Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 22, 2026

This Privacy Policy (the "Policy") describes how user information is handled in Pet-Talk (the "App"). Please review the following before using the App.

1. Information we collect

The App may collect the following information to provide its services. In every case, it accesses this only with your explicit permission on the device.

  • Photos / Camera — accessed to create avatars from your photo library or camera.
  • Microphone — accessed for voice-input conversations and schedule operations.
  • Calendar — accessed to read out, add, and change events. Events are read on the device, and the App does not send your full list of events to any external service.
  • Location — approximate location is used to fetch weather information. When you start recording a walk, precise location is used to record the distance and the route you walked. The route is saved on your device as part of your pet's health notes and, if you are signed in, is also included in your cloud backup like your other notes (the backup is deleted when you delete your account).
  • Account information — authentication information via email, Google, or Apple accounts, obtained through Firebase Authentication.
  • Advertising-related information — to display ads, prevent fraud, and control ad frequency, Google AdMob may obtain advertising identifiers, device information, and usage/diagnostic data. The App requests non-personalized ads only and does not use them to track users across apps.

In addition, the App handles the following information as you use it.

  • Care and schedule records — health notes (weight, meals, walks, medicine, etc.), diary text, to-dos, notes, anniversaries, things your buddy remembers, and settings such as weather areas are saved on your device. If you are signed in, they are also saved to your cloud backup (Firestore) so they can be restored when you change or reinstall your device. Diary photos and videos are not backed up and stay on your device only. The backup is deleted when you delete your account.
  • Usage records — to improve the service, we send which screens and features of the App you used and when (for example, opening a tab, adding a plan, tapping a button) and error information to our server (Google Cloud), together with your account (or an anonymous identifier if you are not signed in). This does not include the text of conversations, event titles, the content of your records, or photos.
  • Widgets — today's items shown on Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets (plans, medicine, to-dos, etc.) and the "Given" / "Done" taps on widgets are stored only on your device (App Group). Widgets do not send anything to external services.
  • LINE sticker and emoji requests (accepted on the web) — the photos (for animated stickers, a copy of the videos of the companion you choose from the app) and the note you send with a request are stored on our server (Google Cloud, in storage that is not publicly accessible), and our staff view them and make the sticker images by hand, also using AI (Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude, see section 4). The photos and video copies are deleted when the stickers go on sale on LINE (for "Register yourself", when we deliver the image set), or when the request is declined or cancelled (we keep them until sales start because LINE's review may require changes). The preview images we show you before submitting are deleted when sales start on LINE (for "Register yourself", at delivery) or the request is declined. The finished image set is kept so you can download it and is deleted automatically 90 days after sales start (for "Register yourself", after delivery), or earlier, when you delete your account. Signing in to the request page uses the same Firebase Authentication as the app.

2. How we use information

Collected information is used solely for the following purposes.

  • Generating avatar videos and chat responses (using Google Cloud / Vertex AI)
  • Cloud backup and restore of user settings and avatar data (Google Cloud Storage / Firestore). If you are signed in, we also store the photo of a buddy you created from a photo (resized, with location and other metadata removed) so it can be restored when you change or reinstall your device. It is deleted together with the backup when you delete that buddy's backup, or when you delete your account. Photos made with Dress up are stored on our server temporarily so you can receive them again if the connection drops; they expire after one day and are then deleted automatically. Letters written with "Ask for a letter now" (All-in-One plan) are stored on our server temporarily for the same reason; they expire after one day and are then deleted automatically.
  • Displaying ads within the app (Google AdMob, non-personalized ads)
  • Showing the weather, walk tips, and the rain radar map
  • Checking the status of in-app purchases and subscriptions (RevenueCat)
  • Handling LINE sticker and emoji requests (making images from your photos, submitting and selling them on LINE Creators Market when you choose "Operator registers", and notifying you in the app when a preview is ready and when they are submitted, go on sale, are delivered, or are declined)
  • Maintaining and improving the service (including analysis of usage records)

3. Provision to third parties

The App uses the following external services, and data is transmitted to them to the extent necessary to provide the service.

  • Firebase (authentication / database)
  • Google Cloud Platform (AI processing of images, audio, and text)
  • Google AdMob (ad delivery, operated in accordance with Google's advertising policies)
  • Apple (WeatherKit, weather data) — your approximate location, or the coordinates of an area you chose, is sent via our server.
  • RevenueCat (in-app purchase management) — purchase records and your account identifier are sent to check the status of purchases and subscriptions.
  • Anthropic (AI image processing) — only for LINE sticker requests, the photos and note you send are transmitted (see section 4).
  • Japan Meteorological Agency (rain radar on the Weather tab) — when showing the rain map, your device loads map images directly from the Japan Meteorological Agency website. The map area being shown and information needed for communication (such as your IP address) reach the agency's servers. Your account and records are not sent.
  • Apple (public App Store information, new-version check) — at most every 12 hours, your device sends the App's identifier and your device's region (country) to Apple's public lookup service (itunes.apple.com) to see whether a newer version is available. Information needed for communication (such as your IP address) reaches Apple's servers. Your account and records are not sent.

The heat index forecast used for walk tips is public data that our server obtains from Japan's Ministry of the Environment; no user information is sent to the Ministry.

When the requester chooses "Operator registers", with the requester's consent, our staff submit the images we make to LINE Creators Market (LY Corporation) and sell them there (when the requester chooses "Register yourself", we send nothing to LY Corporation). We send LY Corporation only the sticker images and the stickers' title and description; we do not send the requester's original photos, name, email address, or other information.

Images and text you send are not used as training data for AI models. We do not provide personal information to any third parties other than those above.

4. Data sent to third-party AI services

Google Maps / Google Search — Your question is sent to Google LLC to find pet-related places, vets, and information. For nearby place searches, an approximate location rounded to two decimal places is also sent only if location permission has already been granted. Searches never request new location permission. Grounded replies and sources are kept only during the viewing session, not in the App's saved conversation history or backups. AI replies may include information from Google Maps; detailed sources appear below each reply.

The App's core features (conversation, secretary, pet video generation, dress-up, and high-quality read-aloud) work by sending data to the following AI services provided by Google LLC. All are processed on Google Cloud infrastructure.

  • Google Cloud / Vertex AI (the "Gemini" generative AI) — generating conversation responses and parsing intent/events from speech.
    Data sent = text you enter in conversations and voice input, and content your buddy saves as things it "remembers" (such as your preferences). If you mention a plan during a conversation, that conversation content (which may include the event's name and date/time) may be transmitted. When a "letter from your companion" is written (the weekly letter or one requested with "Ask for a letter now"), that period's note counts (such as the number of walks, counted on your device), a few things you said to your companion, short excerpts from that week's diary, and your companion's name, species and personality are transmitted (diary photos are not sent; they are only shown on the letter screen on your device). When you ask for a health "look back", a short summary of changes found on your device in your pet's health notes (e.g. the number of days food was left) and your buddy's name and personality are transmitted (the notes themselves are not).
  • Google Vertex AI "Veo" — generating the video avatar of your pet.
    Data sent = the photo you choose to create the avatar.
  • Google Cloud / Vertex AI ("Gemini" image editing) — making a picture of your pet wearing an outfit with "Dress up".
    Data sent = the photo you choose for Dress up (for a video pet, a still image of the first moment of its video) and the outfits you pick. The result is kept on our server temporarily so you can receive it again if the connection drops, and is deleted automatically after it expires (1 day).
  • Google Cloud Text-to-Speech — high-quality voice read-aloud.
    Data sent = the response text to be read aloud.

For LINE sticker creation (requests accepted on the web), our staff send data to the following AI services to make the sticker images.

  • Google Cloud / Vertex AI (generative AI "Gemini") and Anthropic "Claude" (Anthropic, PBC) — cutting out the pet from photos, making sticker images, and adding text.
    Data sent = the photos (for animated stickers, images taken from your companion's videos) and the note you send with your request. This is done only for requests where you have agreed after the request page discloses it.

Consent before transmission: On first launch, the App discloses the above (what is sent and where) inside the App and begins transmission only after you give your explicit consent. If you do not agree, these AI features cannot be used. You can review this disclosure at any time from the App's "Settings → About sending data to AI".

No use for training: Data you send is never used to train AI models.

Limited scope: Your entire calendar or notes are never sent in bulk — only what is needed for the conversation, response, or generation. Calendar events are read on the device, and the full list of events is not sent to any external service.

For how data is handled by each service, please also review the Google Cloud Data Processing Addendum and the Google Privacy Policy.

5. Data storage

User data is managed on Google Cloud's secure infrastructure. If you delete your account, the related data is promptly erased.

6. Contact

For inquiries about this Policy, please use our support page.