Privacy policy for the “BienenWaagenManager” app
Last updated: 6 October 2026 · applies to the Android app “BienenWaagenManager” (package de.christiankempf.bwm_app). The website is covered by the general privacy policy. In case of doubt the German version prevails.
1. Controller
Christian Kempf, Breitenweg 2, 72406 Bisingen, Germany, e-mail: christian.firmdev@gmail.com
2. In brief
The app has no user account and sends no data to me – there is no server run by the provider. No advertising, no analytics, no tracking, no crash reports. Everything you create in the app – channels, hive records, notes, queens, reminders, NFC assignments – stays on your device. The app only connects to the services a feature needs (section 4).
3. What the app stores on your device
| Channel credentials | Channel ID, read key, address of your own server if any – in encrypted device storage (Android Keystore) |
|---|---|
| Remembered ThingSpeak accounts (optional) | Name and user API key, only if you choose “remember” when importing channels – also in the Android Keystore |
| Hive records | Notes, reminders, queen details – in the app’s own documents folder |
| Settings, cache | Settings, last loaded measurements (for offline display) and daily highs/lows |
| NFC assignments | Serial number of a tag and the assigned colony |
4. Connections the app makes
4.1 Your scale’s data source (ThingSpeak or your own server)
The app retrieves the measurements of the channels you have entered, by default from ThingSpeak (The MathWorks, Inc., 1 Apple Hill Drive, Natick, MA 01760, USA). Transmitted are channel ID and read key (the user API key when importing), the requested period and, for technical reasons, your IP address. This is your own data in your own ThingSpeak account; MathWorks’ privacy policy applies. If you enter your own server, requests go there instead. All connections use HTTPS unless you explicitly enter an http:// address.
4.2 Weather data for the growing degree sum (optional)
For the growing degree sum the app retrieves weather data of the German Weather Service (DWD) via the open-source service Bright Sky. Transmitted are the coordinates of your apiary (four decimal places, about 10 m), the date range and, for technical reasons, your IP address – no identifier, no key. The coordinates come from your scale’s data, not from locating your phone. To switch off: Settings → Charts → Additional content → GTS; then no request is made. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.
4.3 Map (only when you tap)
On the service page, “Open in map” shows your apiary’s position on OpenStreetMap – in the browser or a map app. From then on the OpenStreetMap Foundation’s privacy policy or that of the respective provider applies. The app never opens a map by itself.
4.4 Your scale box in maintenance mode
The service page can check whether one of your scale boxes is reachable in maintenance mode and open its web interface. To do so, the app requests the fixed address http://192.168.4.1, the scale box’s own hotspot. This connection stays between your phone and your own device; no third party is involved. The app does not scan Wi-Fi networks and does not read Wi-Fi credentials.
4.5 Speech recognition and speech output
If you enable voice control, the app records via the microphone during a visibly open voice session. Conversion to text and speech output are handled by the operating system (on Android usually Google’s service). Depending on device and settings this happens on the device or at the service provider; the app has no influence on this, and that provider’s privacy policy applies. The app stores no audio files and sends neither recordings nor text to any server; only the finished note text stays on the device.
4.6 Google Play
Download of the app and any purchases are handled by Google Play (Google Ireland Ltd., Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland). I receive no payment data; Google only provides the information needed for accounting (e.g. order number, country, amount) and aggregated Play Console statistics. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Google’s privacy policy also applies.
5. Permissions
| Internet | Retrieving measurements and – if enabled – weather data |
|---|---|
| Notifications (optional) | Reminders and alerts about weight changes or low battery voltage. They are generated on the device; there is no push service. With “background” delivery enabled, the app checks your channels about every 15 minutes (requests as in 4.1). |
| NFC (optional) | Reading and writing the tags on your hives. Only the serial number and the entry written by the app (channel, colony) are read; other tags such as payment cards are ignored. |
| Microphone (optional) | Only for voice control, only after you enable it and only during a voice session (see 4.5) |
| Run at startup | So that scheduled reminders survive a phone restart; nothing is transmitted. |
Not requested: location, contacts, camera, photos, calendar, phone state or device storage. The position shown is your scale’s, not your phone’s.
6. Retention and deletion
Data stays on your device until you delete it: single channels under Settings → Channels, everything by uninstalling or via Android settings → Apps → BienenWaagenManager → Storage → Clear data. Android may include app data in your personal device backup (e.g. Google account) if you have enabled this in the system settings.
7. Your rights
You have the rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, data portability and objection (Art. 15–21 GDPR) and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR), e.g. the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Baden-Württemberg. As I receive no data from the app and have no access to your device, in practice these rights are directed at the providers named in section 4; for the data on your device, section 6 is sufficient.