Privacy Policy

Virtual Diary (“we,” “our,” or “us”) publishes Virtual Diary, a personal journaling app for iPad and Mac, and this website at virtualdiary.app. This policy explains what information is involved when you use the apps, buy the Mac app, or visit the site. The short version: we never see your diary.

Everything you write or draw is stored on your iPad or Mac. Entries are never sent to us: we run no servers that hold diaries, and we have no way to read them. There is no Virtual Diary account, no analytics or crash-reporting SDK, no advertising identifier, and no third-party tracking in the app.

iCloud copy. So that a lost or broken iPad does not take your diary with it, the app keeps a copy of your pages in your own iCloud Drive, in the app’s “Virtual Diary” folder, using the Apple ID signed in on your iPad. It is on by default when iCloud Drive is turned on, and you can switch it off at any time in the app’s Settings. This copy is stored by Apple under your iCloud account and Apple’s iCloud terms; we never receive it and cannot access it. Apple encrypts iCloud Drive data; if you turn on Advanced Data Protection for your Apple ID, it is end-to-end encrypted so that only your trusted devices can read it.

Sync between iPad and Mac. So that your iPad and Mac hold the same diary, each keeps its pages, handwriting and the name on your cover in a hidden folder of the app’s iCloud container, in your own iCloud account. Sync is on by default when iCloud Drive is turned on, and you can switch it off on either device in the app’s Settings. Like the iCloud copy, it is stored by Apple under your iCloud account; we never receive it and cannot access it.

Reminders. If you turn on the daily reminder, your iPad or Mac schedules it locally. The reminder never contains anything you wrote, and nothing about it is sent to us.

If you lock the diary with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode, that check is performed by iPadOS or macOS. We never receive your biometric data or passcode.

When you export your diary, the folder is saved wherever you choose (for example, the Files app or iCloud Drive). Exports are not encrypted, so keep them somewhere you trust. Any copy you save to a third-party service is governed by that service’s privacy policy.

iPadOS device backups (iCloud Backup or a computer backup) may include the app’s local data. Those backups are controlled by you and Apple, not by us.

iPad. Virtual Diary is free to try and unlocked with a one-time In-App Purchase through the App Store. Apple processes the payment under Apple’s terms and privacy policy. We do not receive your name, card details, or Apple ID. The app checks your purchase using Apple’s StoreKit on your device. Apple may share aggregated, anonymous sales reports with us through App Store Connect.

Mac. The Mac app is unlocked with a one-time checkout processed by Dodo Payments. We do not receive or store your full card number. Dodo may share your email, payment reference and license key with us so we can deliver the license, help with activation and checkout problems. The Mac app stores its license key in the system Keychain and contacts Dodo’s license endpoints only to activate and check it, sending the key and a label for this Mac (“Virtual Diary Mac” and a random code). Starting checkout from the app also sends a random identifier for this installation, kept with the payment so the license can be matched to it; it never contains your name or anything you wrote. Dodo’s own privacy policy applies to the data it processes.

The site and our checkout service are hosted on Cloudflare. When you visit, Cloudflare may process standard request data such as IP address, browser type, URL, and timestamps to deliver and protect the site. We also count pageviews with DataBull, loaded from this same domain. It keeps a random visitor id in a first-party cookie so a purchase can be matched to the visit that led to it: the page and the referrer, nothing you wrote. We do not sell this data, and we do not run advertising or cross-site tracking pixels.

If you write to support@virtualdiary.app, we use your message and anything you include only to reply. We do not add you to a marketing list. Please do not send diary content unless it is needed to fix a problem.

The site may use strictly necessary cookies or similar storage so the host can operate. DataBull sets one first-party cookie for the visit count described above. We do not use advertising cookies. You can block cookies in your browser and the site will still load; that visit then cannot be tied to a purchase.

We keep support emails and Mac purchase records only as long as needed to help you and meet legal duties. Your diary is not in those records because we never receive it. You may ask what data we hold about you, or ask us to delete it, by emailing support@virtualdiary.app. To delete your diary itself, remove the app from your devices and delete Virtual Diary’s data from your iCloud storage in your device’s iCloud settings, along with any exports you saved.

Virtual Diary is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Because the app does not collect personal data, none is gathered from any user of any age.

We rely on Apple to distribute the iPad app and process In-App Purchases, on Dodo Payments for Mac checkout and license keys, on Cloudflare to host this website and our checkout service, and on DataBull to count visits. Each processes data under its own terms to provide that service.

We may update this policy. The date at the top shows the current version. Material changes will be posted on this page.

Privacy questions: support@virtualdiary.app. See also our Terms and Refund Policy.