Last updated: July 2026
SynDiary is a local-first diary. Your entries, imports, and media are stored on your device, encrypted at rest by default. There is no account, no registration, and we do not collect your name, email address, diary content, or usage data. We run no server that receives your diary.
A few clearly-marked, optional features can send data off your device — and only when you turn them on or trigger them yourself. This policy lists every one of them.
SynDiary is developed by the SynDiary team (the "controller" for the limited processing described below, where any takes place). You can reach us at [email protected] for any privacy question or request.
The app works without an account. We do not ask for, and do not collect, your name, email address, phone number, or any other contact details when you use the app. The only time we receive personal data from you is when you choose to contact us (for example by email or through the contact form on this website).
Everything you put into SynDiary stays on your device:
This data is stored in an encrypted database on your device by default. We cannot read it, access it, or recover it — it never reaches us. Imports are processed entirely on your device: importing an Instagram or Facebook archive does not connect to Instagram or Facebook.
Each item below is off by default and/or happens only when you take a clear action. Nothing else leaves your device.
SynDiary's AI features run on your device by default. If your device cannot run a local model, or you prefer a cloud model, you can connect your own API key for a supported provider: Google Gemini, OpenAI, or Anthropic for chat, and OpenAI or Deepgram for voice transcription.
Cloud AI stays off until you explicitly enable it and add a key. When it is on, the messages, diary context, or audio you submit to the AI are sent to your chosen provider and processed under that provider's own terms and privacy policy, using your key. Diary content can be sensitive — it may reveal things like health, beliefs, or relationships. Sending it to a cloud provider is always your explicit, deliberate choice: enabling cloud AI is how you direct the app to do this, and the app additionally reminds you in-session with a notice and shows a persistent "Cloud AI on" indicator while a cloud route is active. Turn cloud AI off at any time in Settings; the app returns to on-device processing.
Provider policies: Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Deepgram. These providers are typically based in the United States, so choosing one means your submitted content is transferred there under your direction and your agreement with that provider.
If you download an on-device AI model, the app fetches the model files from Hugging Face's content delivery network. This is a standard web download: it transmits no personal content, though the file host — like any website you visit — sees your IP address.
If you add a Google Calendar feed by URL, the app periodically fetches that feed so your events appear in your timeline. The request goes directly from your device to the calendar host (for example Google), which sees standard web-request metadata. Device-calendar imports and calendar-file imports are read locally and involve no network access.
On mobile, the app periodically (at most every six hours) fetches a small static file from this website to learn whether the installed version is still safe to use. The request carries no identifiers, no cookies, and no personal data; like any web request, it reveals your IP address and the fact that the app launched to our web host.
The app keeps a short, redacted log of recent errors on your device to help you report problems. Nothing is uploaded automatically. If you choose "send feedback", the app opens your email client with a diagnostic summary you can review and edit before sending. It reaches us only when you hit send.
Analytics is off unless you turn it on. When enabled, the app records anonymized usage events (screens visited, feature counters) — never diary content, never identity data. In the current app version these events remain on your device and are not transmitted anywhere. If a future version transmits analytics, we will update this policy and the in-app disclosure first.
Because your data lives on your device, retention is entirely under your control. You can edit or delete individual entries, clear all data in Settings, export your data (as an encrypted-at-rest ZIP/JSON bundle; a plain-text export option exists and warns you that the exported copy is unprotected), and remove everything by uninstalling the app. If you use encrypted storage with a recovery code, keep that code safe — without it, encrypted data cannot be recovered by anyone, including us.
Emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to handle your request. Website hosting logs are retained by our hosting provider for a short operational period.
Under the GDPR and similar laws you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to processing of, and port your personal data, and to withdraw consent at any time. For data in the app these rights are self-service: the app itself is your access, correction, deletion, and export tool, because only you hold the data. For anything involving us directly (for example support emails), contact [email protected].
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data-protection supervisory authority — in the Netherlands, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens.
SynDiary may ask for device permissions, always for a local purpose:
You can revoke any permission at any time in your device settings.
SynDiary is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone — including children. Since the app requires no account and sends us nothing, there is no registration path through which a child's data could reach us.
We will post any changes on this page and update the "Last updated" date. For meaningful changes to what can leave your device, we will also update the in-app disclosures before the change takes effect.
SynDiary
Email: [email protected]
