Privacy Policy

Summary

Externalize does not collect personal data. There is no account, no sign-in, no advertising, and no third-party analytics. The notes you type stay on your iPhone and delete themselves when their time runs out. To learn how many people use the app and to fix crashes, it sends only anonymous usage statistics and crash reports.

1. Information we collect

We, the developer, collect no personal information such as your name, contact details, location, or the contents of your notes. The only data that leaves your device is listed in “3. Anonymous usage statistics” below.

2. Information stored on your device

Notes you enter (type, value, label, created time, and expiry time) are kept only in the app’s private storage on your device, shared between the app and its widget. They are never sent to us or anyone else.

• Each note is permanently deleted automatically after the time you choose (1, 8, or 24 hours).
• You can delete any note immediately by swiping it.
• Deleting the app deletes all of its notes.

The app also records when it was first installed and how many times it has been opened. These values feed the anonymous usage statistics below and are removed when you delete the app.

If device backups are turned on, iOS may include app data in your backup, which is governed by Apple’s privacy policy.

3. Anonymous usage statistics

To learn how many people use the app and to fix crashes, Externalize sends the following anonymous statistics to Apple’s iCloud (CloudKit), where only the developer can read them:

• a random ID created when the app is installed (not linked to you, your Apple ID, your device, or other apps; it changes if you reinstall)
• app version, iOS version, and region/language setting
• how many times the app was opened and the days it was opened, the install date, and the number of days since install
• crash and freeze reports (app version, iOS version, device type, and technical details of the crash)

No name, contact details, location, or note contents are included. Statistics are sent only if you are signed in to iCloud.

4. Siri and Shortcuts

When you save a note through Siri or Shortcuts, Apple handles speech recognition. Externalize only receives the resulting text and stores it on your device. Siri’s handling of data is covered by the Apple Privacy Policy.

5. Clipboard

The app writes a value to the clipboard only when you tap a note. It never reads your clipboard.

6. Third parties and tracking

We use no advertising, third-party analytics, tracking, or third-party SDKs. The anonymous statistics and crash reports are sent to Apple’s iCloud by LeeoKit, a library the developer wrote, and we never share or sell any information. We do not track you.

7. Children’s privacy

Because Externalize collects no personal data from anyone, it collects none from children. The anonymous statistics cannot be traced back to anyone.

8. Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the new version and its effective date will be posted on this page.

9. Contact

For privacy questions, email mizzking75@gmail.com or open a GitHub issue.