Privacy Policy

Effective July 6, 2026

Smart Journaling is a private voice journaling app. This policy explains what the app stores, what it sends, and what your choices are. It is written in plain language. If something is unclear, email support@smart-journaling.com.

What lives on your iPhone

Everything you journal is stored on your device, inside the app’s protected container using iOS file protection:

Your voice recordings (audio files)
Journal transcripts
Mood and emotion logs
Tags, echoes, lens reflections, threads, and letters
Personal info you provide during onboarding (name, gender, age range)

Your audio recordings never leave your device. When Cloud Reflection is on, some of the items above are sent as text to generate your companion’s replies — the next section lists exactly what. With Cloud Reflection off, none of your journal content is sent anywhere. Everything above is removed when you delete the app or use Settings → Your Data → Delete All.

Cloud Reflection (on by default)

Cloud Reflection powers the conversational AI replies during reflection sessions. When it is on, the following are sent over HTTPS to our backend, which forwards them to third-party AI and voice-synthesis providers to generate the AI’s text and spoken reply:

The transcribed text of what you said in the current session
A stand-in name in place of your first name (see “Your name” below)
Mood and emotion labels you select during that session
Your age range and gender, if you provided them
Up to three short excerpts from your earlier reflections (“echoes”), for continuity
Basic session context, such as the time of day and your recent mood

Your audio is never sent. The transcription happens on your iPhone.

Your name. Before anything is sent to the AI provider, your first name is replaced with a randomly chosen stand-in. The mapping back to your real name stays on your device, and replies are shown on your iPhone with your real name restored. Two caveats, in the interest of full honesty: the reply text sent to the voice-synthesis provider does include your first name (or the phonetic respelling you set), so your companion can speak your name naturally; and if you say your name aloud during a reflection, it may appear in the transcribed text that is sent.

We do not store your reflection content on our server beyond the moments needed to generate a reply. The content is not used to train any model, is not sold, and is not shared for advertising.

Service protection. To keep usage limits fair and the service healthy, our server keeps anonymous technical records of cloud requests — which feature was used, when, how large the request was, and a random per-install identifier that is not tied to your name or any account. These records never contain journal content and are automatically deleted on a rolling 30-day schedule. They exist whenever you use cloud features, independent of the analytics choice below.

Third-party providers. Our providers’ published commitments are to not retain inputs beyond what is needed to deliver the reply (and short safety-review windows where applicable), and to not use inputs for model training. Beyond the items listed above, we never send them your email, any device identifier, or any account — there is none — so even data they may briefly retain cannot be linked back to you by them.

You can switch to fully on-device mode at any time in Settings → Privacy → Cloud Reflection. With Cloud Reflection off, reflection runs entirely on-device using Apple’s on-device models (iOS 26+) or a rules-based fallback.

Anonymous usage analytics (your choice)

When Usage Analytics is on in Settings, the app sends anonymous metadata to help us understand how features are used:

Entry counts and duration buckets
Which transcription source was used
App version and iOS version
Feature usage (no journal content)

No transcripts, no audio, no personal identifiers. In App Store builds this starts off; in TestFlight builds it starts on, to help us find problems during testing. Either way, you can change it anytime in Settings → Privacy.

Crash reports. When Crash Reports is on (it starts on, and contains no journal content), the app sends an anonymous crash signature — which part of the app crashed and the type of failure, never your words or recordings. Turn it off anytime in Settings → Privacy.

Backups

The encrypted backup feature (Settings → Your Data) creates a .sjbackup file on your device, encrypted with a password you choose. We never see the password and we never receive the backup. iCloud Backup (an OS-level feature) may also include the app’s data unless you opt out in iOS Settings.

Children

Smart Journaling is not directed at children under 13. Please do not use it if you are under 13.

Not medical advice

Smart Journaling is a journaling tool. It is not therapy, counseling, or medical care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or your local emergency number.

Your rights

You can:

Delete any single entry from the entry detail view
Delete all data via Settings → Your Data → Delete All
Export your journal text and details via Settings → Your Data (exports don’t include audio — the encrypted backup does)
Disable Cloud Reflection or Usage Analytics at any time

Contact

Questions, requests, or corrections: support@smart-journaling.com