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Privacy Policy

Last Updated: December 20, 2025

Conduit is a developer tool that publishes sensor data from Apple devices (iOS / iPadOS / macOS / visionOS) to ROS 2 (Robot Operating System 2) networks. It is built on top of the open-source swift-ros2 Swift client library, which speaks the ROS 2 wire formats directly over Zenoh or DDS — without any Conduit-operated cloud service in between. This privacy policy explains what data the app collects, how it's used, and your rights.

Developer: Yutaka Kondo (youtalk) · LinkedIn · Website

Data Collection

Sensor Data (User-Controlled)

The app may access, transmit, and (when MCAP recording is enabled) write the following sensor data to local files only when you explicitly enable each sensor:

  • Motion Data: Accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer readings (IMU)
  • Location Data: GPS coordinates (only while app is in use)
  • Camera Data: Images from device cameras
  • Environmental Data: Barometer, ambient light sensor
  • Device State: Battery level, thermal state
  • LiDAR Data: Depth sensing (on supported devices)
  • Game Controller Input: Button and joystick data
  • Audio Data: Microphone samples (when the Microphone sensor is enabled)
  • Proximity Data: Front-facing proximity sensor reading

Important Notes:

  • All sensor data collection is opt-in. Sensors are disabled by default.
  • Data is transmitted only to the Zenoh router or DDS subscriber you configure (typically on your local network — under your control, not ours).
  • No sensor data is sent to our servers or any third-party servers. Conduit operates no backend; the app is a wire-level publisher only.
  • Background GPS tracking is not supported due to privacy constraints. Location data is only collected while the app is active.

Analytics Data

The app uses Firebase Analytics to collect:

  • Device Information: Device model, OS version
  • App Usage: Feature usage, error occurrences
  • Anonymous Identifiers: Non-personal device identifiers

This data is used solely to improve app functionality and user experience.

How Data Is Used

Sensor Data:

  • Transmitted directly to your configured ROS 2 system over Zenoh (rmw_zenoh_cpp) or DDS (rmw_cyclonedds_cpp)
  • Used for robotics development, research, and testing
  • Never stored on our servers
  • Never shared with third parties

Analytics Data:

  • Used to identify bugs and improve app performance
  • Aggregated and anonymized
  • Processed by Google Firebase Analytics (see their privacy policy)

Data Storage and Security

  • Sensor data (live publishing): Not stored by the app. Transmitted in real-time to your ROS 2 system.
  • MCAP recordings (opt-in): When you start a recording, the app writes the same sensor messages to a local .mcap file in the app's Documents directory. Recordings stay on-device and are never uploaded by Conduit. You can browse, delete, or share them via the iOS / macOS share sheet (e.g. Files, AirDrop, mail) — Conduit hands the file off to the system from there.
  • Configuration settings: Stored locally on your device using iOS Keychain and UserDefaults. The 16-byte ROS 2 publisher GID is generated once and persisted to Keychain so the same publisher identity survives app launches.
  • Network transmission: Data is sent over your local network to the Zenoh router or DDS subscriber you configure.
  • Firebase Analytics: Collects anonymous usage statistics. Subject to Google's Privacy Policy. You can opt out by disabling analytics in iOS Settings → Privacy → Analytics & Improvements.

Permissions

Permission Purpose Required
Camera Publish camera images to ROS 2 Optional
Microphone Publish audio samples to ROS 2 Optional
Location (When In Use) Publish GPS data to ROS 2 Optional
Motion & Fitness Access IMU sensors Optional
Local Network Connect to Zenoh router or DDS subscriber on your network Required

Note: All permissions except Local Network are optional. You can selectively enable only the sensors you need.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Control sensor access: Enable/disable any sensor at any time
  • Delete app data: Uninstall the app to remove all local data
  • Opt out of analytics: Disable analytics in iOS Settings

In-App Purchases

Some advanced features (Camera, LiDAR, Game Controller, Background publishing, MCAP Recording) are gated behind one-time In-App Purchases via Apple's StoreKit. Purchase processing, receipt validation, and refund handling are performed by Apple — Conduit only sees the resulting entitlement state and does not collect, store, or transmit payment information. See Apple's App Store & Privacy policy for details.

Data Retention

  • Sensor data (live publishing): Not retained by the app (transmitted in real-time)
  • MCAP recordings: Kept on-device until you delete them from within Conduit, delete them from Files, or uninstall the app. Conduit never uploads them.
  • Configuration data: Stored until app is uninstalled
  • Analytics data: Retained by Firebase per their retention policy

Policy Updates

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.

Contact

For questions or concerns:

Note: This app is designed for developers and researchers. It is not intended for children under 13.