Ovila Privacy Policy
In short
Your memories are encrypted on your iPhone before they leave it, and only you can read them. We can't read them, and neither can the services we use.
- We collect only what Ovila needs to work: your sign-in account and your encrypted memories.
- We use anonymous usage statistics to see which parts of the app people use. They never include what you write.
- We don't show ads, track you across other apps or websites, or sell your data.
- You can export your memories or delete your account at any time from Settings.
Ovila is made by Luís Filipe Aleixo Pinto da Silva ("we", "us"). This policy explains what data the Ovila iPhone app handles and why.
What we collect
| Data | What it includes | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Account | A random account ID and which service you signed in with. With Google, also the email address, name and profile photo link Google shares. With Apple, we ask for no name or email. | To sign you in and keep your memories tied to your account. |
| Encrypted memories | Each memory's text, color and dates, locked on your iPhone before upload. A fingerprint of your encryption key, which can't be used to unlock anything. | To back up your memories and keep them in step across your devices. |
| Anonymous usage statistics | Events such as "app opened", "onboarding step viewed", "memory saved" or "reminder turned on", plus your device model, iOS version, app version, language and time zone. Your IP address is received as part of the connection. | To understand which features people use and improve the app. |
Usage statistics use a random ID that isn't linked to your account, your name or your email. They never include what you write, your colors or your dates. They're sent only from versions installed through the App Store or TestFlight.
Some data stays only on your iPhone and is never sent to us: your reminder time, your Lock Ovila setting, and an unencrypted copy of your memories so the app works offline. Face ID is handled entirely by iOS, and we never see it. Reminders are scheduled on your iPhone, not sent from a server.
If you contact support from the app, the email it prepares includes your account ID, so we can find your account and help you faster. Nothing is sent until you send that email yourself.
How your memories are protected
Your memories are encrypted with AES-256 on your iPhone before they're uploaded. The key that unlocks them is created on your iPhone and kept in your iCloud Keychain, which only your Apple devices can open. We never receive it.
Online, each memory is stored under a scrambled name, so not even the day it belongs to is visible. Anyone holding the stored data, including us, Google or an attacker, sees only unreadable text.
This also means we can't recover your memories for you. If you lose access to your iCloud Keychain on every device, your backed-up memories can't be unlocked. Using Export in Settings now and then keeps a copy you control.
We don't:
- show ads or use advertising identifiers
- track you across other companies' apps or websites
- sell, rent or share your data for marketing
- access your contacts, photos, location or microphone
Who stores your data
We use three services, each only for the job listed.
| Service | Job | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase (Google Ireland Ltd.) | Sign-in (Firebase Authentication) and storing your encrypted memories (Cloud Firestore) | Memories are stored in the European Union. Sign-in data may be processed by Google in other countries. |
| PostHog (PostHog Inc.) | Anonymous usage statistics | European Union (PostHog EU Cloud) |
| Apple (iCloud Keychain, Sign in with Apple) | Keeping your encryption key and signing you in with Apple | Under your Apple account, as set by Apple |
Where data is processed outside the European Economic Area, these companies rely on safeguards approved by the European Commission, such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
We rely on these legal bases under the GDPR: providing the service you asked for (your account and memories), and our legitimate interest in improving the app (anonymous usage statistics).
Your choices and rights
- Export: Settings > Export saves all your memories as a text file.
- Sign out: removes your memories from that iPhone. They stay safe in your account and return when you sign in again.
- Delete your account: Settings > Delete Account permanently deletes your account, all your memories online and on that iPhone, and your encryption key. If you signed in with Apple or Google, Ovila is also disconnected from that account. Google may keep backup copies for a short time before they're overwritten.
- Notifications and Face ID: you can turn these on or off in Settings at any time.
If you live in the European Economic Area or the UK, you have the right to access, correct, delete or export your personal data, to object to or restrict how we use it, and to complain to your data protection authority. To use any of these rights, email us at the address below.
We keep your account and encrypted memories until you delete your account. Anonymous usage statistics are kept for up to 12 months.
Children
Ovila isn't meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we'll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If the change is significant, for example a new type of data, we'll tell you in the app before it applies.
Contact
Luís Silva - Founder
Email: luis@lds.studio