PearNotes Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 25, 2026

PearNotes is a notes and tasks app. This policy explains, in plain language, what data the app handles, where it goes, and what control you have over it. Short version: your notes live on your device; they only reach our servers if you choose to sign in; we never sell your data and there are no ads.

Data stored on your device

Your notes, tasks, folders, tags, link maps, PDFs, and any images you add are stored locally on your device. If you never sign in, this data never leaves your device except through backup files you export yourself.

Data collected when you sign in

Signing in is optional and only needed for cloud sync.

• Account information: your email address and display name, provided by Google Sign-In or email/password registration, used solely to identify your account.
• Your content: notes, tasks, folders, tags, and link maps are synced to Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore) so they are backed up and available on your other devices. Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest on Google's infrastructure, and server-side security rules ensure only your account can read it.

End-to-end encryption (optional)

You can enable end-to-end encryption in Settings → Privacy. When it is on, your synced content is encrypted on your device with a key derived from your passphrase before it is uploaded. In that state the data stored on our servers is unreadable to us, to Google, and to anyone who might obtain it — only your passphrase or your 24-word recovery key can unlock it.

Because we cannot read your key, we cannot recover your data if you lose both your passphrase and your recovery key. Please store your recovery key somewhere safe.

Images, document scanning, OCR, and voice

• Images and PDFs are kept in the app's private storage on your device and are not uploaded to our servers — cloud sync covers text content only (notes, tasks, folders, tags, link maps). They leave your device only in backup files you export yourself.
• Document scanning and text recognition (OCR) run entirely on your device using Google ML Kit's on-device models. Scanned pages and recognised text are not uploaded for processing.
• Voice capture uses your device's built-in speech recognition. Depending on your device and its settings, that system service may process audio on-device or send it to Google for transcription; this is handled by Android, not by PearNotes, and is governed by Google's own privacy policy.

Subscriptions and payments

PearNotes offers an optional Premium subscription (monthly or yearly) that unlocks link maps, the PDF suite, and images in notes.

• All payments are processed by Google Play. PearNotes never sees or stores your card number, bank details, or billing address.
• The app receives only your subscription status (whether Premium is active, which plan, and whether it renews) from Google Play, and stores that status on your device so features work offline.
• Purchases, refunds, and cancellations are managed through your Google Play account. Google's handling of payment data is governed by the Google Privacy Policy.

Diagnostics

The app uses Firebase Crashlytics and Google Analytics for Firebase to collect crash reports and anonymous usage events (such as screen views), so we can find and fix problems. Crash logs never include the content of your notes or tasks, and never include encryption keys or passphrases.

You can turn this off at any time in Settings → Privacy → Crash reporting. The setting persists across restarts.

What we do not do

• We do not sell or rent your data, or share it with third parties for their own purposes.
• We do not show ads, and we do not use advertising identifiers.
• We do not read your content for any purpose other than providing sync.
• We do not track your location.

Data retention and deletion

Deleted notes and tasks go to the app's Trash and are removed automatically after 30 days; you can delete them sooner from the Trash.

You can permanently delete your account and all synced data at any time: Settings → Account & Sync → Delete account and all data. This removes your content from our servers immediately. You may also request deletion by emailing gabriel.varga19840603@gmail.com. Deleting your account does not cancel a subscription — cancel that in Google Play.

Your rights

Depending on where you live (for example in the European Union, under the GDPR), you have rights to access, correct, export, or delete your personal data, and to object to certain processing. The app's export and delete features cover most of these directly; for anything else, contact us at the address below and we will respond within a reasonable time.

Children

PearNotes is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect data from them.

Changes

We will update this page if our data practices change. Significant changes will be noted in the app's release notes.

Contact

PearNotes is operated by Varga Gabriel Eduard (Romania).
Questions? Email gabriel.varga19840603@gmail.com.