Speak Friend Privacy Policy
Last updated: July 16, 2026
Speak Friend is built so that your data never leaves your control. The short version: we collect nothing. The longer version follows.
What data the app stores
The people you add, the notes you write, your pinned facts, and the tags and reviews you create are stored on your devices and — if you're signed into iCloud — in your private iCloud database (CloudKit). That database belongs to your Apple ID. The developer has no ability to read, access, or recover it, and operates no servers of any kind.
Encryption
On your devices, data is protected by device encryption and your passcode. In iCloud, it is encrypted in transit and at rest on Apple's servers, and Speak Friend stores your content — note text, names, and pinned facts — as CloudKit encrypted fields. If you enable iCloud Advanced Data Protection, that content becomes end-to-end encrypted: only your trusted devices hold the keys, and neither the developer nor Apple can read it. See Apple's iCloud data security overview. The app adds no cryptography of its own beyond these standard Apple protections.
Contacts
Contacts access is optional. If you grant it and link a person to a contact, the app stores only the contact's identifier plus a cached copy of the display name and thumbnail so the person stays recognizable. Details shown from a linked contact (birthday, phone numbers, and so on) are read live from Contacts each time and never copied into the app's storage. Your contact list is never duplicated, uploaded, or synced by the app, and the app is fully usable with Contacts access denied.
On-device intelligence
Catch-up summaries are generated by Apple's on-device model (Apple Intelligence). Your notes are not sent to any server to produce them, and the summaries themselves are never stored.
Search & Spotlight
So people can be found from system search, the app gives Spotlight only names and photos — never note contents or facts. That index lives on your device and is managed by iOS.
Backups you export
Export Data (Settings → Data) creates a plain, readable file of everything, only when you ask for one. It is saved wherever you choose and is yours to manage — the app keeps no copy.
What we collect
Nothing. Speak Friend has no analytics, no tracking, no advertising SDKs, no crash reporting service, and no third-party code at all. We never see your data, your identity, or your usage. The App Store privacy label for Speak Friend reads "Data Not Collected" because that is literally true.
Data deletion
Deleting people and notes in the app removes them from your devices and your iCloud database (deleted items sit in Recently Deleted for 30 days first, so you can change your mind). Deleting the app removes local data; iCloud data can be managed from Settings > Apple ID > iCloud on your device. Because we hold nothing, there is nothing to request or delete on our side.
Children
Speak Friend does not collect data from anyone, including children.
Changes
If this policy ever changes, the updated version will be posted at this address with a new "last updated" date. Since the app's design makes data collection impossible without an app update, meaningful changes would be visible in the app itself.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email support@speakfriend.b3n.org.