Effective 14 September 2026
GainScout has no accounts, no analytics, no advertising and no tracking. You can use the whole app without telling it who you are. The few times the app does talk to a server, it is described in full below.
Your saved sites, statuses, notes, visit checklists, evidence photos and reports are stored on your device. While iCloud sync is on (see below) they also sync through your own iCloud. Reports you export as a PDF go wherever you choose to share them. If you share a land check as a link, the check's name, location and findings travel inside the link itself, to whoever you send it to.
If you allow location access, your position is used on your device to jump the map to where you are and to attach a grid reference to field notes and evidence photos. If you allow the camera or photo library, it is only to capture or import evidence photos for a site. None of this is sent to me except as part of an iCloud sync to your own account, or a report you choose to share.
A land check reads official public services live - planning.data.gov.uk (which draws together Natural England and other government data) and the open data services of Natural England and Defra - and uses Apple Maps for the base map, place search and the name of the spot under the pin. Those services receive the same standard information any map app sends: your IP address and the point being checked, or what you type when you search for a place. GainScout adds nothing to identify you, and none of those requests pass through any server of mine. Looking up the biodiversity gain sites register sends nothing, because a dated copy of it is kept inside the app.
So the app stays current without waiting for an App Store update, it downloads two public files from GitHub Pages, where these support pages are hosted:
Both are plain downloads of the same file for everyone. They send nothing about you, your land or your sites; GitHub only sees what any web request carries, such as your IP address.
iCloud sync is on unless you turn it off. While it is on, your sites, statuses, notes, checklists, photos and reports sync between your own iPhone, iPad and Mac through your private iCloud, using Apple's CloudKit. This data lives in your Apple account, managed and secured by Apple - I cannot see it, and it never reaches a server of mine. You can turn sync off at any time in the app's Account tab.
Two features do send a small amount of data to a server I run (hosted on Supabase), and only when you choose to use them:
The random identifier is generated on your device, is not linked to your name, Apple ID or email, and cannot be used to identify you personally. This data is never sold, shared for advertising, or used for tracking.
Pro subscriptions and report purchases are handled entirely by Apple. I receive no personal information about you from them, only anonymous sales totals.
GainScout is a professional tool and is not directed at children. It collects no personal information from anyone, apart from an email address you choose to add to feedback.
Questions, or want your feedback record removed? Email leonfigueira@gmail.com.
GainScout is made by Leon Figueira. It is an independent app, not affiliated with Defra, Natural England or any government body. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.