FrameFold privacy policy

As of October 2026, version 2.3 · FrameFold is a stop-motion app for iPhone, iPad and Mac, with a companion app for Apple Watch

Controller

Mag. Rainer Bracharz MSc (Bracharz Consulting), Rametzbergsiedlung III/5, 3150 Wilhelmsburg, Austria. Email: rainer@bracharz.com, web: www.bracharz.com. The provider of the app on the Apple App Store is Rainer Bracharz.

Summary

FrameFold processes all data locally on your device, whether iPhone, iPad or Mac. The app contains no code for network access, and there is no user account, no server, no analytics, no advertising and no tracking. The app does not transfer any personal data to us or to third parties.

1. Camera

FrameFold uses the camera only for stop-motion capture and only while the viewfinder is open. The operating system asks for your permission. On the Mac you can use the built-in camera, a connected USB camera such as a document camera, or your iPhone as a camera (Continuity Camera). The app remembers which camera you chose as a device identifier in its settings. A picture is saved only when the shutter fires, as a JPEG in the app's storage area.

2. No microphone

FrameFold does not record sound and does not ask for microphone permission. Videos from the app have no sound.

3. Importing, saving and sharing videos

On iPhone and iPad you pick a video with the system photo picker. The app only receives the video you select, not your whole library. It saves to your photo library only when you ask it to, with permission to add photos. On the Mac you open a video with “Open Video …” or drag it from the Finder into the app. The app only reads files you choose yourself. Only you can pass anything on: through the share sheet, the photo library, the save dialog or printing.

4. Works and pictures

All works, pictures and videos are stored in the app's storage area on your device, on the Mac in the app's sandboxed container. Deleted pictures go to the app's own trash and are removed for good after 30 days. Temporary files such as imports, exports and PDFs are deleted at the next start once they are older than one day. If you delete the app, all its data is deleted with it.

5. Image analysis on the device

Detecting motion, focus and hands in the picture happens entirely on the device, using Apple's Vision framework. No image data is sent to Apple, to us or to third parties.

6. Motion sensor

On the iPhone, FrameFold uses the motion sensor for the level, to tell whether the device is on a tripod or in your hand, and for a lighting effect in the interface. These values are used only on the device and are not stored. These functions do not exist on the Mac.

7. Apple Watch

The Apple Watch app connects only to the paired iPhone, using Apple's WatchConnectivity interface, and has no network access of its own. The iPhone sends the watch only whether the viewfinder is running, the frame count, a status line such as “Hold steady …” and the name of the work, but no pictures and no videos. The watch sends the iPhone only the commands “Capture” and “Done”. No Apple Watch is connected on the Mac.

8. On the Mac

On the Mac, FrameFold runs in Apple's App Sandbox. There it may access the camera and files you choose yourself. It has no permission for network access. During a capture the app keeps the Mac from going to sleep. No data is processed for this.

9. Settings

The app stores its settings locally on the device. It also reads the timestamps of its own files to clean up old temporary files. Neither leaves the device.

10. No data collection by us

We do not collect any personal data through the app, and we use no cookies, no analytics or crash reporting services and no advertising SDKs. As we do not process any data, there is also no disclosure, no transfer to third countries and no automated decision-making.

Your rights

As FrameFold does not transfer personal data to us, we hold no data about you that we could disclose, correct or delete. You control all app data yourself on your device. Regardless of this, you have the rights under Articles 15 to 21 GDPR and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (in Austria: dsb.gv.at).

Questions

If you have questions about privacy in FrameFold, write to rainer@bracharz.com. The general privacy policy applies to the website bracharz.com. More about how the app came about on the project page Your own app as a marketing tool.