Privacy Policy
Last updated 4 September 2026
LifeShelf has no account system and no servers of its own. There is no database anywhere holding your things, because everything you save is stored on your device.
We collect nothing. No analytics, no advertising identifiers, no crash telemetry, no profile, no email address. The app has never needed to know who you are, and there is nothing for us to lose, sell or hand over.
What the app stores, and where
Everything you save — notes, checklists, links, photos, files, voice notes, saved places and Last Time trackers — is written to a database and a folder of files inside the app's own storage on your device. That copy is the original, not a cache of something held elsewhere. The app is fully usable with no network connection.
Deleting an item deletes it and its files. Deleting the app removes everything it stored. You can export the entire shelf as a single file at any time from Settings.
When something does leave your device
Being straightforward about this matters more than a blanket claim. There are five cases, and none of them involve a server operated by us.
1. Saving a link
To show a saved link with its title and picture, the app requests that page directly from the site it belongs to — the same request your browser would make if you opened it. For YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud links it also asks those services' public oEmbed endpoints for the title and thumbnail. Those sites therefore see a request from your device, and their own privacy policies apply to it.
2. Shortened map links
A shortened maps link contains no address, so the app follows the link to find the real one. That is a request to the maps service that issued the short link.
3. Saved places
Turning coordinates into an address, or an address into a map pin, uses Apple's geocoding service. The coordinates or address text are sent to Apple to be resolved. Apple's privacy policy governs that.
4. iCloud sync — optional, and off unless you turn it on
With sync enabled, your items are stored in your own iCloud private database so your devices can share one shelf. That is your Apple account and your iCloud storage, not ours — we have no access to it and no ability to read it. Leave sync off and nothing is uploaded.
5. The one-time purchase
Unlocking unlimited saving is handled entirely by Apple's In-App Purchase system. The app is told only whether the purchase exists. It never sees your payment details, and we receive no personal information from Apple about you.
On-device intelligence
Several features look like they would need a server, and do not. Text recognition in your photos, image labelling, barcode reading, and the model that lets search match by meaning all run on your device. Where Apple Intelligence is available, the short descriptions it writes for your notes are generated on your device by Apple's models. None of this content is transmitted anywhere for processing.
Permissions, and what each is for
- Camera — taking a photo to save.
- Photo library — choosing existing photos to save.
- Microphone — recording a voice note.
- Location — only when you tap to save your current spot. Location is never tracked in the background.
- Calendar — only when you choose to add an event from a calendar invite you saved.
- Notifications — reminders you set, and optional "on this day" resurfacing. These are scheduled and delivered locally by your device.
- Face ID — the optional App Lock. Authentication is performed by iOS; the app receives only a yes or no.
Every one of these is requested at the moment you first use the feature, and declining one only disables that feature.
Children
LifeShelf is not directed at children and collects no information from anyone, including children.
Changes
If this policy changes, the date at the top changes with it. Any change that affects what the app collects would also be described in the app's release notes.
Contact
Questions about this policy: hello@lifeshelf.app.