OurRoots · 家源

Privacy Policy

OurRoots

Effective Date: June 1, 2026 Last Updated: May 28, 2026

1. Introduction

OurRoots (the "App") is built by an independent developer to help you and your family preserve memories across generations. We take privacy seriously. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and how we protect it.

OurRoots' Three Promises to You

🛡 Data Ownership Your family data is stored in your own iCloud Private Database. OurRoots has no backend servers receiving this data — we are not "promising not to collect"; we are structurally unable to collect.

🚫 Zero AI Training OurRoots will never use your family data to train any AI model, nor share it with any third-party AI company. If OurRoots is ever acquired, any acquirer must continue to honor this commitment.

📱 On-Device AI First When OurRoots introduces AI features in the future (e.g., old photo restoration, oral history transcription, writing assistance), they will prioritize your device's on-device intelligence (Apple Intelligence). If any feature must use cloud AI, we will clearly notify you in-app and never send personally identifiable family data.

TL;DR:

  • ✅ Your family data lives entirely in your own iCloud account — not on our servers.
  • ✅ We do not collect your name, email, location, or other personal information.
  • ✅ We never sell or share your data with third parties.
  • ✅ We never use your data to train AI.
  • ✅ You own your data completely and can export or delete it at any time.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

When using the App, you create the following data:

  • Family member profiles: name, gender, birthday, death date, relationships, avatar, biography.
  • Timeline events: title, date, description, linked members, photos.
  • Photos: images you choose to attach to events.

All of this data is stored in your personal iCloud Private Database (CloudKit), encrypted by Apple. We (the developer) cannot access it.

2.2 Information We Do Not Collect

We explicitly do not collect:

  • ❌ Your name, email, or phone number (no account registration required)
  • ❌ Your location
  • ❌ Full contents of your contacts or photo library (only photos you actively choose to upload are processed)
  • ❌ Your Apple ID or iCloud credentials
  • ❌ Device identifiers (IDFA / Advertising Identifier)
  • ❌ Behavioral tracking or third-party analytics

2.3 System Logs

Local diagnostic logs (via Apple's OSLog framework) are used only for crash and error debugging. They are not uploaded to our servers unless you actively use the "Send Diagnostic Info" feature.

3. Subscriptions & Payments

3.1 Subscription Service

The App offers OurRoots Premium with monthly and yearly billing options.

3.2 Payment Processing

All payments are processed by Apple App Store. We never see your credit card number, bank account, or any payment information. Refer to Apple's Privacy Policy for details.

3.3 Subscription Status

Subscription status is checked via Apple's StoreKit framework and cached locally. We only know whether you are "Premium" (a boolean). We do not have access to purchase amounts, credit card info, or your Apple ID.

4. Family Sharing

The App supports family collaboration via iCloud Shared Database (CloudKit Shared Database).

  • When you invite a family member, data is shared between you and them via Apple CloudKit.
  • Sharing is limited to people you explicitly invite through Apple system share links.
  • Upon leaving a family, you immediately lose access to that family's data.

5. Data Storage & Security

5.1 Storage Location

  • Private family data: Your iCloud Private Database (CloudKit Private Database)
  • Shared family data: iCloud Shared Database (CloudKit Shared Database)
  • Local cache: On-device storage for offline access

5.2 Encryption

All CloudKit data is encrypted by Apple in transit and at rest. See Apple iCloud Security Overview.

5.3 Data Ownership

You own all data you create. The developer claims no rights to your content.

6. Your Rights

You can, at any time:

  • Export data: via "Profile → Data Management"
  • Delete data: single records (events, photos, relations) or full family removal via "Profile → Clean Up Old Families". Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone — please confirm carefully. Deleting an entire family requires typing a confirmation keyword.
  • Revoke sharing: remove members or leave a family
  • Cancel subscription: via iOS "Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions"

About deleted data: The App does not maintain any "trash" or "recently deleted" backup. After deleting a photo, the original remains in your system Photos library (unless separately removed). Deleted events, relations, etc. cannot be recovered and must be re-created if needed. This design minimizes iCloud quota usage and provides clearer data control.

7. Children's Privacy

The App is suitable for all ages. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If a parent discovers that a child has provided information they shouldn't have, please contact us using the information below.

8. Third-Party Services

The App uses only first-party Apple frameworks:

  • CloudKit (data storage and sync)
  • StoreKit (subscriptions and payments)
  • PhotoKit (access to photos you actively choose)
  • UserNotifications (local notification reminders)
  • Future: Apple Intelligence (on-device AI processing — no data is uploaded)

The App does not integrate any third-party SDKs, advertising, analytics, or tracking services.

Special Statement · AI & Machine Learning:

  • The App does not send your family data to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or any third-party AI company.
  • The App does not use your data to train any AI model, including our own.
  • Photos uploaded to iCloud are not used for facial recognition training; they are used only to sync display across family members you have authorized.
  • When the App introduces AI features in the future, on-device intelligence will be prioritized; any feature using cloud AI will be clearly disclosed at the feature entry point.

9. Updates to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via in-app notification. Continued use of the App constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy:

A Chinese version of this policy is available at PrivacyPolicy.zh.md. In case of any conflict, the Chinese version prevails.

中文版本: /privacy.