- Withdraw shared-record consent at any time.
- Delete your account: in the app (Settings → Delete account) or via the account deletion request page.
- Clinic records: to view, correct or delete them, contact the responsible clinic.
Local law may grant further rights such as objection, portability and restriction; contact us to exercise them.
10Children
Vet Charted is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country) and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
11International transfers
Your data may be processed in a country other than yours, notably through Google Firebase services and our hosting servers. We rely on reasonable contractual and technical safeguards.
12Changes & contact
We may update this policy; the last-updated date appears at the top, and we will notify you in the app about material changes.