Last updated: September 21, 2026
Garage Minder ("the app") helps you track vehicle maintenance. This policy explains what the app does and does not do with your information. In plain terms: the app has no server of its own, does not collect analytics, shows no ads, and does not sell or share your data.
Vehicle details, mileage, reminders, fluid specs, service history, notes, costs, and photos you add are stored on your device and, when you are signed in to iCloud, in your own private iCloud database. This data is controlled by your Apple Account. The developer of Garage Minder cannot see it and has no access to it. If you are not signed in to iCloud, the data stays only on your device.
The app uses the camera only when you choose to: scan a VIN, photograph a service receipt, or photograph your odometer to update mileage. VIN and odometer photos are always processed on your device (to read the VIN or the mileage number) and are not stored or transmitted. A receipt photo is processed to extract the date, mileage, vendor, and line items into an editable service log entry — see "AI-generated content" below for how that photo is handled, since it may be sent to Apple's Private Cloud Compute. In every case you review and can edit the extracted result before anything is saved, and none of these photos are stored by the app after processing.
When you decode a VIN or look up vehicle models, the app sends that VIN or the year/make/model you entered to the NHTSA vPIC database, a free public service of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to return vehicle details. No other information about you is sent. This lookup is optional — you can enter vehicle details manually instead.
The app checks each of your vehicles against the NHTSA recall database, another free public service of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It sends only the year, make, and model — never your VIN, your mileage, your service history, or anything that identifies you or your device. Checks run when you add a vehicle and again when the last result for that vehicle is more than a week old; archived vehicles are not checked. Results are stored on your device as a temporary cache and are not synced or shared. Recalls are published for a year/make/model, so a result cannot tell you whether your particular vehicle is affected — the app shows you your VIN to check at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
Maintenance schedules, receipt-scan extraction, and the short "what to consider next" suggestions are generated using Apple's Foundation Models framework.
Maintenance schedules and receipt scans: on devices and Apple Accounts eligible for Apple Intelligence, the app first tries Apple's Private Cloud Compute — Apple's own servers, built so that no one (including Apple) can access the data sent for processing, and nothing is retained after your request completes. If Private Cloud Compute isn't available, generation falls back to Apple's on-device model, and if that isn't available either, a schedule is built from a maintenance profile template stored in the app with no AI at all. Only the vehicle's year/make/model/trim (for schedules) or the receipt photo (for receipt scanning) is sent for processing — never your full vehicle history, service log, or any other data in the app.
Suggestions are always generated on your device and are never sent to Private Cloud Compute. If the on-device model isn't available, no suggestion is shown.
In every case, none of this is sent to the developer or to any non-Apple third party.
Garage Minder supports Siri, Spotlight, and the Shortcuts app for checking or updating a vehicle's mileage and maintenance status, and offers a home and lock screen widget. These features run entirely on your device using Apple's App Intents and WidgetKit frameworks and share data only within your own device (and, via iCloud, your own other devices) — nothing is sent to the developer. Because a widget or the lock screen can be visible to anyone near your device, avoid enabling them if you don't want vehicle nicknames or mileage visible at a glance.
Garage Minder Pro is sold through Apple's In-App Purchase system. Payments and subscription status are handled entirely by Apple; the app receives only whether you are entitled to Pro. The developer never sees your payment details.
None. Garage Minder contains no analytics, tracking, or advertising SDKs, and has no developer-operated server that receives your data.
The app is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect information from anyone.
You can export all of your data as JSON or CSV at any time from Settings, and you can delete data by removing vehicles or deleting the app. iCloud data can be managed from your device's iCloud settings.
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted on this page with a new date.
Questions about privacy: support@downeytech.com