Zerk is published by an independent iOS developer (Apple Developer Team ID ZM8LF8494F). For any privacy question, write to captainlongevity@gmail.com.
Is there a Zerk server holding my garage?
No. Your machines, odometer and hour readings, service jobs, fuel fills, Garage Card specs, and photos live in this app's local store on your iPhone. We cannot read them, restore them, or move them.
Does Zerk sync to iCloud or any cloud?
No. Zerk does not declare the iCloud entitlement; there is no CloudKit container and no remote sync. Your records are included in your ordinary iOS device backup (iCloud Backup or a Finder/computer backup) when you have those turned on — that is Apple's normal backup behavior for all on-device data, not a Zerk feature. It is how your garage survives a lost or replaced phone.
Do you collect analytics, crash logs, or an advertising identifier?
No. There is no analytics SDK, no crash reporter, and no advertising identifier. We do not know how many machines you track, how often you log fuel, or whether you bought Pro — except through Apple's standard, aggregate sales reports.
Does the app know my location, my routes, or my VIN?
No. Zerk requests no location permission and does no GPS tracking. Odometer and hour readings are numbers you type; the app never derives them from where you drive. Zerk does no VIN decoding and contacts no vehicle manufacturer. If you want to check recalls, Settings links you out to the official NHTSA site in your browser — Zerk itself performs no recall lookup.
Where do my photos and receipts go?
They are stored on your device, attached to the machine or job you added them to. Zerk downsizes them for storage and keeps them local. The Service History PDF you generate is built on demand from your own records and handed to the iOS Share Sheet — it is not uploaded anywhere.
This data is included in your standard iOS backups when you have those enabled. We have no access to your backups — only Apple does, under its published terms. If you delete a record inside the app, it is removed permanently (there is no server copy and no "recently deleted" bin), which is why the app asks you to confirm a deletion.
aps-environment entitlement.Zerk offers an optional Pro tier — a one-time Lifetime purchase, plus Yearly and Monthly subscriptions — through Apple's StoreKit 2. When you buy, restore, or when the app checks your entitlement, your device talks directly to Apple. Zerk receives only whether Pro is active and a purchase identifier. We never see your Apple Account, payment method, billing address, or transaction history. Apple's handling of purchase information is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
You can change any of these in iOS Settings > Zerk. Zerk requests no location, no contacts, no microphone (beyond none), no HealthKit, and no Bluetooth.
Zerk is a personal recordkeeping tool for the machines you own. It is not affiliated with any vehicle or equipment manufacturer, parts supplier, or agency. It does not provide repair instructions, torque values, capacities, or factory maintenance schedules. The intervals and specs you see are your own editable entries, which the app labels as defaults for you to set from your machine's manual. The MPG heads-up is a hedged, informational hint about your own fuel data, not a fault diagnosis or a repair recommendation.
Zerk is a tool for adults maintaining their own vehicles and equipment. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children.
Because everything is stored only on your device, you control retention completely. Delete a record to remove it permanently, or delete the app (and remove it from any backups you have saved) to erase everything. There is no remote copy for us to delete.
Zerk is published in English for the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Units (miles or kilometers; US gallons, UK gallons, or liters; MPG variants) and the currency symbol follow your device locale. The app does not transfer your data internationally because it does not transfer your data anywhere.
If a future release ever changes how the app handles data — for example, if a later version ever introduces any sync, analytics, or third-party integration — we will update this policy and surface the change in the app before that feature becomes available. The "Last updated" date above reflects the most recent revision.
Privacy questions: captainlongevity@gmail.com