TreeBack privacy policy
Last updated: 9 November 2026
TreeBack is a free first-aid and healthy-living guide for communities in Cameroon, Nigeria and beyond. It gives information only. It does not diagnose illness and does not replace a health worker.
The short version
- No account, no sign-up, no ads, and no tracking across other apps or websites.
- Anonymous usage counts (which screens are opened) help us improve TreeBack. You can turn them off on the home screen.
- Reviews you post are public; suggestions you send are private to the TreeBack team.
- What you save (notes, medicine times, your clinic, saved pages) stays on your phone.
- If you book an appointment, your name, phone number and answers go only to the practitioner you chose and the TreeBack team, and are deleted 180 days after the appointment.
- We never sell or share your information.
Information kept only on your phone
Your language, voice setting, the clinic you save, and everything in "My family health" (notes, medicine names and times, saved pages) are stored in the app's storage on your phone. They are not sent to us. You can erase them at any time with "Delete all my data" in My family health, or by clearing the app's storage or uninstalling the app.
Speaking to the app
When you tap the microphone, your phone's own speech service turns your voice into text (on most Android phones this is Google's speech service, under Google's privacy policy). TreeBack uses that text on your phone to find the right help. We do not record or store your voice.
The app speaking back
To read answers aloud, the app sends the answer text (for example, a safety question or a check result) to our server, which gets the spoken audio from ElevenLabs, a voice service. The text sent is TreeBack's own answer, not your notes. Audio is kept in a cache so the same sentence does not need to be made again. If the voice service is not available, your phone's built-in voice is used instead.
Your location
Only if you allow it, the app uses your location to find hospitals near you and to sort the list of verified practitioners by distance. To find hospitals, your approximate position is sent to the OpenStreetMap Overpass service, which returns nearby places. Directions open in Google Maps. TreeBack does not store your location.
Our server
Like any website, our server (hosted on Railway) receives your device's internet (IP) address when it delivers the app. We use it briefly, in memory, to stop misuse of the voice feature, and we do not keep a log of who used the app.
Anonymous app ID and usage counts
When TreeBack is first opened, it creates a random app ID on your phone. It is not linked to your name, phone number or Google account. The app sends this ID with the name of each screen you open (for example "Symptom guide") and your chosen language, so we can count how many people use TreeBack and which parts help most. We do not send what you type or say, your notes, your medicines or your location with these counts.
The same ID is attached to reviews, suggestions and provider applications, so we can stop someone who posts abusive content. You can turn usage counts off with the "Anonymous usage counts" switch at the bottom of the home screen. Clearing the app's storage creates a new ID.
Booking an appointment
To book with a TreeBack-verified practitioner, you give a name, a phone number and, if you choose, short answers about the health problem (for example how long it has lasted and any medicines). There is no account. We send these only to the practitioner you chose, so they can prepare and call you, and the TreeBack team can see them to help if something goes wrong. Your phone keeps a private link to your booking so you can cancel or change it. We delete your name, phone number and answers 180 days after the appointment; only the date, time and status are kept, without your details, for counting. You can ask us to delete them sooner.
Practitioners who offer appointments
Doctors, nurses and other practitioners who apply to offer appointments give their name, qualifications, licence number and contact details. We use these to check their licence, identity and qualifications before approving them. Patients see their name, title, area of care, qualifications, languages, town and opening hours; their licence number, private phone and email stay with the TreeBack team. Each practitioner signs in with a private access code that we store only in scrambled form.
Health providers who apply to be listed
Clinics, pharmacies, herbalists and health workers can apply to be listed in TreeBack's verified directory. We use the details they send to call them and check them. If approved, we show their practice name, area, phone number and services publicly. Their full name, email and licence number stay private to the TreeBack team. Providers can ask to be removed at any time.
Reviews and suggestions
If you post a review, the TreeBack team may check it before it appears. Your star rating, your words and the first name or town you choose to give are shown publicly to everyone in the app. Please don't include private health details. We may hide reviews that are rude, spam or share private information.
If you send a private suggestion, only the TreeBack team can read it. If you add a phone number or email so we can reply, we use it only to answer you about your suggestion. You can ask us to delete a review or suggestion at any time.
Your device's internet address is used briefly to limit how many reviews and suggestions can be sent, to stop spam. It is not stored with your review or suggestion.
Children
TreeBack is made for adults and caregivers. It does not knowingly collect information from children.
Changes and contact
If this policy changes, we will update this page and the date above. To contact us about privacy, use the developer email on TreeBack's Google Play page.