Escalator Field Command Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 5, 2026

Escalator Field Command is made by Artificial Igknorance, a small app maker in Vancouver, British Columbia. This page covers the iPhone, iPad and Android versions of the app.

The short version: your route lives on your phone. There's no account, no sign-up and no password, and we never see your escalators, buildings, test results, hours, notes, photos or documents. A few small things do go over the internet, and they're all listed below.

What stays on your phone

Everything you put into the app is saved on the phone itself:

• Your escalators, buildings, Cat 1 and SSPI test results, service history and notes
• Your hours, timesheets, expenses and receipt photos
• Photos, manuals, drawings and any other files you add
• The app's daily backups

We don't have a copy of any of it, so we can't read it, lose it or hand it to anyone. The flip side is that if the phone is lost and you have no backup, we can't get it back for you either. That's why the app makes a backup every day and lets you export everything to one file.

What leaves your phone, and why

Crash reports. When the app crashes or hits an error, a report goes to Sentry, a crash-reporting service, so we can find and fix the bug. A report holds technical details: the phone model, the iOS or Android version, the app version, the screen you were on and the error itself. Like any internet service, Sentry can see the internet address the report came from.

Anonymous usage counts. The app sends small counts of things like "app opened", "Settings screen viewed" or "subscription screen shown" to our own server, run on Cloudflare. They're tagged with a random number made up when you installed the app, plus the app version and whether it's an iPhone or Android phone. No names, no route details, no notes, no search text and no internet address are stored. We use them to see which parts of the app get used and where people get stuck.

Your subscription. Purchases go through Apple's App Store or Google Play. We never see your card or your Apple or Google account details. To know whether you have Pro, the app uses RevenueCat, a subscription service. RevenueCat gets a random ID made up by the app, the purchase receipt from Apple or Google, and basic device details. It doesn't get your name or email from us.

Field Guide questions. When you ask the Escalator Field Guide a question, the question goes to our Field Guide server on Cloudflare along with the app's random ID, which is how the server knows you're a subscriber. The answer is written by an AI model that also runs on Cloudflare. We keep a log of questions asked, with that random ID, so we can see where the guide has no good answer and improve it. Don't type personal details into a question.

Speaking a question. If you hold the microphone button, your phone's own speech recognition turns your voice into text. On iPhone this happens on the phone where it can; if the phone doesn't have the speech files, Apple's speech service does it. On Android, Google's speech service does it. The app never records or keeps the audio.

Find Nearest Building. If you use it and allow location, the app reads where you are and compares it with your buildings on the phone. To do that it asks Apple's location service (on Android, Google's) to turn your building addresses into map points. We never receive your location. "Directions" opens Apple Maps or Google Maps with the building's address.

Checking for updates. The app looks up its own latest version on the App Store or Google Play so it can tell you when an update is out. Nothing about you is sent.

The Counterweight newsletter. Settings shows the latest issue of the Counterweight newsletter, which the app reads from our newsletter site. Nothing about you is sent.

Things that only happen if you choose them

iCloud Backup (iPhone and iPad only). Off unless you turn it on. When it's on, the app saves a backup once a day to the app's folder in your own iCloud Drive. That goes from your phone to your Apple account. We can't see it.

Exports, reports and emails. When you export your data, share a PDF report, send a timesheet or email us, it goes only where you send it, using your phone's own share sheet or mail app.

Notifications. The morning notice and reminders are worked out and scheduled on your phone. Nothing is sent to a server to make them.

Camera and photos. Pictures you take or pick are saved inside the app on your phone. They're only sent anywhere if you export or share them.

What we don't do

• No ads, and no advertising or tracking tools
• We don't track you across other apps or websites
• We don't sell or rent anything about you
• No account, so there's no email, name or password of yours on any server of ours

How long we keep things

Your app data stays on your phone until you delete it or delete the app. Deleting the app removes everything stored inside it, so export a copy first if you want to keep it.

Crash reports, usage counts and the Field Guide question log are kept for as long as they help us fix and improve the app. None of them carry your name.

Your choices

• Don't allow location, and the app works fine without Find Nearest Building.
• Don't use the microphone, and nothing is sent for speech.
• Leave iCloud Backup off, and no copy of your data leaves the phone.
• Delete the app to remove everything it stored on your phone.

Because nothing we keep has your name on it, we usually can't pick out which records are yours. If you'd like something removed, email us and we'll do what we can.

Children

The app is a work tool for escalator mechanics and isn't meant for children under 13.

Changes

If this policy changes, we'll update this page and the date at the top. If a change means more data leaves your phone, we'll say so in the app's release notes too.

Contact

Artificial Igknorance, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Artificial.Igknorance@gmail.com