The short version: Kinship Vault does not collect, transmit, or have access to your documents, your decryption keys, or any personal data. Everything stays on your device. There is no Kinship Vault server that processes user data.
What we collect
Nothing. Kinship Vault does not run analytics, telemetry, crash reporting, advertising SDKs, or any third-party data collection of any kind. We do not have a backend that stores user content.
Specifically, we do not collect:
- Your name, email, phone number, or any personally identifying information
- Your documents, photos, or any content you store in the vault
- Your decryption keys, recovery passphrase, or PINs
- Usage analytics, app interaction events, or session data
- Crash logs or diagnostic reports
- Device identifiers, advertising IDs, or location data
- Contacts, calendar entries, or any data outside the app
What stays on your device
All of your vault data lives only on your device:
- Documents and metadata — encrypted with AES-256-GCM, with per-document keys derived from a master key
- Master key — wrapped by your device's secure hardware (Secure Enclave); cannot be extracted in plaintext
- Recovery passphrase — generated on your device for you to write down. Never transmitted
- Recovery shards — when you split your recovery key for trusted contacts, the shards are generated on your device and shared via QR codes, files, or printable PDF cards through the system share sheet. The shards never pass through any Kinship Vault server
- PINs and panic codes — stored only as cryptographic hashes on your device
- Audit log — a hash-chained record of vault access, stored locally and never transmitted
Optional iCloud backup
If you enable iCloud backup, the app writes an encrypted .kvbackup file to your personal iCloud Drive container. The file is encrypted on your device with a key derived from your master key before it leaves the device, so Apple sees only encrypted bytes. Your decryption key is never uploaded to iCloud.
This feature is governed by Apple's iCloud terms and privacy policy. Kinship Vault does not have access to your iCloud account or any data stored within it.
Permissions we request
- Camera — used to scan documents. Image processing happens entirely on your device. No images are transmitted
- Face ID / Touch ID — used to unlock the vault and authorize sensitive actions. Biometric data is handled by iOS and never accessible to Kinship Vault
- Notifications — used only for local document expiry reminders. No push notifications come from any server
Third-party services
Kinship Vault uses no third-party analytics, advertising, or data-sharing services. The only third-party services involved in distributing or operating the app are:
- Apple App Store — for distribution and subscription billing. Apple's privacy policy applies to your purchase
- Apple iCloud — only if you choose to enable encrypted backup
Subscriptions and payments
Subscriptions are processed entirely by Apple through StoreKit. Kinship Vault does not see, process, or store your payment information. We receive only a non-identifying signal that your subscription is active or inactive.
To manage or cancel your subscription, open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap your name, then Subscriptions.
Children
Kinship Vault is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone, including children. The app's age rating is 4+ because it contains no objectionable content, but the product is intended for adult use (managing personal documents, legacy planning, etc.).
International users
Because we do not collect or transmit user data, no cross-border data transfer takes place between you and Kinship Vault. If you enable iCloud backup, transfers are governed by Apple's regional data handling, not ours.
Your rights under GDPR, CCPA, PIPEDA, and similar laws
Most data-protection laws give you rights to access, correct, delete, or port your personal data held by a service. Because Kinship Vault holds none of your personal data, there is nothing for us to access, correct, delete, or port on your behalf. All of your data is in your possession on your device.
You can delete all Kinship Vault data at any time by deleting the app from your device.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy in any material way, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top and notify users via the app and via this page. Past versions will be available on request.
Contact
Questions about this policy? Email support@kinshipvault.app.