Privacy Policy for the HomePanel app

In short

• HomePanel has no account, no server of its own, no tracking and no ads.
• Data from Apple Home, Calendar, Reminders, Photos and Apple Music is read only on your iPad or iPhone through Apple's frameworks. I, the developer, receive none of it.
• Connections to third parties are made only for weather and place search (Apple), – if you turn it on – for iCloud sync between your devices (Apple) and – if you set it up – for the online waste collection calendar (your waste service's system).

1. Controller

Patrick Rathjen
Kätnerstraße 4
25587 Münsterdorf
Germany
Email: info [at] patrickrathjen [dot] com

2. Data that stays on your device

HomePanel asks for your permission and then uses the respective Apple frameworks. The data is processed on the device and not transmitted to me:

• Apple Home: accessories, rooms, scenes, automations, camera images and doorbell – to display and control them.
• Calendar and Reminders: events and lists of the calendars and lists you choose; you create new events or items yourself. Syncing is handled by your calendar account (e.g. iCloud).
• Photos: only the album you choose for the photo frame.
• Microphone: only for two-way audio with a doorbell or camera; audio goes directly to your Apple Home device.
• Camera: only if you turn on “Wake on approach”. Detection runs on the device; nothing is recorded or stored.
• Your content and settings: board notes, countdowns, meal plan, kitchen timers, layout, parental lock (the PIN only as a hash) and waste collection dates are stored locally in the app.
• Notifications: waste collection reminders are scheduled by the device itself; there is no push server.

3. Apple services

• Weather (WeatherKit) and location: for the weather, your location (if permitted) or the place chosen in Settings is sent to Apple.
• Place search (MapKit): when you search for a place or postal code for weather or the waste calendar, the search term is sent to Apple.
• Apple Music (MusicKit): playback, search and library run through your Apple Account.

Apple is responsible for this processing; Apple's Privacy Policy applies.

4. Online waste collection calendar

If you set up the online waste collection calendar under “Familie › Abfallkalender”, HomePanel fetches collection dates directly from your waste service's calendar system. Depending on the area these are public interfaces by Service Plus, Jumomind/MyMüll, AWIDO (cubefour) or AbfallNavi (regio iT), which the waste services also use on their own websites, or the calendar address you entered.

What is transmitted is the selection you make – town, street and, if needed, house number (as identifiers of the respective system) and the chosen bins – plus, for technical reasons, your iPad's IP address. There is no account, and I do not receive this data. The app repeats the request about twice a day to keep the dates current. Legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (providing the feature you requested). The privacy notices of the respective waste service or provider apply to processing on their systems. If you remove the online waste calendar in Settings, the app deletes the address and dates.

5. Backup and iCloud sync (optional)

Export setup: in Settings (the backup section) you can save your setup (settings, layouts, floor plan images and pinboard notes – without the PIN) as a file. Where the file goes – e.g. via AirDrop or to the Files app – is up to you; I do not receive it.

iCloud sync: if you turn it on (default: off), HomePanel syncs this setup between your own devices through the private iCloud database of your Apple Account (CloudKit). The data is stored in your iCloud storage at Apple; I have no access to it. Syncing stops when you turn it off; you manage stored data in your device’s iCloud settings. The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (a function you requested); Apple’s privacy policy applies to the processing at Apple.

6. No analytics, no advertising

HomePanel contains no analytics, crash-reporting or advertising SDKs and creates no usage profiles.

7. Deletion

You delete all data stored locally by the app by removing HomePanel from your device. You can revoke permissions at any time in the Settings app › Apps › HomePanel.

8. Your rights

You have the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection (Art. 15–18, 20, 21 GDPR). As I do not receive personal data through the app, I can usually only confirm that none is stored. You may also lodge a complaint with the Independent Centre for Privacy Protection Schleswig-Holstein (ULD), Kiel (Art. 77 GDPR).

9. Changes

I update this policy when the app or the legal situation changes. The version published here applies.

Last updated: October 2026