Privacy Policy

Summary

Open There sends a web link you choose on an iPhone or iPad to a Mac signed in to the same iCloud account. The app has no advertising, analytics, tracking technology, or third-party SDKs. We do not sell personal information and do not operate a server that receives your links.

Links and related delivery information are stored in your private Apple iCloud database so your devices can exchange them. Apple processes that information as the provider of iCloud, CloudKit, push notifications, and the App Store.

Information the app processes

• Links you choose to send. The complete http or https URL, including any path, query parameters, or fragment. The app does not copy page contents for delivery. After the Mac receives a link, it may make a separate request for the page’s title metadata even if you save the link to Read Later instead of opening it.
• Mac receiver information. A random installation identifier, the Mac’s local display name, last-seen time, enabled state, protocol version, and basic capabilities.
• Delivery information. Random request identifiers, the selected receiver, creation and expiration times, protocol version, and optional grouping information.
• Local app information. The selected Mac, pending retries, setup, delivery, menu-bar, and start-at-login preferences, and processed request identifiers. The Mac stores delivered URLs in one local links list, together with cached page titles when available, received dates, and read or unread state. Links saved for later start unread; links opened automatically are stored as read. You can manage the list in the Mac app.
• iCloud availability. The app checks whether iCloud is available. It does not receive your Apple Account email address, password, contacts, or payment-card information.
• Purchase information. In the Mac app, StoreKit provides locally verified product identifiers, purchase status, purchase dates, subscription expiration, and revocation status so it can unlock Open There Pro. The iPhone and iPad app contains no purchase path. We do not operate a purchase server or receive your payment-card information.

How information is used

The information above is used only to:

• display and select an available Mac;
• send a chosen link through your private iCloud database;
• retry delivery when a device or iCloud is temporarily unavailable;
• open the link in the Mac’s default browser or store it locally in Read Later;
• retrieve and display a page title in the Mac’s local links list;
• prevent the same request from opening more than once; and
• maintain app settings and background delivery.

We do not use this information for advertising, marketing, profiling, analytics, or tracking across other companies’ apps or websites.

Where information goes

Apple iCloud and CloudKit

Receiver records and link requests are stored in the private CloudKit database associated with your iCloud account. The full URL and Mac display name use CloudKit encrypted fields. Other delivery metadata is stored in the same private database. Both devices must use the same iCloud account.

Open There does not send links to a developer-operated relay or account system. Apple’s terms and privacy practices govern Apple’s processing. Read Apple’s Privacy Policy.

Apple Push Notification service

The Mac app uses a private zone-change notification from CloudKit as a signal to check for newly created requests. The notification does not contain the URL. Because Apple may delay silent notifications, the running Mac app also checks its private CloudKit queue every 10 seconds. It additionally reconciles at launch, after Mac wake, and when activated.

Your browser and destination website

After validation, the Mac either asks macOS to open the URL in your default browser or stores it locally in Read Later, depending on your setting. The Mac may also make a separate, limited request to retrieve the page title without downloading images, video, or other page subresources. The destination website can therefore receive a title-metadata request from the Mac even if you never open a saved link, and processes that request under its own privacy practices. If title retrieval fails, the app displays the hostname instead.

App Store purchases

Apple processes App Store purchases, subscription management, and payment information. The Mac app uses StoreKit to verify whether the App Store account has an active yearly or lifetime Open There Pro entitlement. Purchasing and restoration are offered only in the Mac app, and verification remains on that Mac; we do not operate a purchase server or receive your payment-card details.

Retention and deletion

• Local retry queue. A protected local copy is removed after CloudKit accepts the request. If delivery cannot complete, it remains so the app can retry. Removing the app and its data removes this queue.
• Pending iCloud requests. The Mac deletes a request after it successfully opens the link or safely stores it in Read Later. The iPhone and iPad app also provides a Clear pending cloud links control for the selected Mac.
• Expired requests. Requests expire after 30 days and are deleted the next time the Mac checks or when you clear pending links.
• Mac receiver record. The record remains in your private iCloud database. A Mac that has not checked in for 30 days stops appearing as an available receiver.
• Processed-request ledger. The Mac stores request identifiers and dates locally and prunes entries older than approximately 60 days during normal use. It does not store URLs.
• Local links list. Delivered URLs, cached page titles when available, received dates, and read or unread state remain locally on that Mac until you delete them or remove the app’s local data. The list can hold up to 10,000 links; the oldest read links can be displaced at that limit, but unread links are not removed automatically. Open There does not sync this list. When upgrading from a version with separate History and Read Later lists, existing History links are imported once as read links.

Uninstalling the app may not itself delete records already stored in iCloud. You can manage the app’s iCloud data through your Apple device’s iCloud storage settings.

Security

Open There uses Apple’s private CloudKit database, encrypted CloudKit fields for the URL and Mac display name, and operating-system file protection for the local retry queue. It accepts only absolute http and https URLs with a valid host and rejects URLs containing an embedded username or password.

A URL can still contain sensitive information in its path, query parameters, or fragment. Only send a link if you are comfortable storing that complete URL temporarily in your private iCloud database and, depending on your setting, opening it in your Mac’s browser or retaining it locally in Read Later.

No storage or transmission method is completely secure.

Your choices

You can choose not to share a link, change the selected Mac, choose whether received links open automatically or stay unread for later, manage the Mac’s local links list, hide the menu-bar unread count, clear pending links, turn off Open at login, remove the apps, or manage their iCloud data through Apple device settings.

Because we do not operate an account system or receive a copy of your private CloudKit database, we generally cannot view or directly delete its contents for you.

Children’s privacy

Open There is a general-purpose utility and is not designed to collect personal information from children. It uses the same limited data practices for every user and contains no advertising or behavioral tracking.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy if the app’s features or data practices change. The revised policy will show a new effective date, and material changes will be communicated as required by applicable law.

Contact

For privacy questions or help with Open There, contact Alt Labs, Inc. at support@altlabs.ca.