Sip OtterPrivacy Policy
At a glance
- There is no account, no sign-in and no server run by us. We don't ask for your name, email or phone number.
- What you enter, such as your water log, weight and daily times, stays on your phone. We never receive or see it.
- The app uses the internet only for ads. The ad SDKs (Google Mobile Ads and UMP) may send data such as your advertising ID to Google.
- Your water log, goal and weight are never placed in ad requests.
- App data is excluded from Android cloud backup and device transfer. Backup files are created and kept by you.
- You can delete everything at any time with Settings > Delete all data.
birdlab ("we") operates the water tracking app Sip Otter (the "app"). The app works without an account, and your records are processed only on your phone. This policy explains what is handled, where, and why.
1. Information handled
A. Stored only on your phone (never sent to us)
- Water log: amount, drink type and hydration rate, time and time zone, where it was logged from (app, widget, notification, quick settings, shortcut), and the cup used
- Daily summaries: the day's goal, amount, whether the goal was reached, first and last log times
- Goal inputs: weight (if you enter it), activity level, a goal you set yourself
- Daily times and reminder settings: wake and bed times, when your day starts, reminder mode, quiet hours, weekdays, sound, lock screen display
- Reminder state: next reminder time, snooze, today's count, the 20 most recent reminders
- Rewards and decoration: pebbles, streak cards, visiting friends, items owned and equipped
- App settings: unit, cups, hydration rates, theme, language, sound effects, haptics, reduced motion, per-widget settings
- Ad display records: install time and last display time, used to keep ads from appearing too often
This information sits in private app storage. We have no server, so we cannot receive or view it. Goals, streaks, stats and reminder times are all calculated on your phone. Because a water log and body weight can relate to health, the app has no code path that sends them off the device.
App data is excluded from Android cloud backup and device-to-device transfer, so it is not copied to your Google account backup or a new phone. The app does not connect to Health Connect or other health apps.
B. What you choose to export
- Backup file: Settings > Create a backup file opens the Android file picker and saves a JSON file to the location you choose. It contains your water log, goals, settings including weight, and pebble, friend and decoration records, and it is not encrypted. Keeping and sharing the file is up to you. If you pick a cloud storage app, that service's policy applies. We cannot access this file.
- Share card: the share button in stats creates an image with figures such as goal days and goal percentage plus a picture of Mongdol. It goes only to the app or person you choose in the Android share sheet.
- Email: if you email us, we receive your address and message. We use them only to reply and fix the app, and delete them within one year after handling.
C. Phone features
- Notifications are scheduled on your phone, not pushed from a server. They need notification permission, and the app still works if you decline. Today's amount may show on your lock screen, and you can hide it in Settings.
- Widgets and the quick settings tile show values such as today's amount and your streak on your home screen.
- Motion: the accelerometer is read in the moment so the water on the home screen can tilt. It is not stored or sent, and you can turn it off with Settings > Water tilt.
D. Ad-related information
The Google Mobile Ads SDK in the app may automatically process the following and send it to Google to show and measure ads. The app adds no health information to this.
- IP address, which may be used to estimate your device's general location
- Product interactions such as app launches, taps and video views
- Diagnostics such as app launch time, hang rate and energy usage
- Android advertising ID, app set ID and, if applicable, other identifiers related to signed-in accounts on the device
This data is encrypted in transit with TLS. Google UMP (User Messaging Platform) shows a consent form where required, stores your choice on your phone and communicates with Google to do so.
E. What we do not handle
We do not receive your name, phone number, address, date of birth, precise location, contacts, photos, microphone audio or payment details. The app has no sign-up, sign-in, sync, in-app purchases, or analytics or crash reporting of its own.
2. Why it is used
- On-device information: logging water, calculating goals, drawing the river and widgets, scheduling reminders, stats, friends and decoration, keeping your settings
- Ad display records: only for keeping time between ads
- Email: replying to you and fixing bugs
- Ad-related information (Google): serving and measuring ads, analytics, fraud prevention, managing consent, confirming rewarded ads
Where the law requires a legal basis, such as in the EEA and UK, personalized ads rely on your consent collected through UMP, and fraud prevention and ad measurement rely on legitimate interests or consent as Google and the applicable rules require.
3. Retention and deletion
| Information | Where | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Water log, goals, weight, rewards | Your phone | Until you delete them or uninstall the app. Settings > Delete all data removes them at once. |
| App settings, reminder state | Your phone | Until you uninstall the app. App language, per-widget settings and the count of declined notification requests stay after Delete all data, and go when you uninstall. |
| Backup files | The location you chose | Until you delete them. Uninstalling or deleting data in the app does not remove them. |
| Share cards | Temporary app storage | Removed when you uninstall. Images you already sent must be deleted in the app that received them. |
| Our mailbox | Deleted within one year after handling. | |
| Ad-related information | According to Google's privacy policy. |
4. Third parties and international transfer
We share your water log with no one, and we don't receive it either. For ads, the following company processes data directly through its SDK in the app.
| Recipient | Purpose | Data | Location and method | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google LLC (AdMob, UMP) | Serving and measuring ads, analytics, fraud prevention, consent management | IP address, product interactions, diagnostics, identifiers such as advertising ID and app set ID, consent status | Google data centers including the United States, sent over the network when ads load | Per Google's policies |
Google Privacy Policy · How Google uses data from partner apps · Google Mobile Ads SDK data disclosure
5. Ads and the advertising ID
- Banner ads appear only at the bottom of the stats and collection screens. Interstitial ads appear only when leaving stats details, starting three days after install, at most once every six hours.
- Rewarded ads appear only when you choose them, for double pebbles, a streak card or a one-day item trial. Skipping them doesn't affect logging or reminders. Rewards stay in the app and can't be exchanged for money or goods.
- No ads appear while logging, on widgets or notifications, during first-run setup, or when the app opens.
- Your water log, goal, weight and drink types are never placed in ad requests or used for ad targeting.
- You can reset or delete your advertising ID in Android settings. Menu names vary by device.
- Where consent is required, such as in Europe, a consent form appears and you can change your choices from the privacy option in the app's Settings. The app does not request ads if consent status can't be confirmed.
6. Your rights
- Access, correction and deletion: your information is on your phone, so you can view, edit and delete it in the app. Settings > Delete all data or uninstalling removes it. It can't be recovered afterwards.
- You can change notification permission, ad consent and your advertising ID at any time.
- Depending on where you live, you may have further rights over data in emails you sent us. Contact support@birdlab.net and we will respond without delay. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.
- For data processed by Google, see the links in section 4.
7. Children and teens
The app is made for adults and intended for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 14 (or the minimum age in your country), and we delete any email we learn came from such a child.
8. Security
- Your log is kept in private app storage that other apps can't read.
- App code does not send your water log over the network. Only the ad SDKs use the internet.
- Backup files are not encrypted, so don't leave them anywhere public. Using a screen lock adds protection for your log.
9. Contact
Privacy officer: operator of birdlab. Contact: support@birdlab.net
10. This website
This site is served as static pages through Cloudflare. It has no cookies, analytics or forms. Cloudflare may process connection data to deliver and protect the site (Cloudflare privacy policy).
11. Changes
We post changes on this page at least 7 days before they take effect, and at least 30 days before for important changes such as handling new data, with a notice in the app where needed. Previous versions: none (first effective November 8, 2026).