thoughtbubbl
Privacy Policy
Effective · Last updated
The short version: thoughtbubbl has no accounts and no servers of ours. Your recordings, transcripts, notes, tasks, and reminders live on your iPhone, and — if you turn on iCloud — in your own iCloud account. We never receive any of it. There is no analytics, no advertising, no tracking, and no AI service reading your words.
1. Who this policy covers
This policy explains how the thoughtbubbl iPhone app (“thoughtbubbl,” “the app”) handles information. thoughtbubbl is made by RIVULINE Media (“we,” “us,” “our”). It also covers this website at rivuline.com.
It does not cover Apple’s own services — the App Store, iCloud, and Apple’s speech recognition — which are governed by Apple’s Privacy Policy. Where the app relies on those services, this policy says so plainly below.
2. Information we collect
None. We operate no backend server for thoughtbubbl. We do not collect, receive, or store your name, email address, phone number, account credentials, location, device identifiers, advertising identifiers, usage analytics, or the content of anything you record or write. There is no database anywhere holding your information, because the app never sends it to us.
3. What stays on your device
All of it.
| Data | Where it lives | Leaves your device? |
|---|---|---|
| Voice recordings (.caf audio files) | App storage on your iPhone | Never |
| Transcripts (what you said) | On-device database | Only to your own iCloud, if enabled |
| Tidied notes, titles, bullets | On-device database | Only to your own iCloud, if enabled |
| Tasks, categories, reminders | On-device database | Only to your own iCloud, if enabled |
| Habits, goals, standing reminders | On-device database | Only to your own iCloud, if enabled |
| Settings and preferences | Your device only | Never |
We never receive any of it.
Your device’s own security — passcode, Face ID, Touch ID, and operating-system file protection — protects this data. It is not accessible to us, to other apps, or to anyone without access to your unlocked device.
4. Speech and transcription
When you record a thought, your device attempts to transcribe it entirely on-device using Apple’s Speech Recognition framework. On iPhones that support on-device recognition, your audio never leaves your phone.
On older devices that don’t support on-device recognition, Apple’s framework may send audio to Apple’s servers for transcription. In that case, Apple’s processing is governed by Apple’s Privacy Policy. We never receive the audio or the resulting text — it goes from your microphone to your screen, with no stop in between.
Cleaning up the transcript — removing filler words, splitting it into bullet points, pulling out tasks, suggesting a category — happens locally using rules built into the app. There is no AI service, no API call, and no third party involved in processing your words.
You can turn all tidying off in Settings, in which case the app stores exactly what you said, word for word.
5. iCloud sync
If you are signed into iCloud and have iCloud enabled for thoughtbubbl, your notes sync between your own devices using Apple’s CloudKit private database.
What this means in practice:
- Your data lives in your iCloud account, not our infrastructure
- We have no ability to read, query, or export it
- Apple’s handling of iCloud is governed by Apple’s Privacy Policy
- You can turn off iCloud for thoughtbubbl at any time in iOS Settings → [your name] → iCloud → thoughtbubbl
Voice recordings stay on the device that made them and are not synced to iCloud.
6. Permissions the app requests
Each permission is requested only when you first use the feature that needs it.
| Permission | Why | If you decline |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Recording a thought by speaking | Typing still works fully |
| Speech Recognition | Turning your recording into text | You can type instead; the mic button will be disabled |
| Notifications | Delivering reminders you set yourself | Reminders are visible in the app but will not alert you |
You can change any of these at any time in iOS Settings → thoughtbubbl.
7. What we do not do
- No analytics. We have no analytics SDK, no usage tracking, and receive no information about how you use the app.
- No ads. No ad networks, no ad SDKs, no advertising identifiers.
- No tracking. We do not track you across apps or websites, and the app does not ask for permission to do so under Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework, because there is nothing to track.
- No selling or sharing data. There is nothing to sell.
- No accounts. No email address, no password, no user profile of any kind.
- No AI training. Your notes are never used to train any model, by us or anyone else.
- No third-party SDKs beyond Apple’s own frameworks.
8. Your data, your control
Because everything lives on your device, you are in control by default.
Export — Settings → Export as Markdown writes all your notes to a plain text file. Readable in any text editor, no lock-in.
Archive or delete individual notes — archiving hides a note but keeps it; resolving deletes it permanently.
Delete everything — Settings → Delete all data removes every note, recording, task, goal, habit, and reminder from this device and from your iCloud. This is immediate and cannot be undone.
Delete the app — removing thoughtbubbl deletes all local data. To also remove iCloud copies, use Delete all data first.
We do not need to process a deletion request because we hold nothing to delete.
9. Security
The strongest privacy protection is not collecting data in the first place, and that is the approach thoughtbubbl takes. Beyond that, your data is protected by the security of your own device and of your iCloud account: keep your operating system up to date, use a passcode or biometric lock, and turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple ID.
No method of electronic storage is perfectly secure. We cannot guarantee the security of data held on a device or in an account we do not control.
10. Children
thoughtbubbl is not directed at children under 13. Since we collect no personal information from anyone, there is nothing to delete in the event a child uses the app. The app is rated 4+.
11. Your rights (GDPR / UK GDPR)
For users in the UK and European Economic Area: because we do not collect or process your personal data, most GDPR obligations do not engage. Your data is processed by Apple (iCloud sync, speech recognition) under their own terms, which you agreed to when setting up your Apple ID.
You retain the right to access, correct, delete, and export your data. You exercise all of these directly in the app — the data is on your device, not ours.
12. California residents (CCPA / CPRA)
We do not sell or share personal information as defined under the CCPA. We do not collect the categories of personal information listed in the statute, and we have not done so in the preceding twelve months.
13. International users
RIVULINE Media is based in the United States. Because thoughtbubbl does not transmit your information to us, using the app involves no international transfer of your personal data to us. Any transfer involved in iCloud sync or speech recognition is between you and Apple, under Apple’s terms.
14. Changes to this policy
If thoughtbubbl ever changes in a way that affects privacy, we will update this policy and change the “Last updated” date above before that change takes effect. For material changes, we will also provide notice within the app. Continuing to use thoughtbubbl after an update means you accept the revised policy.
15. Contact
Questions about this policy or about privacy in thoughtbubbl? Reach us at:
- Email: support@rivuline.com
- Website: rivuline.com
We aim to respond to privacy requests within 30 days.
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