Your photos.
The story behind them.

Effective date: September 30, 2026 · Last updated: September 30, 2026
Developer: Kwame Johnson · Contact: Kwame@Kwame-Johnson.com

Stories We Keep is a private photo journal for iPhone, iPad and Mac. This policy explains what happens to what you put in it. The short version:

• We don't collect your data. We run no servers, have no accounts, and never receive your journal.
• No analytics, no advertising, no tracking, no third-party code.
• Your journal lives on your device and, if you are signed in to iCloud, in your own private iCloud storage, which we cannot read.

What the app stores

Everything you create, on your device:

• Moments (title, location, dates), days, your written reflections and story captions
• Photographs you add, and the date and place each was taken, when your photo has them
• Your profile: name, bio, profile picture, and an optional "home base" city
• Preferences: appearance, text size, and which stories you've pinned

None of this is sent to us. We do not have a copy.

How iCloud works

If you are signed in to iCloud, the app keeps your journal in step across your iPhone, iPad and Mac using Apple's CloudKit. It goes to a private database in your iCloud account, stored under Apple's terms and Apple's privacy policy. Only you, signed in with your Apple Account, can read it; we cannot access it. Photographs sync at full stored quality, so every device holds every photo. Your profile and pinned stories sync through the iCloud key-value store in the same way.

Sync is automatic while you are signed in to iCloud with iCloud available to the app. You control iCloud for the app in your device's iCloud settings. If iCloud is turned off for the app, or you are signed out, the journal stays on that device. Removing the app does not remove your iCloud copy (see "Keeping and deleting your data").

Photos and other permissions

• Photo Library. The first time you add photos from your library, the app asks for access. It uses it only to read when and where the photos you pick were taken, so it can fill in a day's location. It never scans your library, never changes it, and keeps no link back to your originals; the app stores its own copy of each photo. If you decline, or share only some photos, photos still import without a date or place.
• Files. Photos you choose or drag in from Files or Finder are read once and copied in.
• Not requested and not used: location, camera, microphone, contacts, calendar, health and notifications. The app never reads your device's location, only the location stored inside your own photos or a place you type. Dictation, if you use it, is handled by your device's keyboard, not by the app.

Apple services the app uses

To turn coordinates into place names (such as "Lisbon, Portugal"), place names into map points, and to draw maps, the app uses Apple's MapKit. Apple therefore receives the coordinates from a day's photo, place names or a home-base city that you typed, and the map area you are viewing. This is handled by Apple under Apple's Privacy Policy and goes to Apple, not to us. If you are offline, place lookup waits until later.

If you have chosen to share crash and usage data with app developers in your device's Analytics settings, Apple may send us anonymised crash reports. They contain no journal content. The app has no crash reporter of its own.

What we don't do

We don't sell or share your data, show ads, build profiles, use tracking technology, use analytics or advertising SDKs, or run any account system. The app contains no identifiers for advertising or tracking.

Backups and safety copies

• Exported backups. Profile → Backup writes a single file containing your whole journal, not encrypted. Where you save or send it is up to you; treat it as you would the journal itself.
• Safety snapshots. Before actions that could remove data (restore, merge, delete-all) and once a day, the app saves a complete copy of your journal on your device only; these are never synced. The most recent copies are kept until newer ones replace them, and they are included in your device's own backups. You can delete them any time in Profile → Safety Snapshots, and they are removed automatically once your journal is empty and Recently Deleted has been emptied. Deleting the app removes them.

Keeping and deleting your data

• A photo, day or Moment: deleting it moves it to Recently Deleted for 30 days, then removes it permanently. Recently Deleted → Delete All removes it permanently right away, on all your devices.
• Everything: Profile → Delete all data moves the whole journal to Recently Deleted on all your devices; it is permanently removed after 30 days or when you empty Recently Deleted.
• Your iCloud copy: deleting the app leaves it in place. To remove it on iPhone or iPad, go to Settings → your name → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → Stories We Keep → Delete Data (on Mac: System Settings → Apple Account → iCloud → Manage).
• On the device: deleting the app removes the on-device journal, snapshots and preferences.

Because we hold no copy of your data, there is nothing for us to look up, correct or erase on your behalf; you control all of it directly, as above. If you are in the EU, UK or California and believe you have a right we can help with, write to Kwame@Kwame-Johnson.com.

Children

The app is not directed to children under 13 and collects nothing from anyone, including children.

Changes

If this policy changes we will post the new version at this address and update the date above.

Contact

Kwame Johnson · Kwame@Kwame-Johnson.com