Who we are
CarCove is a UK-focused vehicle companion operated by Ben Wildman, who is responsible for the personal data processed for the service. You can contact us about privacy or your data through our support page.
Information we process
Accounts and sign-in
CarCove offers an optional account using Microsoft Entra External ID. Microsoft and any sign-in provider you choose process information necessary to authenticate you. CarCove may receive your account identifier, display name and email address. Our service uses a verified account identifier to protect your Cloud Garage data and apply service limits.
Vehicles and Garage records
Your Garage can contain vehicle registrations, vehicle information, MOT results and history, mileage, reminders, ownership information, service and repair entries, costs and notes that you enter. Guest Garage records are stored locally. If you sign in and enable Cloud Garage, the relevant structured Garage records are stored in our Azure service and synchronised with your account.
Where the app offers receipt or document attachments, the original files are intended to remain in private storage on the device rather than being uploaded to our Cloud Garage. They may be included in a device backup managed by Apple if you enable that feature, or shared/exported by you. Structured record details you approve, such as a service date and cost, may still synchronise.
MOT lookups
When you request an MOT or vehicle check, the registration is sent to our Azure backend, which obtains vehicle and MOT records from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Successful responses may be cached temporarily for approximately 15 minutes per backend instance.
Location, fuel and charging
If you choose Use my location, your foreground location is sent to our backend to find nearby fuel stations or charge points. You can instead search using a town or postcode. We do not continuously track your location or request background location. Our application does not intentionally record your location or search terms in its application telemetry.
Google Maps provides the in-app base map and processes the network, map viewport and marker information needed to display it. If you select navigation, destination coordinates are passed to the maps application you choose.
Diagnostics and service protection
We use Azure and Application Insights for operational diagnostics such as service failures, latency and random request identifiers. We also maintain account-linked usage counters, stored under a hashed account identifier, to protect the service against excessive use. Our application logging is designed not to deliberately include registrations, typed locations, coordinates, authentication tokens or other secrets. Hosting and network providers may still process ordinary connection data, such as IP addresses.
Why we use information
We process account and vehicle information to deliver the features you request, including Garage sync and live vehicle lookups. We use limited service diagnostics and usage controls to maintain a reliable and secure service. Foreground location is used only after you choose a nearby search. The exact legal bases and any additional processing introduced before launch will be checked as part of the production privacy review.
Other services and sharing
Depending on which features you use, information is processed by our infrastructure and service providers, including Microsoft Azure and Entra External ID, the relevant sign-in provider, DVSA for live MOT information, and Google Maps for map display. Using an external navigation app shares the destination with that app. We do not sell Garage data and the current app does not include advertising or behavioural advertising analytics SDKs.
Retention and deletion
Local data remains on your device until you remove it, subject to any device backup or exported copies. Cloud Garage data remains associated with your account while it is active, subject to deletion requests and legal retention obligations. Temporary lookup caches are short-lived. Service counters, logs and any necessary backups follow the applicable operational retention settings; contact us for details. We will verify and publish the final production retention periods before App Store release.
Removing the app does not automatically remove a signed-in account or Cloud Garage data. To ask for access, a copy of your information or deletion, use our support page. The app's in-app account deletion capability is being completed for public release; a support email is not a substitute for that requirement.
Your choices and rights
You can use a local Garage without turning on Cloud Garage, remove vehicle records, disable reminders, choose a typed location instead of sharing device location, and export a Garage backup. Depending on applicable UK data-protection law, you may have rights to access, correct, erase, restrict or object to processing of personal data, or request portability. You may also complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
To exercise a right or ask a privacy question, please use our support contact details. We may need to confirm that you own the account before disclosing or deleting account-linked information. You can also manage or revoke device location permission in your phone's settings.
Changes to this policy
We will update this notice when the released service, providers or data practices change, and show the latest revision date here. App Store privacy declarations are maintained separately to reflect the features and SDKs actually shipped.