v1.5.3+304: add Prominent Disclosure for location access (Play Store compliance)

Google Play reviewer rejected v1.5.2+303 Android submission with
"Inadequate Prominent Disclosure" under the User Data policy: the
in-app disclosure did not adequately explain how location data is
accessed, used, or handled.

Changes:
- Rewrite PermissionsPage location card as a 4-section Prominent
  Disclosure: data accessed, how used, background access, where
  data goes. Explicitly states location stays on device, is only
  shared with directly-connected peers over encrypted BLE, and is
  never uploaded to any server or third party.
- Guard LocationService.initialize() so it never silently requests
  location permission. Permission may only be requested from the
  onboarding card (which shows the disclosure first).
- Bump version to 1.5.3+304 (and fix AppConstants.appVersion drift
  from 1.5.1 to 1.5.3).
- Update google.releaseNotes in store.config.json.
- Add V1.5.3 roadmap bullet to docs/roadmap.html.

Author: RedGridTactical

docs/roadmap.html

@@ -158,6 +158,7 @@ <h1>Product <span class="accent">Roadmap</span></h1>
             <li>V1.5.1 patch: repaired Emergency Beacon wiring and Field Link scan/join flow</li>
             <li>V1.5.2 patch: fixed BLE peer sync, MGRS grid accuracy, mode-specific callouts, PIN flow</li>
             <li>V1.5.2 Android production submission to Google Play — full iOS feature parity, first production build since v1.3.1 closed beta</li>
+            <li>V1.5.3 patch: expanded in-app location disclosure to clearly explain what location data is accessed, how it is used, and that it stays on your device</li>
           </ul>
         </div>
 

lib/core/constants/app_constants.dart

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ class AppConstants {
   AppConstants._();
 
   static const String appName = 'Red Grid Link';
-  static const String appVersion = '1.5.1';
+  static const String appVersion = '1.5.3';
 
   // Device limits
   static const int maxDevices = 8;

lib/services/location/location_service.dart

@@ -207,13 +207,24 @@ class LocationService {
 
   /// Initialize the location service.
   ///
-  /// Checks permissions and starts the GPS position stream if
-  /// permission is granted. If permission is denied, the stream
-  /// will remain empty until [requestPermission] is called and
-  /// [initialize] is re-invoked.
+  /// Checks current permission status and starts the GPS position
+  /// stream only if permission is already granted.
+  ///
+  /// IMPORTANT: This method deliberately does NOT request permission.
+  /// Permission may only be requested from UI surfaces that first
+  /// display an in-app Prominent Disclosure explaining what location
+  /// data is accessed, how it is used, and how it is handled (e.g.
+  /// the onboarding PermissionsPage). Requesting permission silently
+  /// on app launch — without a prior disclosure — violates the Google
+  /// Play "Prominent Disclosure and Consent" policy and has been the
+  /// cause of prior review rejections.
+  ///
+  /// If permission is not yet granted, the stream stays empty. The
+  /// user can grant it explicitly from onboarding or device Settings,
+  /// and [initialize] will start the stream on next invocation.
   Future<void> initialize() async {
-    final hasPermission = await requestPermission();
-    if (!hasPermission) return;
+    final status = await _permissionHandler.checkStatus();
+    if (status != LocationPermissionStatus.granted) return;
 
     _startStream();
   }

lib/ui/screens/onboarding/widgets/permissions_page.dart

@@ -258,13 +258,9 @@ class _PermissionsPageState extends State<PermissionsPage>
           ),
           const SizedBox(height: 24),
 
-          // Location permission
-          _PermissionCard(
-            icon: Icons.my_location,
-            title: 'LOCATION ACCESS',
-            description:
-                'Required for MGRS grid display, map positioning, '
-                'and sharing your location with nearby team members.',
+          // Location permission — Prominent Disclosure
+          // (Google Play User Data policy: Prominent Disclosure and Consent)
+          _LocationDisclosureCard(
             isGranted: _locationGranted,
             isChecked: _locationChecked,
             isRequesting: _locationRequesting,
@@ -318,6 +314,161 @@ class _PermissionsPageState extends State<PermissionsPage>
   }
 }
 
+/// Prominent Disclosure card for location access.
+///
+/// This card satisfies Google Play's User Data policy "Prominent
+/// Disclosure and Consent Requirement" for apps that access location
+/// (including background location). It spells out, before the OS
+/// runtime permission prompt fires, exactly what data the app
+/// accesses, how it is used, what happens in the background, and
+/// where the data goes (or does not go).
+///
+/// Do NOT request location permission without showing this card first.
+class _LocationDisclosureCard extends StatelessWidget {
+  const _LocationDisclosureCard({
+    required this.isGranted,
+    required this.isChecked,
+    required this.isRequesting,
+    required this.colors,
+    required this.onRequest,
+  });
+
+  final bool isGranted;
+  final bool isChecked;
+  final bool isRequesting;
+  final TacticalColorScheme colors;
+  final VoidCallback onRequest;
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    return TacticalCard(
+      colors: colors,
+      padding: const EdgeInsets.all(16),
+      child: Column(
+        crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
+        children: [
+          // Header row
+          Row(
+            children: [
+              Icon(Icons.my_location, size: 24, color: colors.accent),
+              const SizedBox(width: 12),
+              Expanded(
+                child: Text(
+                  'LOCATION ACCESS',
+                  style: TacticalTextStyles.subheading(colors),
+                ),
+              ),
+              if (isChecked && isGranted)
+                Icon(Icons.check_circle, size: 24, color: colors.accent),
+            ],
+          ),
+          const SizedBox(height: 12),
+
+          // Prominent disclosure — four labelled sections.
+          _DisclosureSection(
+            label: 'DATA ACCESSED',
+            body:
+                'Your precise location from the device\u2019s GPS — '
+                'latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and heading.',
+            colors: colors,
+          ),
+          _DisclosureSection(
+            label: 'HOW RED GRID LINK USES IT',
+            body:
+                'Displays your position on the map, computes your MGRS '
+                'grid, records GPS tracks during sessions, shares your '
+                'position with connected teammates over a direct '
+                'Bluetooth peer-to-peer mesh, and powers the emergency '
+                'beacon and boundary alerts.',
+            colors: colors,
+          ),
+          _DisclosureSection(
+            label: 'BACKGROUND ACCESS',
+            body:
+                'If you separately allow "Allow all the time" in your '
+                'device Settings, the app continues to read and share '
+                'your position with connected teammates while the '
+                'screen is off or another app is in the foreground. '
+                'This is what lets the team keep seeing you during an '
+                'active search-and-rescue mission. You can revoke this '
+                'at any time in Settings.',
+            colors: colors,
+          ),
+          _DisclosureSection(
+            label: 'WHERE YOUR DATA GOES',
+            body:
+                'Your location data stays on your device and is shared '
+                'only with teammates you are directly connected to over '
+                'encrypted Bluetooth Low Energy. Red Grid Link has no '
+                'user accounts, no cloud sync, and no analytics. Your '
+                'location is never uploaded to our servers, any third '
+                'party, or any advertising network.',
+            colors: colors,
+          ),
+          const SizedBox(height: 4),
+          Text(
+            'See Settings \u2192 Privacy Policy for full details.',
+            style: TacticalTextStyles.dim(colors),
+          ),
+          if (isChecked && !isGranted) ...[
+            const SizedBox(height: 12),
+            if (isRequesting)
+              SizedBox(
+                height: 44,
+                child: Center(
+                  child: SizedBox(
+                    width: 24,
+                    height: 24,
+                    child: CircularProgressIndicator(
+                      strokeWidth: 2,
+                      color: colors.accent,
+                    ),
+                  ),
+                ),
+              )
+            else
+              TacticalButton(
+                label: 'Grant Location Access',
+                icon: Icons.shield,
+                colors: colors,
+                isCompact: true,
+                onPressed: onRequest,
+              ),
+          ],
+        ],
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+/// A single labelled paragraph inside the location Prominent Disclosure.
+class _DisclosureSection extends StatelessWidget {
+  const _DisclosureSection({
+    required this.label,
+    required this.body,
+    required this.colors,
+  });
+
+  final String label;
+  final String body;
+  final TacticalColorScheme colors;
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    return Padding(
+      padding: const EdgeInsets.only(bottom: 10),
+      child: Column(
+        crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
+        children: [
+          Text(label, style: TacticalTextStyles.label(colors)),
+          const SizedBox(height: 2),
+          Text(body, style: TacticalTextStyles.caption(colors)),
+        ],
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+}
+
 class _PermissionCard extends StatelessWidget {
   const _PermissionCard({
     required this.icon,

pubspec.yaml

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name: red_grid_link
 description: Offline-first MGRS-native proximity coordination platform
 publish_to: 'none'
-version: 1.5.2+303
+version: 1.5.3+304
 
 environment:
   sdk: '>=3.2.0 <4.0.0'

store.config.json

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
     "title": "Red Grid Link",
     "shortDescription": "ATAK alternative: encrypted Bluetooth team tracking + offline MGRS maps.",
     "fullDescription": "Your team. Your grid. No cell towers required.\n\nInspired by military blue force tracking systems like ATAK, Red Grid Link brings encrypted team coordination to civilian and professional teams -- without cell towers, accounts, or servers. Track your team's positions in real time over Bluetooth, navigate with military-grade MGRS precision, and operate completely offline.\n\nRed Grid Link is an offline-first, MGRS-native coordination platform for small teams (2-8 people) operating beyond reliable cell service. It combines precision land navigation with Field Link -- zero-config proximity sync over Bluetooth and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi. Lightweight where ATAK is complex. Cross-platform where ATAK is Android-only. Zero infrastructure where ATAK requires TAK Server.\n\nFIELD LINK -- TEAM SYNC WITHOUT INFRASTRUCTURE:\nField Link is what sets Red Grid Link apart. Devices within proximity automatically discover each other and share encrypted position and marker data -- no internet, no configuration, no pairing codes. Just turn it on and your team appears on the map.\n- BLE + peer-to-peer Wi-Fi proximity transport (cross-platform)\n- AES-256-GCM encrypted sync with ECDH ephemeral session keys\n- Compact delta payloads (under 200 bytes per position update)\n- Tiered session security: Open (auto-join), PIN (4-digit), or QR code\n- Ghost markers: see last-known positions when teammates move out of range\n- Time-decay visualization: full opacity fades to outline over 30 minutes\n- Velocity vectors project teammate movement direction at disconnect\n- Snap-to-live animation on reconnect\n- Expedition Mode: under 3% battery per hour (BLE-only, 30-second updates)\n- Ultra Expedition Mode: under 2% battery per hour (BLE-only, 60-second updates)\n- Auto-reconnect with exponential backoff on disconnect\n\nMGRS-NATIVE NAVIGATION:\nBuilt on the proven MGRS engine from Red Grid MGRS -- the same coordinate system used by NATO forces worldwide.\n- Live MGRS coordinates (4/6/8/10-digit precision)\n- MGRS grid overlay on offline maps (GZD to 100m resolution)\n- Bearing, distance, and dead reckoning tools\n- Magnetic declination (WMM model)\n- NATO phonetic voice readout for hands-free grid calls\n\n11 TACTICAL TOOLS:\n- Dead Reckoning plotter\n- Two-point Resection\n- Pace Count tracker\n- Bearing calculator with back azimuth\n- Coordinate Converter (MGRS, lat/lon, DMS, UTM)\n- Range Estimation (mil-relation formula)\n- Slope Calculator (percentage and angle)\n- ETA / Speed Calculator\n- Magnetic Declination converter\n- Celestial Navigation (sun/moon bearing reference)\n- MGRS Precision Reference\n\nOFFLINE MAP SYSTEM:\n- Downloadable map packs from USGS Topo and OpenTopoMap\n- Full offline operation -- maps cached locally as MBTiles\n- MGRS grid lines rendered as a dynamic overlay at all zoom levels\n\n4 OPERATIONAL MODES:\nOne engine, four presentation layers. Terminology, icons, and quick actions adapt to your mission:\n- Search & Rescue -- sector assignments, clue markers, search patterns\n- Backcountry -- camp, waypoint, and trail navigation\n- Hunting -- stand locations, game sightings, property boundaries\n- Training -- exercise objectives, rally points, phase lines\n\nAFTER-ACTION REPORTS:\nOne-tap PDF export containing map snapshot, mission timeline, track data, timestamps, team roster, markers, and session log.\n\n4 TACTICAL DISPLAY THEMES:\n- Red Light: preserve night-adapted vision (free)\n- NVG Green: night observation device compatibility (Pro)\n- Day White: high-contrast for daylight (Pro)\n- Blue Force: tactical blue display (Pro)\n\nBUILT FOR THE FIELD:\n- Glove-friendly UI with 44px+ minimum touch targets\n- 3-tap maximum to any primary action\n- Haptic feedback on key interactions\n- Accelerometer-based step detection for hands-free pace counting\n- Landscape and portrait support\n- Background location updates with battery drain projection\n\nZERO FOOTPRINT PRIVACY:\n- No accounts. No sign-up. No login.\n- No cloud sync. No analytics. No tracking.\n- No ads. No third-party data SDKs.\n- Location data stays on your device.\n- Field Link data is ephemeral -- nothing persists after the session ends.\n- All Field Link communication encrypted with AES-256-GCM.\n- In-app purchases processed by Apple/Google only.",
-    "releaseNotes": "Now available on Android!\n\nRed Grid Link v1.5.2 brings encrypted Bluetooth team coordination to Android:\n\n- Field Link peer sync: teammates appear on the map in real time over Bluetooth.\n- MGRS precision: corrected grid square calculation for all UTM zones.\n- 11 tactical tools: dead reckoning, resection, celestial navigation, and more.\n- 4 display themes: Red Light, NVG Green, Day White, Blue Force.\n- Mode-specific callouts: SAR, Backcountry, Hunting, and Training.\n- Zero footprint: no accounts, no tracking, no servers. AES-256-GCM encrypted.",
+    "releaseNotes": "Red Grid Link v1.5.3:\n\n- Clearer in-app explanation of how your location is used, where it is shared, and that it stays on your device.\n- Streamlined initial location permission flow.\n\nAll v1.5.2 features for Android:\n- Field Link peer sync: teammates appear on the map in real time over Bluetooth.\n- MGRS precision: corrected grid square calculation for all UTM zones.\n- 11 tactical tools, 4 display themes, 4 operational modes.\n- Zero footprint: no accounts, no tracking, no servers. AES-256-GCM encrypted.",
     "category": "NAVIGATION",
     "contentRating": "Everyone",
     "privacyPolicyUrl": "https://github.com/RedGridTactical/RedGridLink/blob/master/PRIVACY.md",