Privacy policy
Effective 27 August 2026 · Applies to the Red String iOS app
The short version: we collect nothing. Everything you share in Red String travels through your own iCloud account to exactly one other person — your partner. It never touches a server we run, because we don't run any.
What the app handles, and where it lives
Red String lets two paired people share statuses (an emoji, a short message and the name you choose for yourself), "thinking of you" nudges, photos, doodles and voice memos. That content is stored in two places only:
- On your device, in the app's private container, so the app and its widgets work instantly and offline.
- In your own iCloud (Apple's CloudKit service), in a private space shared with exactly one person: the partner you paired with.
Status text, captions, the names you set and voice-memo waveforms are stored using CloudKit's end-to-end encrypted fields, which Apple's servers cannot read. Photos, doodles and voice recordings are stored as CloudKit assets, which Apple encrypts on its servers by default.
What we collect: nothing
The app contains no analytics, no advertising, no tracking and no third-party software of any kind. We have no accounts, no sign-in and no database. We never receive, and cannot access, anything you write, draw, photograph or record. The app's App Store privacy label is "Data Not Collected", and this policy is the long form of the same fact.
One caveat for completeness: if you have turned on Share With App Developers in iOS Settings, Apple may send us anonymised crash reports. These are produced and controlled by Apple, contain no content from the app, and we use them only to fix crashes.
Who can see what you share
- Your partner — the one person who accepted your invite link. Pairing uses an Apple CloudKit share; the link stops working automatically the moment your partner joins, so a forwarded link can't add a third person.
- Apple — as the operator of iCloud, Apple processes and stores this data on your behalf under its own privacy policy and the iCloud terms you agreed to with Apple. Apple gives this data the same protections described above; no other third party is involved.
Permissions the app asks for
| Permission | Used for |
|---|---|
| Camera | Taking a photo to send, only when you open the camera from the composer. |
| Microphone | Recording a voice memo, only while you hold a recording session open. |
| Photo library (add only) | Saving a received photo or doodle to your Photos app. The app cannot browse your library; picking a photo to send uses Apple's picker, which shares only the photo you choose. |
| Notifications | Showing statuses, nudges and moments from your partner. The push itself carries only generic wording; the real content is decrypted on your device. |
Every permission is optional, asked for the first time the feature is used, and changeable any time in iOS Settings.
How long data is kept, and how to delete it
What you share stays in the two places above until one of you deletes it. You are in full control, directly from the app:
- Unlink (Settings → unlink) ends the pairing. If you created the shared space, unlinking deletes it — including everything both of you sent. If you joined it, unlinking deletes everything you sent from your partner's iCloud before leaving.
- Delete everything and start over (Settings) does the above and also erases all local content and your name, returning the app to the state it was in when first installed.
- Deleting the app removes everything stored on the device.
Because pairing is the only thing your content is used for, unlinking is also how you withdraw consent — there is no copy anywhere else and no further request you need to make. If anything ever seems left behind, email us (address below) and we will help you resolve it within 30 days.
Children
Red String is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly handle personal information from anyone under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country).
Changes to this policy
If the app ever changes in a way that affects your privacy, we will update this page and the effective date above before the change ships. Given the app's design — no servers, no collection — we expect changes to be rare and boring.
Contact
Red String is made by Edwin Tang. For any privacy question or request, email edwintang2005@gmail.com.
Terms of use
Effective 4 September 2026 · Shown in the app before pairing; these terms supplement Apple's standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement.
What Red String is
A private status app for two people who choose to pair with each other. Everything you send — statuses, nudges, photos, drawings and voice memos — goes only to your partner, through your own iCloud. You are responsible for what you send.
No tolerance for objectionable content or abuse
Don't send anything that is threatening, harassing, hateful, sexually explicit without consent, violent, illegal, or that involves a minor in any sexual way. Don't use Red String to abuse, stalk or pressure anyone. There is no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive behaviour: content is removed and the person who sent it is ejected.
Reporting and filtering
Any status, photo, drawing or voice memo your partner sends can be reported from inside the app — long-press the status card, or open a photo's menu. Reporting removes it from your iPhone immediately and sends the details to us. A word filter, on by default, hides strong language in your partner's messages; it can be turned off in Settings.
Blocking
Settings → Block ends the link, removes everything your partner sent from your iPhone instantly, refuses any future invite from them, and notifies us.
What we do
We act on every report within 24 hours: the reported content is removed and, where the report is upheld, the person who sent it is ejected from the shared space and barred from pairing with the reporter again. Because messages are end-to-end encrypted in your iCloud, we can only see what you include in a report.
Contact
Questions, reports and appeals: edwintang2005@gmail.com.
Support
Common questions
How do I pair with my partner? One of you taps Create invite link and sends the link over any messaging app. The other taps it, enters their name, and you're linked. The link stops working once it has been used.
Notifications aren't arriving. Check that notifications are allowed for Red String in iOS Settings, that both phones are signed into iCloud, and that neither phone is in a Focus that silences the app. Opening the app always pulls the latest from iCloud regardless.
The widget says "Open to pair" but I'm paired. Open the app once so it can refresh, then check the widget again. If it persists, remove and re-add the widget.
I got a new phone — where's our history? Sign into the same iCloud account and install Red String; the full history syncs back on its own. Older photos load as you scroll back through them.
Still stuck, found a bug, or have an idea?
Email is the fastest way to reach us — a person reads every message.
Email supportedwintang2005@gmail.com · Include your iOS version and what you tapped just before the problem, and we can usually sort it in one reply.
Support your dev
Red String is free, with no ads and no subscriptions. If it makes your days a little closer, you can buy me a coffee ☕️ — it keeps the app exactly the way it is.