Privacy Policy
The short version
We don't collect your messages. We don't have a server. We don't sync, store, or transmit anything you type into Decoder Ring. The app runs entirely on your iPhone.
The longer version below covers the few edge cases — ads, subscriptions, and crash diagnostics — where third parties (Google and Apple) see anything at all.
What stays on your device
- Every message you encode or decode
- Your saved cipher number, dictionary preference, and contact list
- Any contact-specific cipher numbers, dictionaries, and auto-shift settings
None of that ever leaves your phone. It's stored in iOS's private app storage, accessible only to Decoder Ring.
What we don't collect
- Your name, email, phone number, or any other identifier
- The content of any message you encode or decode
- Your contacts list (the ten saved entries are local; we never read your iOS Contacts)
- Your location
- Your photos, microphone, or camera
Advertising
Free users see banner ads served by Google AdMob. To select which ad to show, AdMob may use:
- Your Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), but only if you grant Decoder Ring permission via the iOS App Tracking Transparency prompt. Decline and ads will still show, but they'll be non-personalized.
- Coarse device information (model, OS version, language)
- Approximate location based on your IP address
Google's use of this data is governed by their own privacy policy, available at policies.google.com/privacy. AdMob does not see the content of your messages — those never leave your device.
If you live in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the app will show a separate consent dialog before personalized ads are served. You can change your choice later from Settings inside the app.
Upgrading to any paid tier removes ads and stops AdMob's data collection from this app.
Subscriptions and purchases
All payments are handled by Apple through the App Store. We never see your payment details, billing address, or Apple ID. Apple shares anonymized purchase confirmations with us so we know which tier you've unlocked, but no personal information is attached.
Crash and performance diagnostics
If you opt in to sharing diagnostics with developers in iOS Settings, Apple will send us anonymized crash reports and performance metrics. These contain no personal information and no message content.
Children
Decoder Ring is designed for general audiences and is suitable for kids. We don't knowingly collect any personal information from anyone, regardless of age. If you're a parent and you've discovered something we should fix, email us — we want to know.
Your choices
- Opt out of personalized ads by declining the App Tracking Transparency prompt or revoking it in Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
- Remove ads entirely by upgrading to any paid tier.
- Delete the app to erase every contact, every preference, and every cached value at once.
- Manage subscriptions in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions.
Changes to this policy
If we ever change this policy in a way that affects what we collect or share, we'll update the "Effective" date at the top and call out the change in the next app release notes. Material changes — for example, if we ever added analytics that tracked individuals — will trigger a fresh consent prompt.
Contact
Questions, complaints, or curiosity: support@decoderring.app