Contents
1. The short version
PixelSecret hides text inside a photo. Your photos, the text you hide, your passwords and your private keys are processed entirely on your device. We run no server that receives or stores them, and there is no account to create.
The only data that leaves your iPhone or iPad is anonymous usage and crash information from Google Firebase, and only after you explicitly allow it at first launch. Analytics stays off until then, and declining does not limit any feature of the app.
2. Who we are
PixelSecret is published by Stozen ("PixelSecret", "we", "us"),
the developer of record on the App Store for the app with bundle identifier
com.stozen.PixelSecret. For anything in this policy, write to
gsy-app@outlook.com.
3. What stays on your device
None of the following is transmitted to us or to anyone else. It is stored in the app's own container on your device, and removed when you delete the app.
- Photos you choose, and the PNG files PixelSecret creates from them.
- The secret text you write.
- Passwords — we never store the password itself, only a random salt used to derive the encryption key.
- Your P-256 private key, stored in the iOS Keychain and explicitly excluded from iCloud backup, so it does not sync to your other devices.
- A local history list of your recent hides and reads, which you can clear inside the app.
Photo access. PixelSecret uses the system photo picker. The app only receives the specific images you select — it cannot browse or read the rest of your library. When you save a result, iOS asks only for permission to add that photo to your library.
4. What we never collect
- No account: we hold no email address, username, phone number or contacts.
- We never receive your photos, hidden text, passwords or private keys.
- No advertising identifier, no ad networks, no data brokers.
- No tracking across other apps or websites — we do not use your data for advertising and we do not build a profile of you.
5. Third-party SDKs
PixelSecret includes three Google Firebase components. They are the only third-party code in the app that can send data off the device.
| Component | What it processes | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase Analytics | Anonymous product events (for example "hide completed", "paywall shown"), app version, device model and OS version, language, and IP address. | To understand which features are used and which are not. |
| Firebase Crashlytics | Crash reports, stack traces, app state at the time of the crash, device model and OS version, and IP address. | To find and fix bugs. |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging | Firebase installation identifier, Apple push token, and IP address — only if you turn on product announcements. | To deliver occasional product news you asked for. |
Event names and parameters never include the text you hide, the content of a photo, a password, a key, or a file name. Analytics events describe actions, not content. Google processes this data as our service provider under its own privacy terms; we do not sell it and we do not share it with anyone else.
Purchases are handled by Apple through the App Store. We receive a transaction identifier and whether the purchase succeeded — never your name, card or billing address.
6. Your consent and choices
On first launch, PixelSecret asks whether anonymous usage and crash data may be collected. Collection is off by default and starts only after you agree.
- Change your answer at any time in the app's Settings under Privacy Choices.
- Turning analytics off takes effect immediately and stops all event uploads.
- Declining does not disable, degrade or limit any feature.
- Product announcements are a separate, independent opt-in. With notifications off, the app works exactly the same.
7. Legal bases
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on your consent (Article 6(1)(a)) for analytics, crash reporting and product announcements. Because collection is off until you agree, no other legal basis is needed for that processing. You may withdraw consent at any time from the in-app settings; withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before it.
8. Retention and deletion
Analytics and crash data are retained for the period configured for our Firebase project, after which they are deleted or aggregated by Google. Local data on your device — photos, text, history, salts and keys — remains until you delete it in the app or delete the app itself.
Because we hold no account data, a deletion request will normally concern analytics identifiers only. Write to gsy-app@outlook.com and we will action it, including forwarding the request to Google where required.
9. Sharing and international transfers
We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising. The only recipients are:
- Google LLC (Firebase), as a data processor, for the purposes above.
- Apple, for App Store distribution and purchase processing.
- Authorities, where we are legally required to respond to a valid request.
Google may process data in countries outside your own, including the United States, under the transfer mechanisms described in Google's data processing terms (including standard contractual clauses).
10. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to the processing of your personal data, to receive it in a portable format, and to withdraw consent. California residents may also request disclosure of the categories of information collected and request deletion, and have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising those rights.
To exercise any of these, email gsy-app@outlook.com. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.
11. Security
Hidden text is compressed, encrypted with AES-256-GCM using Apple's CryptoKit, and written into the least significant bits of the image — all on device. Public-key mode uses P-256 elliptic-curve key agreement; password mode derives its key with PBKDF2 from a random salt. Private keys are stored in the Keychain. Network traffic to Firebase uses TLS.
No system is perfectly secure. If you lose your password or delete your key, the hidden content becomes permanently unreadable: we cannot recover it, because we never had it.
12. Children
PixelSecret is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 where local law sets a higher age), and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has used the app and provided data, contact us and we will delete it.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when the app changes. Material changes will be announced in the app before they take effect, and the date at the top of this page will always reflect the current version.
14. Contact
This policy describes the iOS and iPadOS app. It does not cover the App Store itself, which is operated by Apple under Apple's own privacy policy.