Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 21, 2026

1. What we don't collect

ScreenNote does not collect any of the following:

• Personally identifiable information (name, email, phone number, etc.)
• Cross-app tracking identifiers (such as the IDFA) or any data used for advertising, profiling, or tracking
• Usage or behavioral analytics
• Location data

We have no account system on any server of our own. You don't need to sign up for or log in to a "ScreenNote account" to use every core feature. The only server-side record is this: if you actively enable "Official AI" (see Mode 3 in Section 4), the server keeps an anonymous quota counter keyed by Apple's per-developer device identifier (identifierForVendor), used solely to prevent free-quota abuse — it contains no screenshot content, isn't linked to your identity, and is never used for tracking or advertising.

2. Local data storage

The screenshots you import, the OCR results, the AI summaries, and your note content are all stored locally on your device, managed with Apple's SwiftData framework. Apart from the optional AI enhancement described in Section 4 below, none of this data is ever uploaded to any server.

3. On-device OCR

Once a screenshot is imported, the app runs OCR locally using Apple's Vision framework. The entire OCR process happens on your device, with no network transfer involved — your images never leave your device for this step. This step itself never involves a third party or a network request; if you turn on one of the optional AI modes described below, later processing may be sent over the network — see Section 4.

4. Optional AI enhancement (three modes — your choice)

AI recognition is a fully optional enhancement. Without turning any of it on, you can fully use import, on-device OCR, search, organizing, export, and every other core feature — and nothing, neither the screenshot nor its text, ever leaves your device. Whichever AI mode you choose, the app asks for your explicit consent in-app before the first use — stating exactly what will be sent and to whom; if you decline, nothing is ever sent. Once turned on, where your data goes depends on the mode you pick:

Mode 1 · No AI (default, fully local)

OCR runs locally via Apple's Vision framework — the screenshot and the recognized text never leave the device, with no network transfer at all.

Mode 2 · Bring your own key (BYOK, optional)

If you'd like smarter AI summaries, you can bring your own API key (BYOK) — that is, a key from a large-language-model provider you've signed up with yourself. ScreenNote doesn't bundle or pay for any AI service; you settle costs directly with the provider you choose, unrelated to this app. It currently supports the following 17 model providers, and you're free to choose any one of them:

• Kimi (Moonshot), OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek, Zhipu, Qwen, StepFun, Doubao, Hunyuan, SiliconFlow, 01.AI, Baichuan, Gemini, Mistral, Groq, xAI, OpenRouter

Mode 3 · Official AI (beta, optional)

If you'd rather not sign up for a third-party API key yourself, you can opt in from Settings to claim a free quota of "Official AI" to try recognition. Once on, the recognition content (OCR text, and in some scenarios the screenshot image) is sent to ScreenNote's own relay service (sn-ai.gatheon.com), which forwards it to Volcano Engine's "Doubao" large language model (operated by Beijing Volcano Engine Technology Co., Ltd., registered under China's generative-AI service filing scheme) for processing. Beyond Volcano Engine, your recognition content is never forwarded to any other third party.

A note on the Mac version: the Mac version is a purely local-first screenshot-organizing tool with no AI integration whatsoever (neither BYOK nor Official AI), so nothing is ever sent out. Both optional AI modes above are offered only on iPhone / iPad.

5. Secure storage of your API key

The API key you enter is stored securely on your device via Apple Keychain, protected by hardware-level encryption and kept isolated per provider (each provider's key is saved separately). Your API key is never written into ordinary settings files, and never sent to our servers or any third party — it's used solely so your device can connect directly to the AI provider you've chosen.

6. iCloud sync

If you turn on sync, your notes sync automatically between devices signed in to the same Apple ID, via your own Apple ID's iCloud / CloudKit end-to-end encryption. This process requires no third-party account; your data lives in your own private iCloud database, which the developer can neither see nor access. Whether to enable iCloud sync is yours to control in your system and app settings.

7. System permissions

ScreenNote requests the following system permissions as needed, each used only when you actively trigger the related action:

• Photo library: to import screenshots. We only read the images you actively select; we never scan or access anything else in your library.
• Reminders: a system reminder is created only when you choose "Add reminder" for a to-do.
• Calendar: a calendar event is written only when you choose "Add to calendar" for a to-do; the app never reads other existing events in your calendar.
• Spotlight indexing: so you can find your notes straight from iOS system search, the app builds a local Spotlight index. The index data stays on-device and is never uploaded.

8. Deleting your data

You can delete any note inside the app at any time. Uninstalling the app permanently removes all local data. If you ever turned on iCloud sync, you can manage or clear the app's data in your system's iCloud settings. Deleting a provider's API key stops anything from being sent to that provider.

9. Children's privacy

ScreenNote is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any updated policy will be posted on this page, with the "Last updated" date at the top revised accordingly.