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Privacy Policy

Last updated: December 26, 2025

Your privacy matters. Dottie is built from the ground up to keep your personal thoughts and journal entries private. This policy explains how we handle your data.

The Short Version

• Your journal entries are stored only on your device
• By default (Apple Intelligence), all AI processing happens on your iPhone—nothing leaves your device
• If you choose cloud AI models, only the content you're asking AI to process is sent to those services
• We don't collect analytics, tracking data, or show ads
• You're in complete control

Data Storage

All your diary entries, notes, and personal information are stored locally on your iPhone using SwiftData (Apple's local database framework). This data:

• Never leaves your device
• Is not backed up to our servers
• Is not synced to any cloud service controlled by us
• May be included in your personal iCloud backup if you have that enabled in your iPhone settings (this is controlled entirely by you and Apple)

AI Processing: Understanding Your Options

Dottie gives you two ways to use AI, with very different privacy implications:

Option 1: Apple Intelligence (Default)

When you use Apple Intelligence (the default option):

• 100% on-device processing: All AI analysis happens directly on your iPhone using Apple's Foundation Models
• Zero data transmission: Your diary content never leaves your device
• Maximum privacy: Not even Apple or the app developer (me) can see your journal entries

This is the most private option and requires iOS 26 or later.

Option 2: Cloud AI Models (Optional)

You can optionally choose to use cloud-based AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini). When you do:

• Data is sent to third parties: Your diary notes are sent over the internet to process your request
• The path: Your iPhone → Our proxy server (OpenRouter.ai) → The AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google)
• What we control: We control the proxy server, which forwards your requests to AI providers via OpenRouter.ai
• What we don't control: We have no control over how OpenRouter.ai or the final AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) handle your data once they receive it
• Their policies apply: When using these services, you're also subject to their privacy policies:
  • OpenAI Privacy Policy
  • Anthropic Privacy Policy
  • Google Privacy Policy
  • OpenRouter.ai Privacy Policy

Important: We cannot guarantee the privacy or security of data processed by these cloud services. If privacy is your top priority, use Apple Intelligence instead.

What We Don't Do

• No analytics: We don't track how you use the app
• No advertising: We don't show ads or sell your data to advertisers
• No account system: There's no login, no account, no user profile stored on our servers
• No sharing: We never sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties (except as described above when you choose cloud AI models)

Permissions

Dottie may request the following permissions:

• Microphone: Only if you choose to use voice dictation for your journal entries. Audio is processed by iOS's speech recognition and never stored or transmitted by Dottie.
• Location (optional): Only if you choose to include location context with your entries. Location data is stored only on your device and only sent to AI if you're using a cloud AI model.

Data Retention and Deletion

Since all data is stored locally on your device:

• You can delete individual entries or all data at any time within the app
• Deleting the app removes all associated data from your device
• We don't have copies of your data on our servers (unless you used cloud AI models, in which case those providers' retention policies apply)

Children's Privacy

Dottie is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We'll notify you of any significant changes through the app or by updating the "Last updated" date above.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how Dottie handles your data, please contact:

Bjorn Schefzyk
Email: bjoern.schefzyk@gmail.com

Your Rights (GDPR)

If you're in the European Union, you have certain rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Since all data is on your device, you have complete access at all times
• Deletion: You can delete your data anytime by removing entries in the app or deleting the app
• Portability: Your data is stored locally; you control it completely

Because Dottie stores everything locally by default and doesn't collect personal data on servers, most GDPR concerns are addressed by design.