Privacy Policy for the VacationCountdown App

We are glad that you are using our VacationCountdown app. The protection and confidentiality of your data is important to us. In this privacy policy, we inform you about which data is collected when using the app (and the associated website) and how it is processed. We comply with applicable data protection laws, in particular the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Please note that we do not process personal data such as names or email addresses of users unless expressly stated in this policy.

Data Controller

The controller responsible for data processing under the GDPR is:
Stefan Sperl
Weihbischof-Flügel-Str. 7
93192 Wald, Deutschland
stefan@vacationcountdown.app

If you have any questions about data protection regarding this app, you can contact us at any time using the contact details above.

Scope and General Information

This privacy policy applies to the mobile application "VacationCountdown" as well as the associated website (collectively referred to as the "App"). We only collect and process your data to the extent necessary to provide the app and its functions. Personal data is only collected if you voluntarily provide it to us or if it is technically necessary for the use of the offered functions.

We do not process personal data such as your name, address or email address, since the app can generally be used without registration or providing such data. All information you enter in the app (see below) serves solely the respective purpose and is not used for other purposes.

Entering Destination and Date (Countdown Function)

Our app offers the ability to display a countdown to a specific date (e.g. the start of a vacation). For this, you can enter a destination and a date in the app. This information is stored exclusively on your device to show you the countdown at any time, even if you close the app and reopen it later. Storage takes place locally on your device (for example via SharedPreferences on Android) and not on our own servers.

The information you enter (destination and date) is only used for the purpose of providing you with the countdown function. Without your explicit action (see cloud storage below), this data is not transmitted to us or to third parties. You can change or delete the stored countdown data at any time by editing the destination or date in the app or uninstalling the app from your device. Uninstalling the app deletes all locally stored data.

Optional Cloud Storage via Supabase

The app optionally allows you to save your entered countdown data (destination and date) in the cloud – for example to create a backup or synchronize the data across multiple devices. If you actively use this function, the relevant data is transmitted from your device to the servers of Supabase and stored there. Supabase is a database and hosting service provided by Supabase Inc. (USA), which we use as a data processor pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR.

When using the cloud function, only the information necessary for the countdown – i.e. the destination and date you provided – is transmitted to the Supabase database. No further personal information (such as your name, email address or similar identifying data) is transmitted. Data transmission is of course encrypted via HTTPS.

The data stored in the cloud serves solely the purpose of providing you with the desired synchronization or backup function. We have entered into corresponding contractual agreements (a so-called data processing agreement) with the service provider and taken technical measures to ensure the protection of your data. Should a data transfer to a country outside the EU or EEA (e.g. the USA) be necessary in this context, we ensure an adequate level of data protection through appropriate safeguards (such as EU Standard Contractual Clauses).

Using cloud storage is voluntary. If you do not use this option, all your countdown data remains exclusively on your device. If you choose to use the cloud, you can delete your stored data yourself at any time via the corresponding function in the app (if available). Alternatively, you can contact us and we will arrange for the deletion of the data stored in the cloud. We only store the data stored in the cloud for as long as necessary to provide the service or as long as you wish (e.g. until deletion by you).

Advertising (Google AdMob)

Our app integrates advertisements via the Google AdMob service in order to finance the provision of the app. The provider of Google AdMob is Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland). Through the integration of AdMob, certain information may be transmitted from your device to Google when ads are displayed, in order to serve suitable advertisements. This includes in particular device-related identifiers (e.g. your smartphone's advertising ID), technical device data (e.g. operating system, app version, screen size), usage data (e.g. frequency of app use, access to certain functions) and the IP address. This data is transmitted to Google servers and processed there for the purpose of ad delivery and evaluation.

We ourselves receive no access to personal data from this advertising service. We can only view anonymized/aggregated evaluations, such as how often an ad was clicked. To the extent that Google processes personal data within the scope of AdMob, this is Google's responsibility. Please note that Google may also process data on servers in the USA. Google is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and applies EU Standard Contractual Clauses to ensure an adequate level of data protection when transferring data to third countries. Details can be found in Google's privacy policy.

Within the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA), you will generally be shown non-personalized ads unless you have expressly consented to personalized advertising. Non-personalized advertising means that Google still uses contextual information (e.g. the approximate location or the content of the app) to serve the ad, but does not create profiles of your usage behavior across apps and the web. Google may still use some of the information mentioned above, for example to limit the frequency of the same ad or to prevent fraud. If consent for personalized advertising is required, it is obtained within the app (e.g. via a consent dialog).

Consent (EEA, UK): For users in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, we use Google's consent management platform (User Messaging Platform, IAB TCF compliant). When you first launch the app, a dialog asks for your choice regarding storing and accessing information on your device (e.g. the advertising ID) and personalized advertising. Without consent, only non-personalized ads may be shown to the extent permitted. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time via the app menu entry "Ad privacy settings".

More information on how Google uses data can be found in Google's privacy policy. Specific information about Google AdMob can also be found on the Google AdMob help pages.

Push Notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging)

To send push notifications (e.g. for milestone reminders), the app uses Firebase Cloud Messaging by Google (Google Ireland Limited / Google LLC). This generates a pseudonymous device token. It is transmitted to our Supabase database only when you publish a Premium countdown, so that notifications can be delivered to you. The token does not directly identify you. You can disable notifications at any time in your device settings; the token is then no longer used. We do not use Firebase Analytics.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (providing the function you requested) and, for displaying notifications, your permission in the operating system.

Mini-game "Towel Runner" and Leaderboard

The app includes the mini-game "Towel Runner". On first use, a random identifier (UUID) is generated on your device; it contains no information about you personally. If you play, your score, this random identifier, the nickname you chose yourself (optional) and game statistics are transmitted to Supabase and shown publicly on the leaderboard. Please do not use your real name or personal information as a nickname. The leaderboard is shared across all apps we offer (VacationCountdown and Urlaubs-Countdown.de). On request, we delete your leaderboard entries (see "Your rights").

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (providing the game function) and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (integrity of the leaderboard).

Invite Friends (Referral Program)

With the "Invite friends" function you can share a referral code. This is the random identifier (UUID) mentioned above. When a friend enters your code, the pairing of both random identifiers is stored in Supabase to grant rewards (e.g. an ad-free period) and prevent abuse. No names, phone numbers or address books are read or transmitted. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

In-App Purchases

In-app purchases (e.g. the ad-free Pro version) are processed exclusively by Google Play or Apple's App Store. We receive only a confirmation of the purchase from them; we have no access to your payment data.

No Further Tracking or Analytics Tools

Apart from the services mentioned above (Supabase, Google AdMob and Firebase Cloud Messaging), our app uses no further tools that track or analyze your usage behavior. In particular, no analytics services such as Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics, or similar tracking technologies are used in the app or on the associated website.

Public Pinboard (Countdown Board) – Currently Disabled

Our app contains a technical feature for an optional public pinboard (also called "Countdown Board") that would allow visitors to a Premium page to leave their own digital notes. This feature is currently completely disabled and not visible or reachable for users – we have paused it as a precaution with regard to the legal requirements for user-generated content (including moderation obligations and notice-and-action procedures, e.g. under the Digital Services Act) while we revise the feature legally and organizationally.

Notes created via earlier app versions before deactivation remain stored in our Supabase database for historical reasons, but are no longer displayed on any publicly accessible page. While the feature was active, the following data was collected: the text of the note (max. 120 characters), the chosen color, the position on the pinboard (X/Y coordinates), the creation timestamp, and an approval status. No personal data such as name, email, or user ID was ever collected; the notes were essentially anonymous due to the way they were captured.

If you would like the pinboard data associated with a countdown link you previously published to be completely deleted from our database, please contact us using the contact details above, stating the relevant subdomain; we will arrange for deletion promptly. Should we reactivate the pinboard feature in the future, we will inform you via an updated version of this privacy policy and adjust the data processing described here (including moderation and the report function) accordingly.

Provision via App Stores and Website

Our app is made available for download via external platforms, in particular the Google Play Store (for Android) and the Apple App Store (for iOS). When downloading the app from these stores, certain information may be transmitted to the respective store and, where applicable, to us (e.g. your username or account name at the store, email address, your store account customer number, payment information if relevant, time of download, and individual device identifiers). We have no influence on the collection of this data; it takes place exclusively within the responsibility of the respective app store operator. Please refer to the privacy notices of the respective provider (Google or Apple). We only process this data to the extent necessary for downloading the app to your device (e.g. automatic transmission to your device) or to learn the number of downloads (in anonymous form).

Our app is also available via a web platform or website. When you visit our website, technically necessary data is collected in server log files, as with any internet connection. This data includes, for example, the IP address of the accessing device, the date and time of access, the page/file accessed, notification of successful retrieval, the amount of data transferred, browser type and version, operating system, and the previously visited page (referrer URL). This information is processed by the hosting provider for security reasons and to ensure smooth operation. We do not combine this data with other data and do not use it to draw conclusions about your identity. The log files are generally automatically deleted after 30 days at the latest.

The website primarily serves to provide information about the app and, where applicable, to use the countdown function in the browser as well. If you create a countdown via the website (if this function is offered), the same principles apply as in the app: your entries (destination and date) are either stored only locally in your web browser (e.g. via local storage or cookies) or, if you use the cloud option, transmitted to the Supabase database mentioned above. No additional tracking or analytics tools are used on the website.

Legal Bases for Data Processing

The processing of your data is always based on a valid legal basis under Art. 6 GDPR. In detail:

• To provide the app functions (countdown), we process the data you enter (destination, date) to fulfill our contract or to carry out pre-contractual measures at your request (Art. 6 (1)(b) GDPR). This includes local storage of the data on your device and, if applicable, transmission to the cloud if you wish to use this function.
• The optional cloud storage of your data via Supabase is also based on Art. 6 (1)(b) GDPR. By voluntarily using this function, you are effectively requesting the storage of your data on our cloud servers in order to enable the desired service (synchronization/backup). Without this processing, we would not be able to provide you with this function.
• Advertising (Google AdMob) and access to the advertising ID: your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and, for access to information stored on your device, the national rules implementing Art. 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive), obtained via the consent dialog. You can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future, e.g. via the "Ad privacy settings" menu entry. The lawfulness of processing before withdrawal is not affected.

Data Retention Period

We only store personal data for as long as necessary to achieve the purposes mentioned here or as required by statutory retention periods. The countdown data you enter in the app remains on your device until you delete it or uninstall the app. Data you have stored via the cloud function on Supabase remains stored there until you delete it yourself or arrange for us to delete it. As mentioned, server log data of the website is generally automatically deleted after 30 days at the latest.

Data collected in connection with Google AdMob is not permanently stored by us; it is transmitted directly to Google. Information on the retention period of such data can be found in Google's privacy policy. Google stores usage data for advertising purposes in accordance with its own policies; as the app provider, we have no access to it except in aggregated form (statistics).

Your Rights as a Data Subject

As a user of our app and website, you are entitled to the following rights under the GDPR. To exercise these rights, you can contact us at any time using the contact details above:

• Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR): You have the right to request confirmation from us as to whether we process personal data concerning you, and if so, to receive information about that data and further details.
• Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR): You have the right to request the immediate correction of inaccurate personal data or the completion of incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR): You have the right to request that we delete your personal data, provided the legal requirements are met.
• Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR): Under certain conditions, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.
• Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR): You have the right to receive the data you have provided in a structured, common and machine-readable format and, where applicable, to have it transferred to another controller.
• Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR): You have the right, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to object at any time to the processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests – in particular against direct marketing, e.g. personalized advertising.
• Right to withdraw consent (Art. 7 (3) GDPR): You have the right to withdraw any consent given at any time with effect for the future.
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR): You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority if you believe that the processing of your personal data violates the GDPR.

To exercise your rights, you can contact us informally using the contact details above (email or postal address of the controller). Please provide sufficient information to enable us to clearly identify you. We will process your request in accordance with statutory requirements and respond to you within 30 days at the latest.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to occasionally adjust the content of this privacy policy so that it always complies with current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services in the privacy policy (e.g. when introducing new features or services in the app). The updated privacy policy will then apply to your renewed visit or use of the app.

We therefore recommend that you read this privacy policy at regular intervals in order to stay informed about the protection of the data you enter.

Last updated: September 30, 2026