Privacy Policy

In short: Motive keeps your data on your iPhone. We run no server that receives your trips, locations or vehicle data, and we use no tracking or advertising.

1. Controller

This policy covers the iOS app “Motive” and this website.

2. The Motive app

2.1 Local storage

Everything you create in Motive is stored only on your device, in particular:

• trips including location history, speed, acceleration values and timestamps, as well as driving events derived from them (e.g. hard braking),
• vehicle data read via an OBD2 adapter (e.g. RPM, fuel level, consumption),
• cars, car pictures, fuel and maintenance entries,
• documents and photos you keep in the glovebox,
• settings and your profile name.

We have no access to this data. You can delete it in the app at any time; removing the app deletes all locally stored data. If you use device backups (iCloud or computer), the data may be included in those backups depending on your settings – that processing is carried out by Apple or on your computer.

The legal basis for processing on your device is providing the app features you request (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Motive only accesses location, Bluetooth, camera, photos and notifications with your consent via the iOS permission prompts (Section 25(1) TDDDG, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time in iOS Settings.

2.2 Permissions

• Location (including background): to record your trips.
• Bluetooth: to connect to your OBD2 adapter.
• Camera and photos: to capture documents, choose car pictures and save exported files.
• Notifications: for app alerts, e.g. about the OBD2 connection.
• Motion sensors: to record acceleration values, only while a trip is being recorded. iOS does not ask for separate permission for this (Section 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG).

2.3 Apple services

Some features use Apple system services. In those cases data is exchanged directly between your device and Apple, not with us. Apple Distribution International Ltd., Hollyhill Industrial Estate, Hollyhill, Cork, Ireland is responsible for that processing under Apple’s Privacy Policy. Data may also be transferred to the USA in the process; Apple sets out the applicable safeguards in its Privacy Policy.

• Apple Maps (MapKit) and location services: maps, place search and navigation. Motive also automatically looks up place names, for example for the start and end of each trip, and may check after a short stop whether there is a gas station nearby. Search terms and coordinates are sent to Apple for this.
• WeatherKit: weather for your location. This feature is on by default and can be turned off in the app’s settings. Your approximate location is sent to Apple for this.
• Sign in with Apple (optional): Apple provides a pseudonymous user identifier and – if you agree – your name and email address (possibly an Apple relay address). This is stored only on your device.
• Game Center: if you are signed in to Game Center on your iPhone, Motive automatically connects to it when the app starts and, after each trip, sends Apple your highest recorded speed for the leaderboard as well as unlocked achievements (e.g. distances driven, night drives, RPM and fuel consumption values). This information and your Game Center profile may be visible to other Game Center players. If you sign out of Game Center in iOS Settings, nothing is sent.
• Apple Intelligence: on supported devices, Motive can analyse documents using Apple’s on-device language models. Processing happens on your iPhone.
• App Store: downloads, updates and any purchases are handled by the App Store. If you opted in via iOS Settings, Apple provides us with aggregated crash reports and usage statistics. We cannot identify individual users from them.

The legal basis is providing the app features you use (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR); for the automatic transfer to Game Center, it is our legitimate interest in leaderboards and achievements as part of the app (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

2.4 Sharing and export

When you export or share content (e.g. PDFs, images or videos of your trips), you decide via the iOS share sheet who receives it.

2.5 No tracking

Motive contains no third-party analytics, tracking or advertising SDKs. We do not build user profiles and do not sell data.

3. This website

3.1 Hosting

This website runs on a virtual server provided by STRATO GmbH, Otto-Ostrowski-Straße 7, 10249 Berlin, which we operate ourselves. STRATO acts as our processor (Art. 28 GDPR). When you visit it, your browser necessarily transmits your IP address and details of the request (e.g. the page requested, your browser). We use this data solely to deliver the page to you. We keep no access logs for this and do not analyse the data. The connection is encrypted via HTTPS. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in a working website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

3.2 Cloudflare

For name resolution (DNS) and as an upstream network we use Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. Every request first passes through Cloudflare's servers and is forwarded from there to our server over an encrypted connection. In the process, Cloudflare processes your IP address and technical details of the request in order to deliver the page and protect it against attacks and overload. Cloudflare generally acts as our processor (Art. 28 GDPR); where it processes data for its own purposes, Cloudflare is itself responsible. Cloudflare may keep its own security logs and, in individual cases, set strictly necessary security cookies (e.g. when checking that you are not a bot; Section 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG), and your browser may report technical connection errors to Cloudflare. Cloudflare states no fixed retention period for logs; retention is governed by Cloudflare's privacy policy. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in a secure and available website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Data may be transferred to the USA in the process. Cloudflare is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which is covered by an adequacy decision of the European Commission (Art. 45 GDPR). If the certification lapses, Cloudflare states that it relies on standard contractual clauses (Art. 46 GDPR). See Cloudflare's privacy policy for details.

3.3 No analytics, no third-party content

We ourselves set no cookies, use no analytics and load no fonts or scripts from third parties.

4. Contact and post

If you write to us, we process your email address and the content of your message to handle your request (Art. 6(1)(b) or (f) GDPR). We delete the data once it is no longer needed for that purpose and no statutory retention obligations apply.

Our email address, contact form and postal address are provided by Clear-Media UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Europaring 90, 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany (“Online-Impressum”) as our processor (Art. 28 GDPR). Your messages pass through its systems. Post sent to our address is received, opened and scanned for us there.

The contact form is hosted on the Online-Impressum website. The details you enter (name, email address, subject and message) are forwarded to us and processed as described above. Your visit to that website is covered by Online-Impressum's privacy policy.

5. Your rights

Under the GDPR you have the right to

• access the personal data we hold about you (Art. 15),
• rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17) and restriction of processing (Art. 18),
• data portability (Art. 20),
• withdraw consent with effect for the future (Art. 7(3)),
• lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77). The authority responsible for us is the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of North Rhine-Westphalia (LDI NRW).

Since app data only exists on your device, you can exercise most of these rights directly in the app. For anything else, just email [email protected]. For data that Apple processes under its own responsibility, please contact Apple.

Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR)

Where we process data based on legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR), you may object at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation. An email to us is sufficient. You can also stop the transfer to Game Center by signing out of Game Center in iOS Settings.

6. Provision of data and automated decisions

You are under no legal or contractual obligation to provide us with data. However, the website cannot be delivered without transmitting your IP address, and Motive cannot record trips without location access. We do not use automated decision-making within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR.

7. Changes

We update this policy when the app or legal requirements change. The version published here is the one that applies.

Last updated: November 2026 · In case of discrepancies, the German version prevails. · Imprint