Privacy Policy
Backyard Rain, an Alexa skill. Effective November 8, 2026.
What the skill uses
Your device address, if you allow the Alexa "device address" permission. The skill uses it only to find the map location where rainfall is read. It sends the address to the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder to get coordinates, and does not store the address itself.
A ZIP code, if you say one instead. The skill uses the center of that ZIP code.
Your device's time zone, from Alexa settings, so "yesterday" and "today" match your local day.
What the skill stores
Linked to the anonymous user ID that Alexa assigns for this skill: the coordinates of your location rounded to three decimal places (about 100 meters), a one-way hash of your address so the skill can tell when it changes without keeping it, and the ZIP code if you gave one. This is kept in the skill's database on Amazon Web Services until you delete it.
The skill never receives your name, email address, contacts, or voice recordings. Your interactions with Alexa are handled by Amazon under Amazon's privacy notice; you can review and delete them in the Alexa app.
Who else sees what
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder: your street address, to look up coordinates (only when it is new or has changed).
- National Weather Service API (api.weather.gov): your rounded coordinates, when you ask for watering advice.
- NOAA's public data on Amazon Web Services: the skill downloads national rainfall files; no information about you is sent.
Nothing is sold, shared for advertising, or used to build a profile.
Deleting your data
Say "Alexa, ask Backyard Rain to forget my location" to delete what the skill stored. To stop the skill reading your address, turn off the device address permission for Backyard Rain in the Alexa app. You can also email the address below.
Purchases
Backyard Rain Premium is sold and billed by Amazon. The skill learns only whether your account is subscribed; it never sees payment details. Manage or cancel the subscription in the Alexa app or by saying "Alexa, ask Backyard Rain to cancel my subscription."
Operational logs
Errors are logged by the skill's hosting (Amazon Web Services) for troubleshooting. These logs contain request types and error messages, not addresses.
Children
The skill is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect information from them.
Changes
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this address with a new effective date.