Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Snailbox (“the app”, “we”, “us”) is developed and operated by Oleg Ruban. If you have any questions about this policy or your data, contact us at info@fdesystems.com.

2. Our approach to privacy

Snailbox is built to work on your device. Scanning, text recognition (OCR), and the everyday reading of your mail happen locally on your iPhone. You do not create an account, and we do not operate a server that stores your mail. The limited cases where information leaves your device are described below, and each is either controlled by you or handled within your own Apple iCloud account.

3. Information processed on your device

When you scan or import a letter, the app creates and stores — on your device — the scanned image, the recognized text, and the details it extracts (such as title, sender, amount due, due date, account or reference numbers, category, and a short summary). This information stays on your device unless you enable iCloud sync (Section 4) or use the optional cloud analysis feature (Section 5).

4. iCloud sync

If your device is signed in to iCloud, your letters and their scanned images sync across your own Apple devices using Apple’s CloudKit in your private iCloud database. This data is stored in your iCloud account under your control. We, the developer, cannot access, read, or retrieve the contents of your private iCloud data. Apple’s handling of iCloud data is governed by Apple’s Privacy Policy. You can turn iCloud sync off in your device’s iCloud settings.

5. Optional cloud analysis

Cloud analysis is a “cloud assist” for letters that can't be read well on your device. With Snailbox Pro, it is used automatically for those letters. On the free plan, the app offers a small monthly allowance (currently 5 letters per calendar month) for letters on-device reading couldn't handle, and each one is used only after you approve it in the app. When cloud analysis applies to a letter you scan:

• Only the recognized text of that letter is sent to our analysis service. Scanned images are never sent.
• The text is processed to extract the same fields the app shows you (summary, organization, amount, due date, account/reference numbers).
• Our analysis service runs on Cloudflare and uses OpenAI as a processing provider to interpret the text.
• The text is used only to return that result to your device. It is not used for advertising or tracking, is not linked to your name, account, or identity, and is not used to train models.
• The request is processed transiently and is not retained by us as part of a profile about you.
• To count the free allowance, requests include an opaque, Apple-signed install identifier for your copy of the app. We store only a usage counter against it — no letter content, no name, no email, nothing that identifies you personally.

On the free plan, if you never approve a free cloud read, no letter text is ever sent off your device for analysis.

6. Camera and photos

The app uses your camera to scan mail and can import images you choose from your photo library. These are used solely to create your scans and are processed as described above. The app does not browse, upload, or collect your wider photo library.

7. Reminders and calendar

If you choose, the app can schedule local notifications to remind you of a due date, and can pre-fill a calendar event for you to save. Notifications are scheduled on your device. Calendar events are added only when you confirm them, into the calendar you select. We do not read your existing reminders or calendar.

8. Purchases

Snailbox Pro is sold as an auto-renewing subscription through Apple’s App Store. Payments and billing are handled entirely by Apple; we never receive your payment card or financial details. Your subscription status is verified through Apple’s StoreKit.

9. Apple Ads attribution

Snailbox advertises on the App Store through Apple Ads. To learn which of our own ads lead to people actually using the app, the app asks Apple's AdServices framework for an attribution token shortly after install and sends it to our service, which exchanges it with Apple. Apple's answer says whether the install came from one of our Apple Ads campaigns and, if so, which campaign, ad group and keyword. For installs that don't come from our ads, it only says so.

• The result is stored against the same opaque, Apple-signed install identifier described in Section 5, together with simple usage counts from cloud analysis: when it was first and last used, how many times, and whether the install is on the free plan or Pro.
• It contains no letter content, no name, no email, no device advertising identifier (IDFA), and nothing that identifies you personally.
• It is used only to measure whether our own App Store advertising is worth its cost. It is not combined with data from other companies, not shared with advertisers, and not used to track you across apps or websites, which is why the app does not ask for tracking permission.

10. What we do not do

• We do not track you across apps or websites.
• We do not show ads or share data with advertisers.
• We do not sell or rent your personal information.
• We do not use third-party analytics or advertising SDKs.
• We do not require you to create an account.

11. Data retention and deletion

Your mail lives on your device (and, if enabled, in your iCloud account). You can delete any letter in the app at any time; deleting it removes its data from your device and, through iCloud sync, from your other devices. Cloud analysis requests are processed transiently and are not kept by us as a record about you. The free-allowance counter is kept for about 40 days and then deleted automatically. The attribution and usage record described in Section 9 is kept only while it's useful for measuring our advertising. Because it isn't linked to your name or email, we can't look it up from a request that identifies you.

12. Children

Snailbox is intended for general audiences and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

13. Third-party services

We rely on the following providers only for the functions described above: Apple (iCloud storage, App Store purchases, and Apple Ads attribution), Cloudflare (hosting our service, including the attribution and usage record in Section 9), and — only when cloud assist is used for a letter — OpenAI (interpreting the letter text). Each processes data under its own terms and privacy commitments.

14. International processing

When cloud assist is used for a letter, its text may be processed on servers located outside your country, including the United States. By using cloud assist (with Snailbox Pro, or by approving a free cloud read), you consent to this processing.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, note it in the app or on this site.

16. Contact

Questions, requests, or concerns about your privacy? Email us at info@fdesystems.com.