Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Sam Ships (“Sam Ships,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) handles information when you use the Pine iOS application, its widgets and Live Activities, our website, and related support services (collectively, the “Service”).

Operator: Sam Ships, Colorado, United States
Privacy contact: support@samships.com

Pine is a productivity and wellness tool, not a healthcare provider, medical device, therapy service, or emergency service. Please do not use Pine to store information that must be available in an emergency.

• Your notebook and history are primarily stored on your device.
• When you choose Organize, the text and limited notebook context needed for that request are sent to our server and our AI provider, OpenAI.
• Pine uses a random device identifier instead of requiring a name, email address, or password for the app.
• We do not sell personal information, serve behaviorally targeted ads, or track you across other companies’ apps and websites.
• Microphone, speech recognition, notifications, and detailed content on system surfaces are optional.

The following information is stored locally using Apple-provided storage, including UserDefaults, the Keychain, and an App Group shared with Pine widgets:

• Daily free-writing and drafts, organized checklist items, note titles and previews, steps, due dates, urgency, tags, reminders, completed or deleted-item records, and Journal history.
• Focus-session state, starts, held items, and related progress history.
• Preferences such as timer length, reminder time, onboarding choices, optional display name and avatar, and whether private details may appear on widgets, notifications, the Lock Screen, or Dynamic Island.
• A randomly generated device identifier and short-lived authentication token stored in the iOS Keychain.

Pine does not currently provide cloud notebook sync. Deleting an item inside Pine removes it from the app’s active local records. Deleting the app generally removes its local app data, although Apple may retain Keychain items or device backups according to your device and iCloud settings. You control Apple backups through your Apple account and device settings.

Pine does not send notebook text to our AI service merely because you type it. When you affirmatively choose an AI feature such as Organize, refresh steps, shrink a step, or request a next step, we may transmit:

• The free-writing or step text you ask Pine to process.
• Limited context needed to organize accurately, such as selected open note titles, short previews, current steps, waiting items, tags, due information, and previously extracted fragments. Pine limits the amount of notebook context sent with a request.
• Your device locale, local date, and time-zone identifier so Pine can understand phrases such as “tomorrow” or “Friday.”
• Your anonymous service account identifier, authentication token, request identifier, and current usage allowance.

This content may include personal or sensitive information depending on what you write. Please avoid entering passwords, payment-card numbers, government identifiers, confidential work information, or another person’s private information. You decide what to submit.

We use OpenAI as a contracted AI service provider. The Pine server sends the request content described above to OpenAI to return structured checklist items and steps. OpenAI is not given your Apple ID, name, email address, or advertising identifier by Pine.

We configure OpenAI's Responses API with storage disabled. OpenAI states that API customer data is not used to train its models unless the customer affirmatively opts in. Unless our production project has separately been approved for modified or zero data retention, OpenAI may retain API content in abuse-monitoring logs for up to 30 days, and longer if legally required.

AI output can be inaccurate, incomplete, or inappropriate. Pine uses automated safety routing for some high-risk text, but neither we nor the AI continuously monitor your notebook or contact emergency services on your behalf.

Our backend may process and retain:

• A random device identifier, internal account ID, authentication status, Pro entitlement status, and account creation date.
• Weekly AI-use counts, rate-limit events, and the time of a counted Organize request.
• Request identifiers and cached structured AI responses used to prevent accidental duplicate charges or duplicate organization. Those responses may contain titles, steps, or short fragments derived from the text you submitted.
• Privacy-minimized operational records such as route, status code, latency, model and prompt version, token counts, safety outcome, candidate counts, and a pseudonymous account hash.
• Security and error logs needed to prevent fraud, diagnose failures, and protect the Service.

We do not intentionally place raw notebook text in ordinary application or analytics logs. A rejected or malformed request may generate limited error details while we diagnose the failure.

• Voice:If you tap the microphone and grant permission, Apple speech-recognition technologies convert audio to text. Pine prefers on-device recognition when supported. Apple may otherwise process audio or transcription under Apple's terms and privacy practices. Pine does not maintain a library of voice recordings.
• Notifications: If enabled, iOS stores and displays local reminder text. You can revoke notification permission in iOS Settings.
• System surfaces: Widgets, Live Activities, the Lock Screen, and Dynamic Island can be visible to anyone with access to your device. Detailed step text is controlled by the related in-app privacy setting.

Typing and the core notebook remain available if you decline microphone, speech-recognition, or notification permission.

Pine Pro purchases are processed by Apple through StoreKit. Apple handles your payment method and App Store account. We receive or verify transaction and entitlement information needed to provide Pro, restore purchases, prevent fraud, and meet legal and accounting obligations. We do not receive your full payment-card number.

• Waitlist: If you join the launch waitlist, we collect your email address and signup source through Formspree so we can send Pine launch updates. Providing an email is optional. You can unsubscribe through a message link or by contacting us.
• Website analytics: We use Vercel Web Analytics for aggregate page-view information such as page, referrer, approximate location, browser, operating system, device type, and timestamp. It does not use third-party cookies or create a cross-site advertising profile.
• Support: We receive the email address, message, attachments, and technical details you voluntarily send. Please remove private notebook content from screenshots unless it is necessary for support.

We use information to:

• Provide, personalize, maintain, and improve the Service.
• Organize submitted text, generate steps, and return safety responses.
• Authenticate devices, enforce free limits, provide Pro, and restore purchases.
• Send reminders or launch emails you requested and respond to support.
• Detect abuse, secure the Service, debug failures, and measure reliability.
• Comply with law, enforce our terms, and protect users, Sam Ships, and others.

We disclose information only as needed for the purposes above, including to:

• OpenAI for AI processing.
• Railway and database/infrastructure providers to host and secure the Pine API and backend records.
• Apple for App Store distribution, StoreKit, speech recognition, device permissions, notifications, widgets, Live Activities, and services you enable.
• Vercel and Formspree to host and measure the website and process waitlist submissions.
• Professional advisers, authorities, or other parties when reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect rights and safety, investigate fraud, or complete a merger, financing, or transfer of the Service.

Service providers may process information only to perform services for us or as permitted by their contracts and applicable law. We require providers that receive app data to protect it consistently with this policy and applicable App Store requirements.

We do not sell personal information, share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, use ad networks, or use Apple's IDFA.

• On-device content: Until you delete it in Pine, clear app data, or delete the app, subject to Apple device backups and Keychain behavior.
• Anonymous account, quota, and cached response records: While needed to operate the Service, enforce limits, resolve disputes, or meet legal obligations, or until we fulfill a verified deletion request. We may retain minimal records where required by law or necessary to prevent fraud.
• Operational telemetry: Generally up to 30 days. Short-lived rate-limit events are removed after their active window.
• OpenAI API content: Up to 30 days in provider abuse-monitoring logs by default, unless a different approved data-control setting applies, and longer if legally required.
• Waitlist and support: Until you unsubscribe, request deletion, or the information is no longer reasonably needed for the purpose collected.
• Purchase records: As needed for entitlement, fraud prevention, tax, accounting, and legal obligations; Apple independently retains its transaction records.

Backup copies and records scheduled for deletion may persist for a limited period before being overwritten or isolated from ordinary use.

You may:

• Keep writing local by not selecting an AI-processing feature.
• Revoke microphone, speech-recognition, or notification access in iOS Settings.
• Control detailed text on widgets and other system surfaces in Pine's privacy settings.
• Delete notebook items and history within the app.
• Manage or cancel Pine Pro through your Apple subscription settings.
• Request access, correction, a portable copy, or deletion of information we control, or withdraw consent for future processing, by emailing support@samships.com.

Because Pine does not require an email account, we may ask for reasonable information to verify that a request relates to your anonymous device record. We will not discriminate against you for exercising a privacy right. Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to appeal our response or complain to your data protection authority. We do not currently process personal information for targeted advertising, sale, or qualifying automated decision-making.

Deletion requests for server-side information are also explained on our Support page.

Where a law requires a legal basis, we process information as needed to provide the Service you request and perform our contract; with your consent for optional features and AI disclosures where required; for our legitimate interests in securing, supporting, and improving the Service; and to comply with legal obligations. You may withdraw consent prospectively at any time, but that does not affect earlier lawful processing.

Sam Ships and its service providers operate in the United States and other countries. Information may be processed in countries with different privacy laws from where you live. Where required, we rely on contractual or other approved safeguards for international transfers.

The Service is intended for adults and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from a child under 13. If you believe a child has provided information to us, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it. Users under the age of majority where they live may use Pine only with a parent or legal guardian's permission.

We use administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed for the nature of the information, including HTTPS, iOS Keychain storage for device credentials, short-lived tokens, restricted provider credentials, rate limits, and minimized operational telemetry. No system is completely secure. Keep your device protected and do not use Pine as the only copy of important information.

We may update this policy as the Service or law changes. We will post the revised policy here and change the “Last updated” date. If a change materially affects how we use information already collected, we will provide additional notice or request consent when required.

Questions or privacy requests may be sent to support@samships.com.

Sam Ships
Colorado, United States