Privacy Policy

1. Privacy Policy

1.1 Introduction

LifeJRNL is a personal journaling application developed by Lawren Burroughs. This Privacy Policy describes how LifeJRNL handles information in compliance with applicable law and Apple's App Store Review Guidelines. Your privacy is our priority—you control what data leaves your device.

1.2 Information We Collect

1.3 What Data We Share with Third Parties

When Cloud AI is Enabled, we share data with:

• Vercel (Our Hosting Provider): Receives journal entry text and User ID transiently for routing to AI models. Located in the United States. No long-term storage.
• Google Gemini AI: Processes journal text to generate summaries, insights, and pattern analysis. Data is processed and discarded per Google's API terms.

When iCloud Backup is Enabled:

• Apple iCloud: Stores daily backup files in your personal iCloud Drive account, subject to Apple's privacy policies. We do not have access to your iCloud data—you control it entirely.

1.4 How We Use Information

Information is used only to:

• Provide core app features (journaling, search, tagging)
• Generate AI summaries and insights (when Cloud AI enabled)
• Backup your data to iCloud (when iCloud Backup enabled)
• Track daily API spend cap ($3.00 limit to protect you from unexpected charges)

We DO NOT use your data for:

• Advertising or marketing
• Selling to third parties
• Training our own AI models
• Analytics beyond basic app functionality

1.5 Children's Privacy

The App is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

1.6 Data Retention

On-Device: Data persists until you delete it via the app or device settings.

Cloud Processing: No retention—data is processed transiently and immediately discarded.

iCloud Backup: Retained per Apple's iCloud storage policies (controlled by you).

Server Logs: User ID may appear in temporary processing logs on our servers (Vercel), automatically purged within 30 days.

1.7 Data Security

Your data is protected through:

• iOS Device Encryption: All local data is encrypted by iOS automatically
• HTTPS/TLS Encryption: All network transmissions use industry-standard encryption
• No Passwords Stored: LifeJRNL does not require account creation—no credentials to compromise
• App Sandboxing: iOS prevents other apps from accessing LifeJRNL data

1.8 Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Export your data: Settings → Backup & Restore → Export All Data as ZIP (creates downloadable archive of all entries)
• Delete your data: Settings → Account & Data → Delete All My Data (permanently erases all journal entries, backups, and settings from device and iCloud)
• Control cloud processing: Toggle Cloud AI on/off anytime in Settings → Security & Privacy
• Disable iCloud sync: Toggle iCloud Backup on/off in Settings → Backup & Restore
• Revoke permissions: Manage location, calendar, and contacts permissions in iOS Settings → LifeJRNL

Data Deletion Process: When you delete all data via Settings → Account & Data, we:

1. Permanently delete all journal entries from your device
2. Delete all local and iCloud backups
3. Clear all app preferences and settings
4. Clear User ID from device (rendering any server logs orphaned)

This action cannot be undone. Server logs containing your User ID are automatically purged within 30 days.

1.9 Changes to This Policy

Material updates to this Policy will be announced in-app. Continued use after changes indicates acceptance. Last updated: November 26, 2025.

1.10 International Users

LifeJRNL is operated from the United States. If you use Cloud AI processing from outside the U.S., your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By enabling Cloud AI, you consent to this transfer.

2. Contact