Privacy Policy
Effective November 3, 2026
The short version: Branch Out doesn't collect any of your data. There are no accounts, no ads, no analytics, and no tracking, and we can't see what you do in the app. It stays on your iPhone unless you add friends, in which case what you share goes through your own iCloud to the friends you invited.
This policy explains how the Branch Out app for iPhone (“Branch Out,” “the app”), made by Winston's Apps (“we,” “us”), handles your information.
What we collect
Nothing. We don't collect, receive, or sell any personal information. We have no servers of our own, no sign-in, and no third-party services or software development kits (SDKs) for analytics, advertising, or crash reporting. The app only uses the internet through Apple's services: iCloud for friends, and the App Store for purchases.
What stays on your device
To work, the app saves the following on your iPhone, in the app's private storage:
- Which activities (“stars”) you've completed, and when.
- Your answers to “Would you do it again?” and any notes you write.
- Photos you choose to add to a star, and an optional photo of yourself for the center of your galaxy. They're resized and saved as small copies inside the app.
- Photos and notes you add to your Timeline, and your chapters.
- Your Up next list and any days you plan, the scene you picked for each star, your name and motto, and app settings such as sounds.
We can't see any of this, and it only leaves your device if you choose to share it (see below).
Friends and iCloud
Friends is optional and only works with people you invite. It uses Apple's iCloud (CloudKit) and your own iCloud account. Your shared world is stored in your iCloud, not on any server of ours, and we can't read it. Apple handles that storage under its own privacy policy.
Once you add a friend, the friends you've invited can see:
- The name you choose for friends, your motto, your world, and how it's styled.
- The stars you've finished and when, your “Would you do it again?” answers, and your own stars once you've finished them.
- Your photos, your notes, and the photo in your center star, only if you turn that switch on. It's off by default.
- Reactions you leave on their stars, and star invites you send them.
Friends never see your Up next list, the stars you haven't finished, or your Timeline photos and notes. A friend's phone keeps a copy of what you've shared so their visit loads quickly, and removes it when you stop sharing. You can remove a friend at any time from the Friends screen, which stops sharing both ways.
Messages
If you send a star invite with Branch Out's iMessage app, the star's name and your name travel in that message, through Apple's Messages. The iMessage app reads your stars from a shared folder on your iPhone so you can pick one. We never see these messages.
Calendar and notifications
If you turn on Add to Apple Calendar for a plan, iOS asks your permission first. The app then adds, moves, and removes events for the days you plan. It doesn't send anything from your calendar anywhere. Reminders and the note about your Someday plans are local notifications scheduled on your iPhone. The only notifications that come from elsewhere are Apple's silent iCloud updates, which tell the app a friend changed something.
Purchases
Branch Out+ and tips are in-app purchases handled entirely by Apple. We never see your name or payment details. Apple gives developers sales reports, which don't identify you.
Photos and camera
When you add a photo, you choose it with Apple's photo picker, which only gives the app the specific photo you select, not your photo library. If you use the camera, iOS asks your permission first, and the app only uses the camera while you're taking that picture. Photos are stored inside the app on your device, and only go to friends if you turn on the photos switch.
Share cards
If you share a star as a card, the app creates an image on your device and opens the standard iOS share sheet. Where it goes, and to whom, is entirely your choice (for example Messages, Instagram, or TikTok). Once shared, that content is handled by the app or service you chose, under its own privacy policy.
Home screen widget
The Branch Out widget shows a daily suggestion and your Up next list. To do that, the app passes a small list of activity names to the widget through a shared folder on your iPhone. This never leaves your device.
Backups
If you use iCloud Backup or back up your iPhone to a computer, iOS may include Branch Out's data in that backup, as it does for most apps. That's handled by Apple and controlled by your device settings, not by us.
Deleting your data
You're always in control. In the app, open Settings (the gear) → Reset all progress to erase your completions, notes, photos, chapters, and your own stars from your iPhone. Deleting the app also removes everything it keeps on your iPhone.
If you've used Friends, some of your data is also in your iCloud. Remove your friends on the Friends screen to stop sharing, and you can delete what's left in iOS Settings under your name → iCloud. We can't delete it for you because we can't reach it.
Children
We don't collect personal information from anyone, including children. Friends needs an iCloud account and an invitation, and Apple's parental controls apply to iCloud and in-app purchases.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, we'll update this page and the date at the top.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email winstonsappsupport@gmail.com.