1. Information We Collect
a. Account Information
The BenKon app supports two types of accounts:
- End-user accounts: end users self-register within the app using a phone number verified by a one-time password (OTP). We collect the phone number and, optionally, a display name. The phone number is used to authenticate you and to associate your account with the air-conditioning units installed at your premises.
- Technician and partner accounts: these accounts are provisioned exclusively by BenKon administrators; self-registration is not available for this account type. During provisioning we collect the account holder's full name, email address, phone number, employer or store name, and a hashed password.
b. Camera (Installation Photos)
With your permission, the app accesses your device camera so that field technicians can capture installation photographs of air-conditioning units and IoT devices. These photographs are uploaded to BenKon servers and used for installation verification, post-installation quality assurance, warranty processing, and dispute resolution. The app does not capture photographs in the background or without an explicit user action.
c. Precise Location (GPS)
With your permission, the technician app collects the device's precise location (GPS coordinates) at the moment a technician completes an installation or service task. This information is used to verify that the work was performed at the intended location and to maintain a service audit trail. Location data is captured only in response to an explicit user action within the app; we do not track your location in the background or while the app is closed. The end-user application does not collect location data.
d. Device & Sensor Data (Air Conditioners)
BenKon IoT devices installed on your air-conditioning units transmit operational data — including on/off state, setpoint temperature, ambient temperature, power consumption, runtime, error codes, and device identifiers — to our servers. This data is necessary for the core functions of the Service: energy monitoring, remote air-conditioning control, and predictive maintenance.
e. Push Notifications
With your consent, we use Apple Push Notification service (APNs) and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to deliver operational alerts such as device-offline notifications, abnormal energy-consumption warnings, and maintenance reminders. For this purpose, we store an anonymous push token issued by APNs or FCM. You may disable notifications at any time via your device settings.
f. Analytics & Diagnostics
We use Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics (provided by Google) to measure how the app is used (screen views, interactions, session duration) and to diagnose application errors. These tools may collect anonymized usage events, device model, operating system version, app version, crash stack traces, IP address, and a randomized installation identifier. We do not collect the Android Advertising ID (AAID) or the iOS Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). This data is not used for advertising and is never sold to third parties.