Privacy Policy

Effective date: 8 August 2026

Summary

FoldNotes stores your notes as plain markdown files in iCloud Drive (or locally if you choose). We don’t collect, transmit, or have access to your notes, tags, tasks, or any document content. The app talks to Apple’s iCloud servers for sync — that’s it.

What We Collect

No app analytics or telemetry. The FoldNotes app includes no analytics or tracking. Beyond iCloud sync (handled entirely by Apple’s frameworks), the macOS Direct Edition makes two other network calls: it checks our update server for new versions (via Sparkle — this sends your IP address and app/macOS version to the host, but never any note content), and — from general release, once the beta concludes — it validates your licence (see Licence validation below). The iOS App Store edition makes no network calls at all beyond iCloud sync — no analytics, no licence check, nothing.

Licence validation (macOS Direct Edition only). Licensing applies once the macOS beta concludes and the app becomes paid. Beta builds are unlicensed and make no licence calls at all. From general release onwards, when you activate or re-check a licence, the app contacts our licensing service — a Cloudflare Worker we operate — and sends exactly two things:

1. Your licence key, and
2. An anonymous one-way hash of your Mac’s hardware identifier.

That hash is what lets a licence run on up to three Macs without us knowing anything about the machines. It is a one-way hash: it cannot be reversed to recover your hardware identifier, it is not your serial number, and it is not usable to identify you, your Mac, or your location. We store the hash purely to count and recognise activations for your own licence.

Nothing else is sent. No note content, no filenames, no tags, no usage data, no device name, no email address, no advertising identifier. The app does not “phone home” on a schedule — validation happens when you activate, deactivate, or when a periodic re-check of your licence status falls due.

As with any internet request, our Cloudflare Worker necessarily sees the originating IP address at the moment of the request. It is used only to serve the request and for standard abuse protection, and we do not use it to build any profile of you. You can deactivate a device at any time from the app’s menu, which removes that hash from your licence.

Website analytics (privacy-first, no cookies). Our website (foldnotes.io) and documentation (docs.foldnotes.io) use Cloudflare Web Analytics, a privacy-focused, cookieless analytics service. It records only aggregate, non-identifying metrics — page views, the referring website, general location (country), and browser/device type — so we can see which content is useful and how people find us. It sets no cookies, performs no cross-site tracking, builds no visitor profiles, and collects no personally identifiable information. Because nothing identifying about you is stored, there is no cookie-consent banner to wade through. Lawful basis: legitimate interest (understanding and improving our website), kept proportionate by the aggregate, non-identifying nature of the data.

Email address — if you sign up for the beta or newsletter via our website, your email is stored by Buttondown (our newsletter provider). We use your email solely to send you product updates and beta invitations. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in every email. Lawful basis: consent (you actively submit your email).

Purchase information (macOS Direct Edition) — if you purchase FoldNotes directly from our website, Lemon Squeezy processes your payment as Merchant of Record. We receive your email address and licence/purchase status from Lemon Squeezy, and use the email to deliver and support your licence. We do not receive or store your payment card details, and we do not keep a separate copy of your billing details — Lemon Squeezy holds those (see processors below). Lawful basis: performance of contract (delivering the software you purchased).

App Store purchases (iOS) — if you download or purchase FoldNotes through the Apple App Store, Apple processes any payment as Merchant of Record. We do not receive any personally identifiable information from Apple in connection with your purchase — no name, email address, or payment details.

App Store links from this website. The App Store links on this site carry a campaign name (ct=website) so Apple can tell us how many people reached the App Store from foldnotes.io. This is simply a word in the link — not a cookie, not an identifier, and not an advertising or tracking SDK. Nothing is written to your device, nothing is shared with any third party, and no profile of you is built. We receive only aggregate counts from Apple: we cannot see who you are, which device you used, or anything you did before or after. Apple applies its own privacy thresholds to these figures, withholding them when the numbers are too small to be anonymous. Lawful basis: legitimate interest (understanding how people find the app), kept proportionate by the aggregate, non-identifying nature of the data.

Crash reports (macOS, user-initiated) — if FoldNotes detects an unexpected quit, it may offer to help you send a crash report via email. This is entirely voluntary — the report opens in your email client so you can review it before sending. It contains only technical diagnostic information (stack traces, app version, macOS version, hardware model). No note content or personal data is included. Nothing is sent automatically — nothing leaves your device without your explicit action.

Third-Party Data Processors

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with any other parties.

iCloud

If you use iCloud Drive, your notes are stored in Apple’s cloud infrastructure and subject to Apple’s privacy policy. FoldNotes uses the standard iCloud Drive container — we cannot read your files on Apple’s servers.

Data Location

• Notes: iCloud Drive (iCloud~com~foldnotes/Documents/) or ~/Documents/FoldNotes/ if iCloud is not enabled
• App cache: A local SwiftData database derived from your files. Deleted and rebuilt automatically if corrupted. Contains no data that isn’t already in your markdown files.
• Preferences: Standard macOS/iOS user defaults. Stored locally on your device.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of any personal data we hold about you
• Correction — ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Deletion — ask us to delete your data (“right to be forgotten”)
• Portability — your notes are already plain markdown files you fully control
• Withdraw consent — unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time; deactivate your licence via the app menu
• Complain — lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (OAIC in Australia, or your local data protection authority in the EU/UK)

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

Data Retention

• Newsletter emails: Retained until you unsubscribe, then deleted from Buttondown within 30 days
• Purchase data (Direct Edition): Your billing and payment data are held by Lemon Squeezy (Merchant of Record) for the duration of your licence and as required by tax/accounting law. On our side we retain only your email address and licence status — used for licence validation and support — for as long as your licence is active. App Store purchases are managed entirely by Apple; we hold no purchase data.
• Licence activations (Direct Edition): The anonymous one-way hardware hashes recorded against your licence are retained while your licence is active. Deactivating a device from the app’s menu deletes that device’s hash immediately; all remaining hashes are deleted when the licence ends.
• Notes and app data: Stored only on your devices and your iCloud account. We never have access to this data.

Children

FoldNotes is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

Changes

We may update this policy. Material changes will be communicated via the website and/or email. The effective date at the top of this page will be updated accordingly.

Contact

Foldsoft Pty Ltd (ACN 697 343 570) Email: [email protected]