Privacy Policy

Effective date: July 27, 2026 · Applies to the LocalCloud apps for iOS, Android, macOS and Windows, and to localcloud.work.

The short version

We do not collect, store, sell, or share any of your data. We cannot — LocalCloud has no servers and no user accounts. Your photos and files move directly between your own devices over end-to-end encrypted connections. This policy exists to explain, precisely, what the app touches and why.

1. Data the app processes — on your devices only

LocalCloud processes the following data locally, on hardware you own, solely to provide its sync function:

• Photos and videos you allow it to access, so they can be backed up to your other paired devices.
• Files you explicitly add via the Share sheet, drag-and-drop, or the import button.
• Device names (e.g. "iPhone", your computer's hostname), shown so you can tell your devices apart.
• Cryptographic keys generated on-device at first launch, which identify the device to its trusted peers. Keys never leave the device.

None of this is transmitted to us. It is transmitted only to the devices you pair, over connections encrypted in transit (QUIC/TLS).

2. Data we collect on our servers

None. LocalCloud operates no application servers, has no user accounts, and embeds no analytics, advertising, crash-reporting, or tracking SDKs of any kind.

3. Network relays

When two of your devices cannot reach each other directly (for example, on different networks), traffic is forwarded through a relay server operated by the open-source iroh networking project. Relays forward already-encrypted bytes and cannot read your content. They see only the transient network metadata (IP addresses, connection timing) that any internet routing requires, and LocalCloud has no access to relay logs.

4. Device permissions and why we request them

• Photo library (iOS/Android) — to back up your photos between your devices. This is the app's core function; a photo picker is insufficient because backup must include the full library and detect new photos automatically. You may decline or grant partial access; sync of files you add manually still works.
• Camera — only to scan the QR pairing code shown by your other device. No images are captured or stored.
• Local network / Bonjour — to discover and connect to your paired devices on the same Wi-Fi.
• Notifications (Android, optional) — only if you enable "Home Base" mode, to show the persistent sync-hub status notification.
• Background activity — to let sync complete when the app is not in the foreground, within the operating system's limits.

5. Data retention and deletion

Everything the app stores lives on your devices. Deleting an item in the app removes it from your synced library on every paired device. Uninstalling the app deletes that device's copy of your library and its identity keys. There is nothing to delete on our side, because we hold nothing.

6. Children's privacy

LocalCloud does not collect personal information from anyone, including children. The app has no accounts, no social features, and no advertising.

7. Your rights (GDPR, CCPA and similar laws)

Because we do not collect or process your personal data on any server, there is no personal data for us to access, export, correct, or erase. All rights over your content are exercised directly on your own devices. If you believe we hold any data about you, contact us and we will respond within 30 days.

8. The website

localcloud.work is a static website. It sets no cookies, runs no analytics, and contains no third-party trackers. Our hosting provider (Cloudflare) may process standard server logs (IP address, user agent) to serve the site and mitigate abuse, under its own privacy policy.

9. Changes to this policy

If we ever change how LocalCloud handles data — for example, by adding an optional cloud feature — we will update this policy, change the effective date above, and describe the change in the app's release notes before it takes effect.

10. Contact

Questions or requests: support@localcloud.work.