Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 27, 2026

LighterMind is designed to keep your data private. This policy explains what information the app handles, where it goes, and what choices you have.

The short version

  • Your journal entries, tags, templates, and attachments are stored on your device.
  • If you're signed into iCloud, your data syncs across your devices using your private iCloud account. No one else can see it — not even us.
  • The LighterMind app has no analytics, no tracking, no advertising, and no user accounts.
  • We never sell, share, or have access to your data.

Data stored on your device

All of your content is stored locally on your device:

  • Entries — journal posts, checklists, recipes, meal plans, time blocks, data tables, and reports
  • Tags — your tag hierarchy (#topics, @people, !events, and plain tags)
  • Attachments — photos, videos, and files you add to entries
  • Templates — saved entry templates and recurring routines
  • Nutrition data — food items and nutrition information you've looked up
  • Preferences — theme, calorie targets, planner settings, and other configuration

iCloud sync

If you are signed into iCloud on your device, LighterMind uses Apple's CloudKit to sync your data across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This sync uses your private iCloud database — only you can access it.

Your preferences also sync across devices using iCloud Key-Value Storage. If you supply a USDA API key for nutrition lookups, it is stored in iCloud Keychain.

You can disable iCloud sync for LighterMind in your device's iCloud settings. Your data will remain on that device.

Network requests

LighterMind only connects to the internet when you explicitly use features that require it:

  • Nutrition search — when you search for a food item, LighterMind queries the USDA FoodData Central API and Open Food Facts to find nutrition information. Your search term is sent to these services. No personal information is included.
  • Recipe import — when you paste a URL to import a recipe, LighterMind fetches that webpage to extract the recipe data. Only the URL you provide is requested; no account or device information is sent.
  • Link previews — when an entry contains a URL, the app may fetch metadata (title, image) to display a preview, using Apple's system LinkPresentation framework.
  • iCloud sync — background sync with Apple's CloudKit servers, if you are signed into iCloud.

Permissions

LighterMind requests only the permissions it needs, and only when you use the relevant feature:

  • Calendar (read-only) — to display your calendar events in the planner. LighterMind never creates or modifies calendar events, and we do not save, copy, or store them — all events live within the Calendar app itself.
  • Photos — to let you attach photos and videos to entries, using the system photo picker.
  • Face ID / Touch ID — for the optional app lock feature. No biometric data is stored by the app.
  • Files — to let you attach documents from the Files app to entries.

Third-party services

LighterMind does not include any analytics, crash reporting, advertising, or tracking SDKs. The only third-party code in the app is open-source libraries for markdown parsing and UI layout.

The external services contacted are limited to:

  • USDA FoodData Central (api.nal.usda.gov) — U.S. government nutrition database
  • Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org) — open-source food product database

Website analytics

This website (lightermind.app) uses Umami, a privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics tool that we self-host. It helps us understand which pages people visit and how they got here, so we can improve the site.

Umami does not use cookies, does not track you across other websites, and does not collect any personal information. IP addresses are hashed (not stored) and we cannot identify individual visitors.

This applies to the website only. The LighterMind app itself contains no analytics, tracking, or telemetry of any kind. Nothing about how you use the app is ever sent to us or anyone else.

Data retention

Your data lives on your devices and in your private iCloud account. We have no servers and no access to your information. If you delete the app, your local data is removed. To remove iCloud data, you can manage your iCloud storage in your device settings.

Children's privacy

LighterMind does not knowingly collect any information from children. The app has no accounts, no tracking, and no data collection of any kind.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted here with a new date. Since LighterMind has no accounts or contact information, we cannot notify you directly — please check back periodically.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, contact us at [email protected].