Privacy Policy

App: Nomadical

Version: 2.5.0

Owner: KangaBlue.au

Contact: skippy@kangablue.au

Last updated: 2026-04-14

Overview

Nomadical is designed from the ground up to operate entirely offline with zero cloud dependencies. This privacy policy explains exactly what data the app collects, where it stays, and what we do (and do not) do with it. In short: nothing leaves your device unless you explicitly share it.

1. Data We Collect (on your device, only)

Nomadical collects and stores the following data locally on your device only. No server ever sees any of it.

Location (GPS)

Your GPS coordinates are optionally captured when you create a Field Journal entry or save an AI Scanner result.
GPS is also used to compute magnetic declination correction for the Compass.
Location data is stored only in the app's local SQLite database on your device.
Location is never transmitted anywhere.

Camera and Photos

The AI Scanner uses your device camera to capture images for on-device plant, animal, and object identification.
Photos attached to Field Journal entries are stored in your device's local file system.
Images are never uploaded to any server or cloud service.
You may also select photos from your device gallery for AI scanning; these are processed entirely on-device.

Personal Emergency Information (Medical ID)

The SOS screen allows you to store personal medical information: blood type, allergies, medical conditions, current medications, and emergency contact names and phone numbers.
This information is stored locally in the app's SQLite database.
It is never transmitted, synced, or shared with any third party.

Field Journal Entries

Text notes, titles, timestamps, optional photos, and optional GPS coordinates you write in the Field Journal are stored locally in the app's SQLite database.
Journal entries are never uploaded or shared without your explicit action using the system share sheet.

Chat History

Conversations with the on-device AI assistant (Gemma 4 2B) are stored locally in the app's SQLite database.
AI inference runs entirely on your device. Your messages are never sent to any external AI service, API, or server.

My Documents (user-uploaded PDFs, TXT, Markdown)

Starting in v2.5, Nomadical lets you import your own PDF, text, and Markdown files and chat with them using the on-device AI.

Imported files are copied into Nomadical's private app storage (getApplicationDocumentsDirectory()/pdfs/). They are not readable by other apps.
Nomadical extracts the text from each document and splits it into searchable "chunks" which are stored in the app's local SQLite database along with the document's metadata.
For scanned (image-only) PDFs, Nomadical uses Google ML Kit Text Recognition on-device to extract text from the page images. ML Kit runs entirely on your phone — no image data is transmitted to Google or any other party.
Chat conversations about an uploaded document are stored locally in the same chat history database as the regular AI chat.
When you delete a document from My Docs, both the file and all its extracted chunks are permanently removed from your device.
Uploaded documents never leave your device. There is no sync, no backup, no upload path.

Checklist Data

Your checklist completion progress and any custom checklists you create are stored locally in the app's SQLite database.

App Settings and Preferences

Display preferences (font size, theme), compass settings (declination correction, coordinate format), and other settings are stored locally using your device's shared preferences storage.

2. Data We Do NOT Collect

Nomadical does not collect:

Analytics or usage telemetry of any kind
Crash reports sent to external services
Advertising identifiers
Device identifiers
Account details — Nomadical has no accounts, no sign-up, no sign-in
Contacts, calendar, or messages
Any data transmitted over the internet at runtime

The app makes zero network requests during normal operation. All AI inference, OCR, knowledge content, map rendering, and sensor data processing happens entirely on your device.

3. On-Device AI Model

The Gemma 4 2B AI model (~2.6 GB) is downloaded directly to your device during initial setup from a Google-hosted model distribution endpoint. After download, the model file resides on your local storage (getApplicationDocumentsDirectory()/models/) and is used exclusively for on-device inference. No queries, images, or results are transmitted to Google or any other party.

The model download itself requires an internet connection only once. After download, the app operates fully offline. You may delete the model at any time via Settings > AI Model > Delete Model and re-download it later if needed.

4. Google ML Kit Text Recognition (OCR)

When you import a scanned PDF into My Documents, Nomadical uses Google ML Kit Text Recognition to extract text from the page images. ML Kit is a Google library that ships with the app and runs entirely on-device — no image data, extracted text, or metadata is transmitted to Google or any other party.

ML Kit requires Google Play Services to be installed on the device (standard on Android phones with Google Mobile Services). If Play Services is not available, OCR will fail gracefully and the document will show an "could not extract text" message.

5. Third-Party Services

Nomadical does not integrate with any third-party analytics, advertising, or data collection services.

The only external network activity in the entire app is:

One-time download of the Gemma 4 2B model file from a model distribution endpoint during onboarding. This download transmits no personal data — it is a standard file download.
Optional map tile download when you proactively cache a region using the offline map feature. Tiles come from OpenStreetMap; your device makes tile requests to openstreetmap.org while downloading, which may be logged by the tile server per its own privacy policy. After caching, the map works fully offline.

No third-party SDKs that collect behavioural data are bundled in the app.

We do not share your data with anyone. Ever. There is no mechanism in this app to transmit your journal entries, chat history, personal emergency info, photos, imported documents, or location data to any external party.

The only way data leaves your device is if you explicitly choose to share a journal entry, checklist, or document using your device's system share sheet — in which case you control exactly what is shared and where it goes.

7. Permissions Used

Permission	Why It's Used
Camera	AI Scanner — capture photos for on-device identification
Location (fine)	GPS tagging in Field Journal; magnetic declination correction in Compass
Flashlight / Torch	SOS Morse flashlight emergency signaling
Vibration	Dual-channel SOS signaling alongside LED flash
Read External Storage	Gallery photo selection for AI Scanner; file picker for PDF/TXT/MD document import
Write External Storage	Saving journal photos; copying imported documents to private app storage
Wake Lock	Prevents screen sleep during compass use and SOS signaling
Internet	One-time Gemma AI model download; optional offline map tile caching

All permissions are requested only when the relevant feature is first used. You may deny optional permissions (such as location) and the app will continue to function without those specific features.

8. Data Retention and Deletion

All data is stored on your device and under your control.

To delete specific data:

Journal entries: Settings > Privacy > Clear Journal Data
Chat history: Settings > Privacy > Clear Chat History
Checklist progress: Settings > Privacy > Clear Checklist Progress
Imported documents: Swipe right-to-left on any row in Library > My Docs to delete that document and all its indexed text
AI model file: Settings > AI Model > Delete Model

To delete all app data: Uninstall the app or use your device's "Clear App Data" option in Android Settings. This permanently removes all locally stored data, the AI model file, imported documents, and all preferences.

9. Children's Privacy

Nomadical is rated for ages 13+ and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone — child or adult — because the app does not collect personal information in the first place.

10. Changes to This Policy

If this privacy policy changes materially, the updated policy will be included in the next app update and published to the project's GitHub repository. The "Last updated" date at the top of this file will reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of the app after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact

For any privacy questions or concerns: