Last updated: August 2, 2026
Itch Studio Ltd. (“us”, “we”, or “our”) operates the Bark Back mobile application (the “App”). This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of data when you use our App and the choices you have associated with that data.
In short: Bark Back has no account, no login, and no server of its own. The App records audio and video of your dog, and all of it stays on your device unless you choose to share it or turn on iCloud sync. We collect no data about you at all, and there is no analytics or tracking software of any kind in the App.
We collect nothing. We operate no server that the App talks to, we receive no reports from it, and we have no way to identify you or your device.
The App listens through your device's microphone in order to detect your dog's bark and play that same bark back. Detection runs entirely on your device using Apple's built-in sound classification, and the audio it listens to is held briefly in memory. Audio is never streamed, uploaded, or sent to us or to any third party. The App only listens while a session is running.
When filming is enabled, the App records video through your device's camera so you can watch back how your dog reacted. Recording happens only during a session. To frame the exported clip on your dog, the App uses Apple's on-device Vision animal recogniser; that analysis happens on your device and produces nothing that is stored or sent anywhere.
Clips, the short bark recordings behind them, your session history, and any phrase you record in your own voice are stored in the App's own private storage area on your device. We have no access to any of it. The App keeps a size budget for the clip library and removes the oldest clips once that budget is reached, so save anything you want to keep. Deleting the App removes everything held only on that device.
If you choose to save a clip, the App asks for permission to add it to your photo library. That permission is add-only: the App cannot read, browse or delete your existing photos and videos, and it does not ask to.
Your preferences (the response type, the storage budget, the echo preset and similar) are stored on your device using the standard iOS settings store, and are readable only by this App.
If you have Bark Back Pro and turn sync on, your sessions and clips are copied to your own private iCloud account through Apple's CloudKit, in a private database that only you can reach. We are not a party to that data: we cannot read it, cannot list it, and hold no copy of it. Apple's handling of iCloud data is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
Sync is optional and off unless you turn it on. Nothing transfers while a session is running. If your Pro subscription lapses, sync simply stops: nothing is deleted, and every clip already on your device stays playable, exportable and deletable. You can remove synced data at any time through iCloud storage management in your device settings.
When you share or export a clip, it leaves your device because you chose to send it, and it goes wherever you send it. What happens to it after that is governed by the service or person you shared it with, not by us. Every exported clip carries a Bark Back watermark.
Bark Back offers optional paid subscriptions and a one-time Lifetime purchase (“Bark Back Pro”). All purchases are processed by Apple through the App Store using StoreKit. We do not collect or receive your payment card details. Apple's handling of your purchase information is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy. We receive only anonymised, aggregated sales information from Apple, which does not identify you personally.
If you email our support address, we will hold your message and your email address for as long as it takes to help you, and we use them for nothing else. You are never required to create an account or identify yourself to use the App.
Because nothing reaches us, we do not use your data for any purpose. We do not profile you, we show no advertising, and the App contains no advertising or analytics software.
The App does not track you. It does not collect a device identifier for advertising, does not link any data to your identity, and does not share data with data brokers or advertising networks.
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with anyone. The only external services the App communicates with are Apple's iCloud (only if you enable Pro sync) and the App Store (for purchases), both operated by Apple Inc.
The security of your data is important to us. Because your recordings, clips and session history are stored locally on your device, you retain full control over them. You can remove all of this data at any time by deleting individual clips in the App or by deleting the App itself, and any synced copies through iCloud storage management in your device settings.
If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights under GDPR. Because we do not collect or hold your personal data on our own systems, we do not hold any data about you to access, correct, amend, delete, or restrict. The data the App creates is under your direct control on your own device and, where you have enabled sync, in your own iCloud account.
The App is rated for general audiences and is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13.
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Last updated” date above.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:
This Privacy Policy shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with this Privacy Policy, including any questions regarding its existence, validity, or termination, shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.