Privacy Policy

Who this policy covers

This Privacy Policy explains how Parallel ("Parallel," "we," "us") collects, uses, and shares information when you use the Parallel iOS app and this website. By using Parallel, you agree to the collection and use of information as described here.

Information we collect

Location data. Parallel uses your device's location — with your permission — to determine which streets and blocks to show probabilities for, and to let you search for or check odds at a specific address. You can grant location access "while using the app" or deny it entirely in iOS Settings; without it, you can still search addresses manually.

Usage and device data. Like most apps, we collect basic technical information automatically: device type, OS version, app version, crash logs, and general usage patterns (which screens are opened, which features are used). This helps us fix bugs and understand which parts of the app people rely on.

Information you provide. If you contact us for support, we keep what you send us — your message and the email address you contacted us from — so we can respond.

Scanning a parking sign

Parallel can read a parking sign from your camera or from a photo you pick. Reading happens on your device. The image is not uploaded, and it is not stored by us.

There is one exception, and it is optional. In Settings → Experiment → “Read signs with AI” — off by default — you can ask for a second opinion from an AI model. Only when that setting is on, and only when you scan, we send:

• the photo of the sign;
• the local Montréal time;
• the reading Parallel produced on its own, so the two can be compared.

We do not send your location, any account or device identifier, or anything else derived from your hardware. The image passes through our service in Montréal (Google Cloud, northamerica-northeast1) and is processed by Anthropic’s Claude model to produce the reading. It is used for that single request — not written to disk, not logged, and not retained by us. Because the AI provider operates outside Québec, using this optional feature involves a transfer of that image outside the province.

Turning the setting off stops all of this. Everything else in Parallel keeps working with no upload of any kind.

What we deliberately don't collect

• No surveillance cameras and no crowd-sourcing. Our street-level predictions are never derived from images — the camera is used only when you choose to scan a sign yourself (see “Scanning a parking sign” above).
• No account or sign-in required, and no profile of you as a person.
• No contacts, microphone, health, or financial data.
• No continuous background location tracking — we only use location while the app is in use.
• No selling of personal data to advertisers or data brokers, ever.

How we use information

• To show you the probability of an open spot on streets near you or near an address you search.
• To operate, maintain, and improve the app.
• To diagnose crashes and technical problems.
• To respond to support requests.

How we share information

We do not sell personal information. We share limited data only with:

• Service providers who host our infrastructure or provide crash/analytics tooling on our behalf, under obligations to protect it.
• Anthropic, our AI provider — and only if you turn on “Read signs with AI”. In that case the photo of the sign you scanned is sent to its Claude model to produce a reading, and is used for nothing else. This is the only feature that sends an image anywhere.
• Apple, as required for App Store distribution, in-app functionality, and anonymous aggregate analytics Apple provides to developers.
• Authorities, if required by law, regulation, or legal process.

Data retention

We keep technical and usage data only as long as needed to operate and improve the app, and support messages for as long as needed to resolve your request and maintain a record of it. Location data used to fetch a probability is not stored against your identity after the request is served.

Your choices

• Control location access any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Parallel.
• Request a copy or deletion of any data we hold that's tied to your support correspondence, by contacting us below.

Children's privacy

Parallel is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we'll remove it.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect information in our care. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app changes. We'll update the "Last updated" date above, and for material changes we'll provide notice in the app or on this site.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data? Reach us at privacy@parallelparking.info.