Legal

Privacy Policy

This policy covers the Selfworth app for iPhone and for Android. Where the two work differently, it says so. It is separate from the privacy notice for this website.

The shortest honest summary: Selfworth is a private self-worth journal. Your journal stays on your phone, and we never see it. There is no account, no server of ours, no analytics, no ads, no tracking, and no third-party code in the app.

What the app stores, and where

Everything you write — daily practices, evidence entries, harsh thoughts and your answers, experiments, reflections, letters, scenes, cases, your blueprint, settings, and the monthly self-esteem questionnaire — is stored in a single file on your device, inside the app's protected storage. The home-screen widget reads the same file on your device.

We (the developer) have no access to any of it. Nothing you write ever leaves your device, except in the optional backup described below, which goes into your own Apple or Google account. Purchases are handled by Apple's App Store or Google Play. On Android, the Google Play billing component that Google provides for selling through Play may send its own technical diagnostics to Google; it has no access to your journal, and nothing is sent to us.

Optional backup on iPhone (iCloud)

If you turn on “Back up to iCloud” in You → Settings, the app uploads a copy of your journal file to your private iCloud database (Apple CloudKit), tied to your personal Apple Account. Only your Apple Account can access it; the developer cannot read, query, or receive it. Apple encrypts this data in transit and on its servers. If you want end-to-end encryption for iCloud data, you can turn on Advanced Data Protection in iOS Settings — it covers this backup too.

Backup is off by default. You can turn it off at any time, and when you do, the app offers to delete the backup copy from iCloud as well.

Optional backup on Android

If you turn on “Back up with Android” in You → Settings, Android's own backup includes a copy of your journal file, and nothing else from the app, in your device's backup to your Google account. Android decides when backups run; the app only allows or refuses its journal file. The developer cannot read, query or receive this backup. According to Google, backups from devices running Android 9 or later that have a screen lock are end-to-end encrypted with that screen lock.

Backup is off by default and you can turn it off at any time. Backups already made are managed in your Google account's backup settings, where you can also delete them.

App lock (Face ID, fingerprint, PIN)

If you turn on the lock, unlocking is handled entirely by the operating system: Face ID on iPhone, and your device lock (fingerprint, face, PIN, pattern or password) on Android. The app only receives “unlocked: yes or no”. Biometric data never reaches the app and never leaves your device.

Notifications

Reminders are scheduled locally on your device. Their content (including the day's prompt) is generated on-device and is never sent anywhere.

What we collect about you

Nothing. The app contains no analytics, crash reporting, advertising, or tracking SDKs, and it does not transmit usage data of any kind. Apple and Google may provide the developer with standard, aggregated store statistics (for example download counts); these contain no journal content and no identity.

Purchases

If you buy a subscription or a one-time purchase, the transaction is handled entirely by Apple through the App Store on iPhone, or by Google through Google Play on Android. The app never sees or stores your payment details; it only learns from the store whether a purchase is active. The developer receives sales reports from the store, and they contain no journal content. See the Terms of Use for how purchases work on Android.

Data deletion

Deleting the app deletes your journal from the device. If you used iCloud backup, you can delete the cloud copy beforehand via the backup toggle in You → Settings (choose “Stop and delete it from iCloud”), or by removing Selfworth's iCloud data in iOS Settings → your name → iCloud. On Android, a backup copy stays in your Google account's backups until Android replaces it or you delete it there.

Children

Selfworth is not directed at children and has no features that knowingly collect information from anyone, children included.

Not a medical device

Selfworth is a self-help journal informed by published research. It is not a medical device, does not provide diagnoses or treatment, and is not a substitute for professional care.

Changes

If a future version changes how data is handled, this policy will be updated and the effective date changed before that version ships.

Contact

Questions about this policy: piet@gehrkestudio.com.

Effective July 2026 · Last updated 24 September 2026 (Android added)