Privacy Policy for Meanwhile

Last Updated: August 2025

Our Core Privacy Promise

We do not collect, store, access, or see any of your data. Period.

Meanwhile is built with complete privacy by design. Your journal entries, photos, and personal thoughts remain 100% yours. We have no servers, no databases, and no way to access your information.

Overview

Meanwhile ("we", "our", or "the app") is committed to protecting your privacy through a zero-collection approach. This Privacy Policy explains our hands-off approach to your information when you use our iOS application.

Key Point: We cannot see, access, collect, store, or read your journal entries because we have no infrastructure to do so.

Information We DO NOT Collect

To be absolutely clear, we do not collect:

  • Your journal entries

  • Your photos

  • Your mood data

  • Your personal information

  • Analytics or usage statistics

  • Device information

  • Location data

  • Advertising identifiers

  • Any other user data whatsoever

How Your Data Works in Meanwhile

Your Data Stays With You

  • On Your Device Only: All entries exist solely on your iPhone/iPad

  • In Your Personal iCloud: If you enable iCloud sync, data goes to YOUR iCloud account only

  • Never on Our Servers: We have zero servers and zero databases

  • We Cannot Access It: We have no technical ability to see or retrieve your data

Local Processing Only

All app features work entirely on your device:

  • Journal entries display

  • On This Day memories

  • Streak tracking

  • Mood insights

  • Widget displays

  • Data analysis

Nothing is sent to us because there is no "us" to send it to.

Data Storage and Security

Where Your Data Lives

  1. Your Device's Local Storage: Protected by iOS security

  2. Your Personal iCloud Container: If enabled, protected by Apple's encryption

  3. Nowhere Else: We have no servers, no cloud storage, no databases

Security Facts

  • We cannot decrypt your data (we don't have access to it)

  • We cannot lose your data in a breach (we don't store it)

  • We cannot sell your data (we don't have it)

  • We cannot analyze your data (we can't see it)

Data Sharing

We share your data with absolutely no one because we don't have your data to share.

  • No third-party services receive your data

  • No analytics platforms

  • No advertising networks

  • No marketing companies

  • No data brokers

  • No government requests possible (we have nothing to provide)

The only entity involved in data handling is Apple (for optional iCloud sync and payment processing), operating under Apple's privacy policy: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/

Your Complete Control

Since we don't have your data, you have 100% control:

Access Your Data

  • View everything directly in the app on your device

  • Export via Backup feature (Meanwhile Advanced)

Delete Your Data

  • Delete individual entries in the app

  • Delete everything by removing the app

  • Disable iCloud sync anytime in iOS Settings

  • We cannot recover deleted data because we never had it

Subscriptions and Payments

Meanwhile Advanced Subscription

  • Processed entirely by Apple through App Store

  • We receive only a receipt ID from Apple

  • We never see payment details

  • We don't store subscription information on any server

Zero-Knowledge Architecture

Meanwhile operates on a zero-knowledge principle:

  • We don't know who you are

  • We don't know what you write

  • We don't know when you write

  • We don't know if you use the app

  • We have no user accounts or profiles

  • We have no way to identify you

Notifications

All notifications are generated locally on your device:

  • Daily inspiration prompts

  • On This Day memories

  • Streak reminders

These come from your device, not from any server.

Children's Privacy

Meanwhile is not directed to children under 13. Since we don't collect any data from anyone, we inherently don't collect data from children.

Changes to This Policy

Updates to this policy will be reflected in the "Last Updated" date. Our commitment to not collecting your data will never change. Any updates will be communicated through App Store update notes when you update the app.

Data Retention

We retain no data because we collect no data. Your journal entries remain on your device or in your iCloud account until you choose to delete them.

Legal Basis for Processing

Not applicable - We do not process personal data. All data processing occurs locally on your device.

GDPR (European Users)

We are fully GDPR compliant by design - we don't process personal data at all.

CCPA (California Users)

We exceed CCPA requirements - we don't collect, sell, or share any personal information.

Global Privacy

Our zero-collection approach exceeds all global privacy requirements.

Contact Us

Questions about this privacy policy? Contact us:

Email: hello@maxretik.com

Note: We can only answer questions about our privacy practices. We cannot help with data recovery or access because we don't have your data.

Summary

Your privacy is absolute with Meanwhile. We built an app that works entirely on your device. We have no servers, no user accounts, and no way to access your personal journal. Your thoughts remain completely private, exactly as they should be.

Consent

By using Meanwhile, you acknowledge this Privacy Policy.

Meanwhile is an independent app developed by Max Retik and is not affiliated with Apple Inc. iCloud and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc.