Privacy Policy for Smart Archive

Smart Archive scans and imports documents, recognises their text and stores them in a searchable archive. The app is available for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Core functions—scanning or importing, text recognition, searchable PDFs, archiving and search—work locally and without an internet connection.

Camera images, imported files, page images, searchable PDFs, recognized text, document details, folders, tags and AI preferences are stored in the archive selected by you. Text recognition and PDF creation take place on the device. Page images and archived files are not sent to the controller, to the app AI or to OpenAI. Smart Archive contains no advertising or analytics SDK.

Smart Archive stores your archive automatically in its own app area in iCloud Drive; no storage location needs to be chosen. The same iCloud archive can be opened on iPhone, iPad and a supported Mac. Synchronisation is performed by Apple under Apple’s terms. Smart Archive does not use its own cloud API for storage.

AI analysis is optional and can be switched off. When Apple Intelligence is selected and available, the complete analysis runs on the device: documents, page images and recognized text do not leave the iPhone or iPad. If you use the app AI, only recognized text and the instructions needed for the requested analysis are sent over an encrypted connection to the Smart Archive AI service and forwarded to OpenAI. A random installation identifier is transmitted solely to enforce usage limits; it is not an account and is not stored by the service. If you choose OpenAI with your own API key, the app sends the recognized text directly to the OpenAI Responses API. Requests are made with server-side storage disabled. OpenAI’s own privacy terms apply to processing by OpenAI.

Your own OpenAI API key is stored in the operating system’s protected credential store on the respective device. It is not written into the archive and is not synchronised. Provider and model choices are stored as device settings. AI preferences are stored in the selected archive and may therefore be synchronised with it.

On iPhone and iPad, camera access is used only when you start a document scan. When you import an existing file, you select it through the system file picker. On iPhone, iPad and Mac, Smart Archive accesses only the files selected by you and its own archive in iCloud Drive. These permissions serve solely to provide the requested app function.

Subscriptions are offered through Apple’s App Store. Apple processes purchase, payment and Apple ID data under its own responsibility. Smart Archive receives only the information needed to determine the purchased product and entitlement. Please see Apple’s Privacy Policy.

Your archive remains under your control. You can delete individual documents in the app and delete or move the archive using the Files app or Finder on Mac. Removing the app does not necessarily delete an archive kept in iCloud Drive. Device settings and a locally stored API key can be removed in the app or by uninstalling it, subject to the operating system’s behaviour. Data processed for an AI request is used only to perform that request; statutory retention duties remain unaffected.

Local processing is performed to provide the app at your request (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Optional external AI processing is performed only after you select or enable the corresponding function (Art. 6(1)(a) and/or (b) GDPR). Recipients may be Apple, your chosen synchronisation provider and OpenAI, depending on the functions you use. This may involve processing outside the European Economic Area under the safeguards offered by the respective provider.

You have the rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, data portability and objection, where the legal requirements are met, and may withdraw consent with future effect. You may also complain to a data protection authority; in Hesse this is the Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information. For requests, use the contact details above.

This privacy policy is effective as of September 2026. It may be updated when Smart Archive, connected services or legal requirements change.