SoftlyNote Privacy Policy

1. Scope and contact

This policy applies to the SoftlyNote website, iOS app, and account services. SoftlyNote is currently operated by Yali Bian, who is responsible for the personal data described here. Send privacy questions, complaints, or rights requests to privacy@softlynote.com. Signed-in users can also use Feedback in the app.

2. Data we process

• Account data, including email, login provider, language, and account settings. A sign-in provider may return provider-managed identity metadata such as a name or avatar; SoftlyNote does not use it to create a public profile.
• Earlier versions allowed an avatar, display name, ID, and bio. Existing legacy values are temporarily retained only for owner export and read-only compatibility, cannot be edited, and will be removed after the compatibility period.
• Content you save, including journals, Chat captures, drafts, tags, source relationships, and Review results.
• Media and context you choose to add, including images, voice transcripts, location, dates, and times. System permissions are not required for basic text recording.
• Voice input is used only during capture for transcription. iOS prefers on-device recognition when supported and may otherwise use Apple’s speech service; web browsers may use the speech service they provide. SoftlyNote does not retain the raw recording and keeps transcript text only when you explicitly finish and then send or save it.
• Security and operations data, including sessions, a random app-install identifier, generic device type, app/build versions, errors, performance, and necessary abuse-prevention events. SoftlyNote does not upload the user-assigned device name.
• Support and feedback data, including the issue text, diagnostic context, and screenshots you choose to attach, so we can respond and troubleshoot. Remove anything you do not want to share with support before submitting.
• Apple sign-in revocation data. The current iOS app sends Apple's one-time authorization code to the SoftlyNote server to obtain a revocation credential. That credential is application-encrypted in a server-only table and used only to revoke Apple authorization before account deletion.

3. Purposes and legal bases

• Perform our service agreement with you by providing private recording, sync, retrieval, AI replies, editable compositions, semantic recall, Review, export, account recovery, and deletion.
• Act on your explicit choices by obtaining separate permission before content is sent to OpenAI, DeepSeek, or another disclosed third-party AI service; you separately control system permissions for Photos, Camera, Microphone, Location, and Notifications.
• Pursue legitimate needs to protect users and the service, prevent abuse, secure accounts and data, diagnose errors, and improve reliability, balanced against your rights where applicable.
• Meet legal obligations, keep necessary records, respond to valid rights requests, and comply with binding legal process.

4. Third-party AI processing

Third-party AI is a core component of the current SoftlyNote service. Only after you see the disclosure and give explicit permission does SoftlyNote send text, images, and related context you choose to third-party AI services. Generation can use OpenAI and, when configured on the server, DeepSeek. Semantic embeddings use OpenAI. Data is used to provide the feature you request, not for SoftlyNote ad targeting.

Generation requests sent through OpenAI Responses are configured with store: false and do not store Responses application state. This is not zero retention: providers may still process safety or abuse-monitoring logs under the service configuration and agreements then in effect. SoftlyNote does not make unverified training or retention promises in this policy.

If you decline or later withdraw permission, SoftlyNote stops new third-party AI requests, turns off semantic recall, and deletes existing semantic indexes for your account. Because AI is core, Journal, Chat, Write, Review, and other core services will no longer be available, but account management, export of existing data, and account deletion remain available. Withdrawal does not affect processing already completed lawfully. Existing source records remain until you delete the record or account. The semantic index stores vectors and index state, not a separate readable plaintext copy.

5. Service providers and sharing

SoftlyNote uses necessary infrastructure providers, including Supabase for authentication, database, and storage; Vercel for hosting and operational monitoring; Apple for app distribution, system permissions, and Apple sign-in; and the AI providers listed above. Providers may process data outside your country or region. We use contractual, access-control, and transmission safeguards required by applicable law and the relevant service agreements. We do not sell personal data or track you across other companies’ apps or websites for advertising. We disclose personal data only to provide the service, protect safety, or comply with law.

6. Retention, deletion, and export

• While an account is active, content is retained until you delete the relevant record or account. Device drafts, offline queues, and read-only caches can be cleared on the device.
• Support and feedback materials are kept only as needed to respond, troubleshoot, maintain security, and satisfy applicable recordkeeping duties. Account-linked feedback and attachments enter the same deletion process when you request account deletion.
• After an account deletion request, normal access stops immediately and the account enters a retention period of at least 30 days. Signing in again does not automatically cancel deletion and only shows the pending-deletion state. For newly submitted requests that support restoration, we email a one-time management link to the current account address; deletion is canceled and sign-in eligibility restored only when that link is opened and cancellation is explicitly confirmed before the scheduled permanent-deletion time. After retention, SoftlyNote's daily deletion job removes the account and associated data and sends a completion email. The completion-email address is kept briefly in a restricted notification queue, deleted immediately after delivery, and removed after at most 14 days if delivery keeps failing.
• For accounts using Sign in with Apple, available server-held Apple authorization is revoked before the deletion flow begins. If an older account has no usable revocation credential, account deletion still continues; follow the in-app instructions to choose Stop Using Apple ID for SoftlyNote in Apple Account settings.
• Account export provides structured Markdown/JSON and available media references, not a fully restorable backup. Image binaries, device drafts, offline queues, telemetry, and third-party provider logs are not embedded.
• A small amount of data may be kept longer where required for law, security, fraud prevention, or backup integrity, with restricted access.

7. Your choices and rights

• Access, change, export, or delete account data in Settings.
• Withdraw permission for third-party AI processing. Withdrawal does not affect processing already completed lawfully. Core AI Journal services stop, while account management, export, and deletion remain available.
• Turn off semantic recall and delete semantic indexes, or exclude and forget individual indexed sources.
• Allow or deny Photos, Camera, Microphone, Location, and Notifications separately in system settings.
• Where local law applies, request access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, or a portable copy, and complain to the data-protection authority with jurisdiction where you live.

8. Security, age, and changes

SoftlyNote uses HTTPS, account authentication, row-level database controls, private-media access controls, and device-local protections to reduce risk, but no system can guarantee absolute security. SoftlyNote is not end-to-end encrypted: its servers and authorized service infrastructure must process content in plaintext to provide sync, retrieval, and AI features. SoftlyNote is intended for people aged 18 or older and is not directed to children. We update the effective date when this policy changes and provide notice where appropriate. Materially different processing purposes will require renewed consent when applicable.