Recently we released new versions of most of our apps with only one new feature: in most countries in Europe an annoying popup is asking for ‘Consent’.
Why do we do this?
Well, “Free” comes at a price. And a Free app requires a lot of time to design, to develop and to test before it can be made available on Google Play. It requires some decent hardware and a few skills, a lot of time and sometimes training. And that comes not for free, so we need to find a way to make some money.
And that is through advertisements.
The tiny advertisement banners on the top of the pages in the apps – and in some pages a full page ad – generates some revenue for us that we use to cover the cost (and to pay taxes…). But it does not make sense to see ads for hotels in South-Africa when you have a hotel on wheels in Europe or the US (your motorhome or caravan) and it does not make sense that you get ads of a supermarket in Guatemala when you are located in Australia.
You can think of plenty other examples.
And thus our advertising partners (which all operate through Google) would like to understand where the app is used and if there are any interests that could make the advertisement more meaningful.
That results in better ads and potentially some more revenue for us.
In most countries in the world, this data is just collected with reference to a privacy policy, but in most countries in Europe there is legislation – the so-called GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) – that requires an extra popup. And that is a pretty complex piece of matter.
So that is the reason why we released new versions of most of our apps with only one new feature : to provide information and to ask for consent.
A few questions that may arise:
Q : Does eland apps care where I am and what my interests are?
A : No and we do not store it. We are only happy when you use our apps.
Q : Does this also apply to the PRO versions by eland apps?
A : No, there are no ads in the PRO versions and thus no data collection (other then what Google collects, but that comes with Android, see https://policies.google.com/privacy).
Q : Can I get a Camper (motorhome/RV) or Caravan leveler app without such popup?
A : Yes, you can buy the PRO versions that do not have advertisements (see here and here).
Q : Where can I get more information about the GDPR?
A : Google is your friend, but here is the official European Union link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/ (search for GDPR). Happy reading… 😉
We hope this clarifies!