daystills Privacy Policy
Effective date: September 4, 2026
Last updated: September 4, 2026
This Privacy Policy applies to daystills version 1.0 for iPhone and iPad ("daystills"), including optional iCloud shared journals and Lifetime Pro.
The short version
Your personal journal stays on your device in daystills' local app container. It does not require a daystills account and is not uploaded to a developer-operated journal server.
Optional shared journals are separate. When you choose to create, join, or contribute to one, the shared photos and journal information you add are sent through Apple iCloud and CloudKit so invited participants can view and edit the journal. daystills has no developer-operated journal or sync server, advertising, analytics, or tracking.
Your personal journal
daystills processes and stores the following information locally to provide the personal-journal features you choose to use:
| Information | Why daystills uses it | Where it is stored |
|---|---|---|
| Photo copies you capture or select | To display a memory for a local calendar day | Inside daystills' app container on your device |
| Optional Apple Photos copy of a camera capture | To make an independently managed Photos item when Save new camera captures to Apple Photos is on | In Apple Photos, subject to your Photos and iCloud Photos settings |
| Optional captions and local calendar dates | To organize and describe your memories | Inside daystills' app container on your device |
| Entry details, such as creation and update times | To preserve and manage your journal | Inside daystills' app container on your device |
| Theme and reminder preferences | To remember how you configured daystills | Inside daystills' app container on your device |
| Scheduled reminders | To deliver the optional daily reminders you request | Managed locally by iOS |
This personal-journal information is not transmitted to the daystills operator. Nothing from your personal journal is added automatically to a shared journal.
Optional shared journals
Shared journals use the Apple Account and iCloud account available on the device. They are used only after you deliberately create or join a shared journal or add a memory to one. Shared-journal data is kept in Apple's CloudKit private and shared databases, not on a server operated by daystills.
The shared photos, captions, dates, membership information, and changes needed to synchronize the journal are processed through Apple iCloud and CloudKit, together with related service metadata used to limit access to invited participants. Shared content uses the organizer's iCloud storage. Apple processes this information under Apple's terms and privacy policy.
Before a shared photo upload, daystills creates a separate prepared copy and removes embedded location, GPS, EXIF, and similar camera metadata from it. The original personal-journal photo copy remains unchanged and local. The prepared copy is used only for the CloudKit contribution and is removed from local staging after preparation or later recovery.
Shared-journal information is stored in CloudKit fields and prepared photo copies are stored as CloudKit assets. CloudKit also processes the technical identifiers, timestamps, and participant information needed to operate the share.
Shared journals use private invitations. Public link-only participation is not enabled. In this version, invited participants can add and edit shared memories. The owner can manage participants, stop sharing, or delete the shared journal through the controls provided by daystills and Apple.
Optional camera-roll copies of shared photos
Auto-save shared photos is off by default under Settings → Photos & widget. Enabling it requests Add Photos Only access. Existing and new available photos from all joined daystills shared journals are then copied to Apple Photos when Shared opens or syncs. Keep Shared open while copies are saving; this does not run while the app is closed. No personal photo is automatically contributed to a shared journal.
These are independent camera-roll copies that consume device storage and may be synced by iCloud Photos or another photo-backup service you configure. Disabling auto-save, leaving a journal, or removing a shared photo does not remove a Photos copy. daystills never edits or deletes your Photos-library items.
daystills keeps local save-status records (receipts) to reduce duplicate camera-roll saves. They are not included in exports or sent to the operator, survive personal-journal and shared-journal removal, and are removed with the app. Because daystills does not read your library to detect existing copies, retries, reinstalls, or changing devices may create duplicates. An interrupted or unconfirmed save is not automatically retried; the app asks you to check Photos and confirm before retrying.
Optional Lifetime Pro
Lifetime Pro is an optional one-time in-app purchase, not a subscription. It unlocks Pro themes, the custom-theme builder, and Pro Year in Frames covers. Daily journaling and shared journals stay free. Days-kept themes and covers are earned separately. Family Sharing is not included. The app shows Apple's localized price before you choose to buy.
Apple handles payment through the App Store and StoreKit. daystills does not receive your payment card details or Apple Account password. The app reads Apple's verified transaction information on the device to check the product, ownership, transaction environment, and revocation status. It checks access when it opens, returns to the foreground, or receives a StoreKit update. Choosing Restore purchases asks Apple to refresh purchases and may display Apple's sign-in prompt. Choosing Redeem Pro code opens Apple's system redemption sheet; daystills does not read or store the code, and access changes only after Apple returns a verified entitlement. daystills has no receipt server and does not send transaction records to a developer-operated server or third-party purchase service. Apple processes and retains its own purchase and redemption records under its terms and privacy policy.
Use the same Apple Account used for App Store purchases on another device, then open Settings → Lifetime Pro → Restore purchases if access has not appeared automatically. Restoring Pro does not transfer personal journal photos, captions, earned progress, or theme settings. Deleting personal journal data does not refund a purchase or remove Apple's purchase record; confirmed refunds or revocations can remove Pro access without deleting personal memories.
What daystills does not do
daystills:
- does not require or create a daystills account;
- does not upload the personal journal to a developer-operated server;
- does not add personal memories to a shared journal automatically;
- does not provide a public profile, public feed, or public shared-journal access;
- does not include advertisements or an advertising SDK;
- does not include analytics, attribution, or in-app crash-reporting services;
- does not track you across apps or websites; and
- does not sell personal information.
Apple's iCloud and CloudKit services are the only remote synchronization services used by the optional shared-journal feature. iCloud Photos is separate and is not required to use CloudKit shared journals.
Website and email
This static website is delivered through Cloudflare Pages. Cloudflare may process request and security metadata needed to deliver and protect the site. The operator does not add cookies or analytics.
If you email support or privacy, Cloudflare Email Routing and the operator's mailbox provider process your address, message, and attachments so the request can be delivered and answered. Support correspondence is separate from journal data. It is retained only as long as reasonably needed to respond, troubleshoot, prevent abuse, or meet legal obligations. You may request deletion where applicable.
Camera, photo selection, and notification permissions
daystills asks iOS for access only when you use a related feature:
- Camera: Used when you choose to capture a photo.
- Add Photos Only: Used to add an independent camera-capture copy when Save new camera captures to Apple Photos is on, or shared-journal copies after you enable Auto-save shared photos. daystills does not use this permission to browse or read your library.
- Photo selection: Apple's system picker shows your library and gives daystills access only to the item you explicitly choose. daystills does not request access to your whole library. A personal memory receives its own local copy. A photo you deliberately contribute to a shared journal is prepared for CloudKit upload.
- Notifications: Used when you enable one or more optional daily reminders. Up to six reminders are scheduled locally and do not require a remote push-notification account or token.
You can decline camera, Add Photos Only, or notification permission and review or change those permissions in iOS Settings. Photo selection is controlled each time through Apple's picker rather than a whole-library permission switch. If Add Photos Only is declined or a Photos write fails, the captured photo remains available for the personal journal and only the extra Photos copy is skipped.
Other sharing and export
In addition to optional CloudKit shared journals, daystills offers user-directed iOS sharing actions:
- Share photo passes the selected daystills photo copy to Apple's system share sheet.
- Export journal metadata creates a JSON file in daystills' local cache and passes it to Apple's system share sheet. The export contains personal-journal metadata and current app settings; it does not contain the journal photo files. It is not a complete backup and cannot restore your personal journal inside daystills.
The destination you choose may receive and retain the shared item under its own terms and privacy policy. daystills does not operate those destinations, learn which share-sheet destination you selected, or retain a developer-server copy. A cached export may remain locally until it is replaced, removed by iOS, or removed by daystills' Delete personal journal action.
Personal-journal backup and recovery
daystills marks its personal photo copies and journal metadata as excluded from device backups. Do not rely on an iCloud or computer device backup to recover this journal. The app currently has no complete photo-backup or journal-import tool. Keep important photos separately in Apple Photos or another destination you control; those copies do not restore daystills captions, dates, or earned progress. Restoring Lifetime Pro is separate from restoring journal data.
Do not delete or reinstall daystills to troubleshoot missing memories. Keep the installed app and its data intact, record the exact message, and contact support. The operator cannot retrieve a lost or deleted personal journal from a daystills server.
Retention, deletion, and your choices
You control personal-journal data from within the app:
- Remove an additional photo to delete only that daystills-owned local copy while keeping the memory and cover.
- Delete an individual memory to remove its entry and all daystills-owned photo copies attached to it.
- Use Export journal metadata to make a user-directed copy of journal metadata and current settings.
- Use Delete personal journal to remove personal entries, daystills-owned photo copies, personal settings, the cached export file, and scheduled reminders from the device. It does not remove Apple Photos items, shared-journal content, or the local shared-photo save-status records described above; those records are removed when the app is removed.
These actions do not delete original photos, optional camera-capture copies in Apple Photos, copies you previously sent elsewhere, or shared-journal content stored in CloudKit. A Photos copy is independent, may follow your iCloud Photos settings, and remains controlled through Apple Photos.
Shared-journal access and retention are managed separately. Owners can remove participants or stop sharing. Owners can also choose Delete shared journal. After CloudKit processes the deletion, the journal and its shared photos are no longer available to participants. This does not delete personal-journal memories or Apple Photos items. Apple may retain service records or backups under its policies and legal obligations. Participants can view the share or leave it through Apple's sharing controls.
Because daystills has no operator-accessible account or server copy, its operator cannot view, retrieve, correct, export, or delete your personal journal on your behalf. The operator also cannot manage your Apple Account or perform CloudKit participant actions for you. Do not delete or reinstall the app while seeking help with apparently missing local data, because it may not be recoverable.
Security
daystills limits personal-journal exposure by keeping it in the iOS app container and not operating a journal-content server. Optional shared journals rely on Apple iCloud, CloudKit encryption and access controls, and private invitations. Access also depends on the security choices you and other participants make for devices and Apple Accounts. No storage method can be guaranteed completely secure, so keep device software, passcodes, and Apple Account protections current.
Changes to this policy
If daystills' data practices change, this policy and the App Store privacy disclosures will be updated to describe the new behavior. The revised policy will show a new last-updated date. Material changes will be disclosed as required before the affected feature is made available.
Contact
For privacy questions or requests, contact:
- Email: daystills@obsidian-raven.com
- Legal operator: Tyler Huttenlocher
- Support page: https://daystills.obsidian-raven.com/support/
The daystills operator cannot access the personal journal. Do not send private photos or captions with a support request unless you deliberately decide they are necessary.