Talk2Otto Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 28, 2026

This policy covers the Talk2Otto app, the OTTO Shop Desk app and service, OTTOESTIMATE.com, Talk2Otto.com and OttoBotRepair.com, published by Clayton Hodgson, doing business as OttoBotRepair and Talk2Otto ("we"). It says what we collect, why, who helps us process it, how long we keep it, and how you delete it.

What we collect

• Your account: your name and email address, and - if you set one - a 6-digit PIN, which is stored in a protected form we cannot read. Guests use OTTO without giving a name or email.
• Your conversations with OTTO: what you type, OTTO's replies, and the photos, videos or files you choose to send.
• Vehicle information: the vehicle you describe (year, make, model, engine), and, when you connect the OTTO dongle, the vehicle's trouble codes, live sensor readings, recordings of guided tests, what the dongle reports about itself, and the vehicle identification number (VIN) where the vehicle reports it.
• Payments: which pass or subscription you bought, when, and for how much. Card details are handled by our payment processor; we never see or store your full card number.
• Technical data: what keeps you signed in, an app identifier used only to connect the app with the website (it does not identify you), and standard server logs (for example IP address and time) used for security and to fix problems.

What we do not collect

• No location. The app does not request or use your location. (Android may show a location prompt for Bluetooth; the app does not use it.)
• No contacts, no advertising identifiers, no advertising, and no third-party analytics or tracking across other apps or websites.
• The app uses the camera, microphone or photo library only if you choose to take or pick a photo or video to send OTTO. It never opens them on its own.

Why we use it

• To run your account and keep you signed in on the app and the website.
• To diagnose your vehicle with you: OTTO reads your conversation, photos and vehicle data to answer you.
• To take payments, send the sign-in codes and the emails you ask for (such as your shop sheet or conversation).
• To keep the Service safe, prevent abuse, and improve OTTO's diagnostic quality.
• We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for advertising.

Who helps us (service providers)

We use a small number of trusted service providers under contract, and share with each only what it needs to do its job for us. They may not use your information for their own purposes. By category:

• AI and voice processing - to produce OTTO's replies and OTTO's voice (your conversation and the vehicle data in it).
• Payment processing - the secure checkout you see when you buy a pass or subscription.
• Email delivery - sign-in codes and the emails you ask for.
• Public vehicle databases - your VIN is looked up to identify the year, make, model and engine, and vehicle model information such as recalls is retrieved.
• Hosting and network security - to run and protect the Service.
• Phone and messaging services - only if you call or text an OTTO phone line.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect someone's safety, or as part of a sale or merger of the business (in which case this policy continues to apply).

How long we keep it

• Guests: a guest's conversation is not saved to an account and expires shortly after use.
• Accounts: your conversations, scans and vehicles are kept while your account is open, so OTTO can pick up where you left off, until you delete your account.
• Photos and files you send are removed after a few days; OTTO's notes about them stay with the conversation.
• Payment records (amount and date) are kept as long as the law requires, even after you delete your account, with no conversation attached.

Delete your account

You can delete your account at any time, in the app (Menu → Delete my account) or on the website (Account → Delete my account). Deleting erases your conversations, scans, test recordings, photos, vehicles and VINs, your name, your email login and your PIN, and signs you out everywhere. It cannot be undone. Only the payment records described above remain.

Security

We protect your information with industry-standard security, and every account can reach only its own data.

Children

The Service is for working on vehicles and is not directed at anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect their information.

Your rights

You can see your conversations in your account, delete your account yourself, or email us to ask what we hold about you. Residents of some states (for example California) have additional rights; contact us and we will honor them.

OTTO Shop Desk (the shop answering service)

OTTO Shop Desk answers a repair shop's phone line and sends the shop a written message. For it we collect:

• The shop's details: the shop name, the owner's name, cell number and email, the shop's phone number, the team emails the owner adds, the questions the owner wants asked, and the Shop Desk number the shop picked.
• Calls to a Shop Desk line: the caller's phone number, a recording and transcript of the call, and the message OTTO writes from it (for example the caller's name, callback number, vehicle, what it is doing and when they can bring it in). Callers are greeted by OTTO, who answers for the shop.
• Text messages: OTTO texts the shop owner the message, and texts a caller only if the caller said yes on the call. Replies are passed between the owner and the caller. Anyone can reply STOP to stop texts.
• The Shop Desk app: the owner's sign-in, notes and call statuses, and a notification token so new calls can pop up on the owner's phone. A short voice reply recorded in the app is turned into text and not kept as audio.

This is used only to run the shop's line: answering calls, delivering messages to the shop, passing replies, and billing the shop. Calls, recordings and messages belong to the shop and are kept while the shop's Shop Desk service is active; the shop can ask us to delete them at any time by emailing [email protected]. A caller who wants their information removed can ask the shop or email us. Deleting your account in the Shop Desk app deletes your login and stops alerts on that phone; the shop's line and its calls stay with the shop until the shop asks us to delete them.

OTTOESTIMATE (estimate reviews)

When you ask OTTO to review a repair estimate we collect the photos you send (the estimate, and your VIN or license plate if you photograph it), your vehicle, the shop's name and ZIP code, your name, and the email address or phone number you want the report sent to. We keep the estimates and photos you send us. We use their contents - vehicle, shop, location, the work and prices - to review your estimate and, with names and contact details removed, in combined reports about repair prices. We do not sell your personal information. Payment is handled by our payment processor; we never see your full card number. Texts are sent only if you choose to get your report by text; reply STOP to stop them.

Changes and contact

If this policy changes, the date at the top changes with it, and significant changes are announced in the app or by email. Questions: [email protected].