Privacy Policy – Parkiraj se
Parkiraj se helps you pay for municipal street parking in North Macedonia (currently Bitola) by SMS. This policy explains what information the app uses, where it is kept, and what is shared with others. We designed the app to keep your personal information on your phone.
In short
- We do not have user accounts and we do not run our own servers for your data.
- Your licence plates, parking history and the parking operator's SMS replies are stored only on your phone.
- Your location is used on your phone to find the parking zone you are in. We do not upload or store it.
- We collect anonymous usage statistics and crash reports through Google Firebase. They never include your plate, phone number, SMS contents or location.
- We do not sell your data, show ads, or use the advertising ID.
1. Who we are
Parkiraj se is an independent app. It is not made by, and is not affiliated with, the municipality or the parking operator (in Bitola, JPPJP Bitola). For any privacy question or request, write to developr@burrata.rs.
2. Information stored only on your phone
- Licence plates you enter, so you can pick them when you start parking.
- Parking sessions and history: zone, plate, start and end times, the estimated price and the operator's confirmation SMS, kept as your proof of payment.
- Settings, such as language, reminder time and the choices you made in the app.
This information is not uploaded to us or anyone else, and it is excluded from Android cloud backup. You can remove saved plates in the app. Everything is deleted when you clear the app's data or uninstall the app.
3. How the app sends parking SMS
Depending on the app version and your choice, parking is paid in one of two ways. In both, the messages are normal SMS from your phone number, they appear in your SMS app, and their contents are never uploaded to us or anyone else.
a) Through your SMS app (no SMS permission)
- When you tap Start or Stop parking, the app opens your SMS app with the operator's number and the message (for example "A1 BT0000AA" or "S") filled in. You send it yourself.
- To pick up the operator's confirmation, the app uses Google's SMS User Consent API. Android shows you the single incoming message and asks whether the app may read it. The app sees nothing unless you tap Allow, and never sees any other message.
b) Directly from the app (SEND_SMS and RECEIVE_SMS permissions)
- Only if you grant the SMS permission. The app explains why before Android asks, and you can refuse.
- The app sends the payment SMS to the operator's number only when you tap Start or Stop parking, or when a start you scheduled is due. It never sends SMS to any other number.
- While a payment is waiting for confirmation, the app checks newly arriving SMS. It reads only messages from the operator's number. Other messages are ignored and not stored. It does not have permission to read your SMS inbox.
- You can switch back to sending through your SMS app at any time in the app's settings or by revoking the permission in Android settings.
In both cases, the operator's confirmation reply is saved in the app's history on your phone as your proof of payment.
4. Permissions and how they are used
| Permission | What it is used for |
|---|---|
| Location (precise and approximate) | To show you on the map and find the parking zone you are standing in. The position is checked against the zone map on your phone. It is not stored and not sent to us. The map itself is provided by Google Maps (see section 6). |
| Send and receive SMS (optional, direct sending only) |
To send the parking SMS and read only the operator's confirmation, as described in section 3b. |
| SMS User Consent (no permission) |
To read the operator's confirmation once you tap Allow, as described in section 3a. |
| Notifications | To show your running session, reminders before the price goes up, and confirmation or problem alerts. |
| Alarms and start after reboot | To deliver reminders and end the session at the end of paid hours on time, even after the phone restarts. |
| Physical activity | Optional. Only while a parking session runs, to notice that you started driving and remind you to stop paying. Google Play services detects the activity on your phone. Nothing is monitored when no session is running, and nothing is sent to us. |
5. Information shared with the parking operator
Paying by SMS means the parking operator receives your SMS (zone and licence plate) from your phone number through your mobile carrier, and the fee is charged to your mobile bill. This is the operator's own payment system. The app only prepares or sends the message you asked for. The operator and your carrier handle that data under their own privacy policies.
6. Third-party services
The app uses these Google services. They process some technical data, such as an app-instance identifier, device model, Android version, approximate country (from the IP address) and app version, under Google's Privacy Policy.
- Google Maps SDK for Android: shows the map and parking zones.
- Firebase Analytics: anonymous usage statistics, for example that a parking session was started, confirmed or ended, in which city and zone, how many minutes it lasted, and which screens are used. It never receives your licence plate, phone number, SMS contents or location. Advertising-ID collection is turned off. See Firebase privacy information.
- Firebase Crashlytics: crash and error reports (device model, Android version, app version and the technical state of the app when it failed) so we can fix bugs.
- Firebase Remote Config: downloads up-to-date zones, prices and paid hours.
- Google Play services: location, activity detection, SMS User Consent and in-app update prompts.
7. Email to the developer
If you use "Send suggestions or report a bug", your email app opens a message to us. It is filled in with the app version, Android version and phone model, which you can remove before sending. We receive your email address and whatever you write. We use it only to answer you and improve the app, and delete it when it is no longer needed.
8. What we do not do
- We do not sell or rent personal data.
- We do not show ads or use the advertising ID.
- We do not build profiles about you or track you across other apps or websites.
- We do not process payments. The operator charges your mobile bill.
9. Security and retention
Data on your phone is protected by Android's app sandbox. Data sent to Google services is encrypted in transit. Anonymous analytics and crash reports are kept by Google for a limited time under the retention settings of our Firebase project, and are then deleted automatically.
10. Your choices and rights
- You can deny or revoke any permission in Android settings. The app keeps working with fewer features: without location, pick the zone yourself; without SMS permission, send the message from your SMS app.
- You can remove saved plates in the app, and delete everything (including parking history) by clearing the app's data or uninstalling it.
- You may ask us about, or ask us to delete, any information you sent us by email. Because the usage statistics are anonymous, we cannot link them to you. Under the Law on Personal Data Protection of North Macedonia and the GDPR, you also have the right to complain to the supervisory authority (in North Macedonia, the Personal Data Protection Agency).
11. Children
The app is meant for drivers and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
12. Changes to this policy
If the way the app handles data changes, we will update this page and its effective date. Important changes will also be mentioned in the app's update notes.
13. Contact
Questions or requests: developr@burrata.rs