Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 20, 2026

Pear Notes ("we", "our", or "the app") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle information when you use the Pear Notes application on any platform (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows).

1. Data We Collect

We do not collect any personal data. Pear Notes is built on a zero-knowledge architecture. All your notes, voice recordings, document scans, and media are created, stored, and encrypted entirely on your device. We have no servers that receive, process, or store your content.

2. Data Storage

All data is stored locally on your device in an encrypted database. Specifically:

• Notes and text content — Stored in a local encrypted database on your device.
• Voice recordings — Saved in an encrypted media vault on your device's local storage.
• Document scans and images — Stored in the same encrypted media vault.
• Backups — Exported as AES-256-GCM encrypted .pnbk files that you control. The encryption key is derived from a password you choose (PBKDF2); the password itself is never stored, and the backup cannot be decrypted without it.
• Note lock passwords — If you protect locked notes with a custom password, only a cryptographic verifier (PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256) is stored and synced between your devices. The plaintext password is never stored anywhere.

3. Data Synchronization

Pear Notes uses peer-to-peer (P2P) synchronization to sync your data between your own devices. This means:

• Your data is transmitted directly between your devices over encrypted channels.
• No third-party cloud servers are used to store or relay your content.
• Device pairing uses a secure blind handshake with cryptographic identity verification via QR codes.
• All data in transit is end-to-end encrypted.

4. Third-Party Services

Pear Notes does not integrate with any third-party analytics, advertising, tracking, or data collection services. We do not use:

• Google Analytics or any analytics SDK
• Advertising networks or ad SDKs
• Crash reporting services that collect personal data
• Social media tracking pixels

On-device AI (optional)

Voice typing, transcribing and summarizing recordings, extracting text from images and PDFs, describing images, translating notes, summarizing a note or suggesting a title for it, rewriting selected text, and asking questions about a note are optional features that are off until you turn them on in Settings. When they are on:

• Processing happens entirely on your device. Your audio, images, documents, notes, and the resulting text are never sent to us or to anyone else.
• Models are downloaded once. Turning a feature on downloads its AI model (for example Whisper for speech, an OCR model for text, a small language model for summaries and image descriptions, or a translation model for each language you choose) from the model provider's public hosting (such as Hugging Face or Amazon S3). Like any download, that host can see your IP address and which model file was requested. No note content, recordings, or account details are included in the request.
• Downloads are verified. Model files are fetched over HTTPS and checked against a published checksum before use.
• You stay in control. You can pause or cancel downloads, limit them to Wi-Fi, and delete models at any time from Settings. Results are only added to a note when you tap Insert, and changes suggested when you ask for an edit are applied only after you review and approve them. AI actions are hidden entirely on locked notes.
• Generated results can be wrong. Transcripts, summaries, titles, key points, image descriptions, rewrites, translations, and answers to questions are produced by AI models and may contain mistakes, so check them before you rely on them. If you use "Report a problem", your email app opens a message addressed to us; nothing is sent unless you choose to send it, and it contains only what you write.

5. Device Permissions

Pear Notes requests the following device permissions, used solely for in-app functionality:

• Camera — Used to scan physical documents and to scan QR codes for secure device pairing. Camera data is processed on-device and never transmitted externally.
• Microphone — Used to record voice notes and, if you turn on voice typing, to transcribe speech on your device. Audio is saved locally in the encrypted media vault or discarded after transcription, and is never sent to external servers.
• Storage / File Access — Used to export and import encrypted backup archives (.pnbk files). Files are managed locally by you.
• Biometric Authentication — Face ID, Touch ID, fingerprint, or your device passcode can be used to unlock locked notes. Biometric data is handled entirely by your device's operating system; Pear Notes never sees, stores, or transmits it.

6. Data Sharing

We do not share any data with third parties. Since we do not collect or have access to your data, there is nothing to share. Your notes, recordings, and documents remain exclusively on your devices.

7. Data Retention & Deletion

Since all data is stored locally on your device:

• You have full control over your data at all times.
• You can delete individual notes, recordings, or scans at any time from within the app.
• You can wipe all app data from the settings menu.
• Uninstalling the app removes all locally stored data.

8. Children's Privacy

Pear Notes does not knowingly collect any information from children under the age of 13. Since we collect no data from any user, there are no special provisions required. The app is suitable for users of all ages.

9. Security

We take security seriously. Pear Notes employs:

• AES-256 encryption for all stored data and backup files.
• Password-derived backup keys — backups are sealed with AES-256-GCM using a key derived from your password via PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256.
• End-to-end encrypted P2P channels for device synchronization.
• Cryptographic blind pairing to prevent identity leaks during device linking.
• Per-note locking with biometric or password unlock, rate-limited against brute-force attempts.
• Screenshot and app-switcher protection — while a locked note is open, the system blocks screenshots and hides note content in the task switcher.
• Encrypted media vault with an isolated streaming server to prevent cache leaks.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Since we do not collect user contact information, we cannot notify you directly — we encourage you to review this page periodically.

11. Contact

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: vsamreshpro@gmail.com