Garage Brain

Last updated October 23, 2026

Privacy policy

Garage Brain comes in two parts, and they handle your data very differently. This page covers both, separately.

Part 1: the app Free and Pro. Everything stays on your phone. No account, no ads, no analytics. Part 2: Garage Brain Cloud Optional subscription, coming later. Only if you sign up does your data leave your phone.

Part 1The app (Free and Pro)

This part applies to everyone who uses Garage Brain, including Cloud subscribers whenever Cloud is turned off.

What we collect

Nothing. Your vehicles, jobs, history, tools, parts, photos, papers and notes are stored in a database on your device. The developer does not receive, see or store any of it.

When the app uses the internet

Most of Garage Brain works offline. It connects to the internet only when you ask it to:

  • VIN lookup. When you scan or type a VIN and look it up, the VIN is sent to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) vehicle database to get the year, make, model and engine.
  • Recall check. When you check recalls, the vehicle's year, make and model are sent to NHTSA's recall service. Opening a recall on the NHTSA website opens it in your browser.

NHTSA is a U.S. government agency with its own privacy policy. These requests do not include your name, email or any other data from the app.

Camera and photos

The camera is used to scan VIN barcodes and to take photos you attach to vehicles, jobs, log entries, parts and papers. VIN text is read on your device. Photos you attach stay in the app's storage on your phone.

Notifications

Reminders are scheduled as local notifications on your device. No notification server is involved.

Backups and exports

When you make a backup or export a CSV or PDF, the app creates a file and hands it to your phone's share sheet. Where it goes next (Google Drive, iCloud Drive, email or another app) is your choice and is covered by that service's own privacy policy.

Purchases

If you buy Garage Brain Pro, the purchase is handled by the Apple App Store or Google Play. We do not receive your payment details.

Part 2 · Optional subscriptionGarage Brain Cloud

Garage Brain Cloud is not available yet. This section describes how it will handle your data, so you can decide before signing up. Nothing in Part 2 applies to you unless you subscribe and turn Cloud on. We will update this page with the final details, including our hosting provider, before Cloud launches.

What Cloud stores

  • Your account. An email address and sign-in details, so your devices can find your garage.
  • Your garage data. A copy of what you keep in the app (vehicles, jobs, history, tools, parts, notes, photos and papers), so it can be backed up and kept in sync across your devices.
  • Sharing. If you share a garage, the people you invite and their access level. Anyone you share with can see that garage's data.

What Cloud does not do

  • We do not sell your data, use it for advertising or share it with anyone you have not invited.
  • We do not add analytics or tracking to the app because you subscribed.
  • Your data is used only to provide backup, sync and sharing.

Where it is kept and who can see it

Cloud data will be stored with a cloud hosting provider, encrypted in transit and at rest. Access is limited to what is needed to run the service and to help you when you ask for support.

Billing

Cloud costs $2 per month or $20 per year. Subscriptions are handled by the Apple App Store or Google Play, and we do not receive your payment details. We only learn whether your subscription is active.

Turning Cloud off, cancelling and deleting

  • Turning Cloud off stops syncing. The data on your phone stays where it is, and the app goes back to working as described in Part 1.
  • If you cancel, your data stays on your phone. Your cloud copy is kept for a limited time so you can resubscribe without losing anything, then it is deleted.
  • You can delete your Cloud account and all of its data at any time from the app's Settings, or by emailing us.

For everyone

Children

Garage Brain is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect information from children. Garage Brain Cloud accounts are for adults.

Changes

If this policy changes, we will update this page and its date. Any change to how Cloud handles data will be posted before it takes effect.

Contact

Questions about privacy: [email protected]