Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 26, 2026 · Updated October 8, 2026

App: Game Backlog Tracker
Contact: cairnappsstudio@gmail.com

Cairn is operated by Taylor Satterfield.

Overview

Game Backlog Tracker lets you log, rate and tame your pile of games. This privacy policy explains how the app handles your data. The short version: everything is stored on your device, the app works fully with no account, the optional cover art search sends nothing but the title you type, the optional Steam import sends only the Steam profile you enter, optional AI features send only what their disclosure lists and only after you agree, and an optional backup is encrypted on your phone with a key only you hold.

1. Data Storage

All data you enter into the app is stored on your device using SQLite. The app is fully usable with no account, and nothing is uploaded by default. Five things can move data off the device, and you start all five: exporting your library to a file, the cover art search and the Steam import described below, the encrypted backup, and the optional AI features. If you delete the app and have no backup, your locally stored data is permanently deleted.

2. Backup (Optional)

Backup is off until you choose it. Sign in with Apple, Google or your email address in Settings, then back up. Before anything is uploaded, your records are encrypted on your device with a key generated on your device and stored in your iCloud Keychain. We never receive that key, so a backup we hold is unreadable to us. Backing up is part of the paid subscription, on demand or automatically after changes; signing in and restoring an existing backup are free. Restoring pulls your latest backup and decrypts it on your device. We keep your five most recent backups and delete older ones automatically. Signing out leaves your backups in place, and Delete Account in Settings removes your account and every backup it holds, across all Cairn apps that share the account. A backup covers your database records only. The cover art search described below is separate: the text you type there reaches our server in readable form and is not part of any backup.

3. Personal Information

You can use the whole app without an account. You can sign in with Apple, Google, or your email address. Email sign-in means either choosing a password, held by our authentication provider and never visible to us in plain text, or using a one-time link we email you that needs no password at all. When you sign in, we receive an account identifier and the email address you used or the one your provider gives us, which may be Apple's private relay address if you chose to hide yours. Apple also gives us your name the first time you sign in; Google gives us your name and a profile photo URL along with your email. The app does not display your name or photo anywhere; we do not otherwise collect any personal information. The cover art search below sends only the text you type, never your name, email, account, or device identifier.

4. Cover Art Search (Optional)

When you search for a game while adding or editing it, the title you type is sent to Cairn's server, hosted by Vercel. The server looks it up in our own copy of the public game catalog from IGDB (owned by Twitch), held in our database, and asks IGDB directly only when that copy cannot answer, to find matching titles, artwork and typical play times. No other data is sent with that search: not your library, not your play history, not a device or account identifier. A search and its result may be cached for up to an hour, in server memory and by our hosting provider, so a repeated search does not have to go out again, and our server uses your network address in memory only to limit how often requests can be made. Searches are never written to a database, attached to you, or used to build a profile. This feature is entirely optional. The app works fully without it: you can always type a title by hand with no network request made.

5. Steam Import (Optional)

When you choose Import from Steam, the Steam profile link or custom name you enter is sent to Cairn's server, hosted by Vercel, which asks the Steam Web API, run by Valve, for the games on that profile. Steam only answers for a profile whose game details are public, and returns each game's name, its Steam app ID and your total playtime. Cairn's server keeps a fetched game list in memory for up to five minutes so a repeated import does not ask Steam again, and uses your network address in memory only to limit how often requests can be made. Neither is written to a database or attached to your account. No Steam sign in is used and no Steam password is ever asked for. The games you pick are saved on your device like any other game. This feature is entirely optional.

6. AI Features (Optional)

The app has three optional AI features, Ask, Pick Tonight and Re-entry Brief, which use Anthropic, the AI provider, through Cairn's server. Nothing is sent until you turn on "Send my questions and library data to Anthropic" in Settings and accept the disclosure, or, if you are not signed in, accept the disclosure the first time you use Pick Tonight. You can turn it off in Settings at any time, and nothing is sent while it is off.

Ask needs a signed-in account. It sends the question you type, the earlier messages in that conversation, and today's date and your time zone. To answer, it looks up your library on your device and sends what it finds: title, platform, status, hours played, progress percent, sessions logged and last played date, never a note or a review. If you ask it to log a session or change a game's status, the change is made by the app on your device. Pick Tonight sends the mood sentence you type, how many minutes you have, and the title, platform, status, hours played, progress percent and how long you usually play it for each game it considers, never a note or a review.

Re-entry Brief needs a signed-in account and a second switch, "Also send the text of my notes", because reading your notes back is all it does. It sends the session notes you tick, your note on the game and the name you gave the run, exactly as you typed them, alongside the game's status and progress, how long ago you played and how long your sessions ran. It never sends the game title, but whatever you wrote in a note goes with it.

Cairn's server, hosted by Vercel, checks that you agreed and that you have usage left, then passes the request to Anthropic and the answer back. It does not store your questions, your records or the answers, with one exception: when Ask proposes a change to your records, our server keeps a copy of that proposed change with your account so that a retried request cannot apply it twice. After 30 days that copy is cleared, leaving only a note of which kind of change was proposed and when, and both are deleted if you delete your account. To count usage, our server records your account identifier or, if you are not signed in, a random identifier the app creates, along with your network address. Those usage counters are deleted after 31 days. Your past Ask conversations are kept on your device only. We do not send your account identifier or email address to Anthropic. Under Anthropic's commercial terms, Anthropic does not use these requests or its answers to train its models, and keeps them only for a limited period for trust and safety. We do not use your data to train any model either.

7. Analytics and Crash Reporting

The app does not collect usage analytics: no screen views, no feature usage, no behavioural tracking.

We use Apple's AdServices to see which App Store ad brought you to the app, if any. It does not identify you and is not used for tracking.

The app reports crashes, unhandled errors and basic performance measurements to EAS Observe, a service run by Expo, so that faults can be found and fixed. A report contains the error and its stack trace, the app version, the device model and operating system version, and timings such as how long the app took to start. It also contains an anonymous installation identifier, which distinguishes one install from another and is not linked to you, your account or your email address. Reports never include your entries or any other content you create in the app. This data is not used for advertising and is never sold or shared for tracking.

8. Subscriptions and Payments

In-app purchases are processed entirely by Apple through the App Store. We do not collect, process, or store any payment information. The app uses RevenueCat to check your purchase and subscription status with Apple. RevenueCat receives that status tied to an app user ID: a random ID the app creates, or, once you sign in, your Cairn account identifier, so Pro follows your account to a new phone. It also receives your device's vendor identifier (IDFV, an Apple-provided device ID that resets when you delete all apps from this developer). This is used only to validate your purchase and restore it across your own devices. It is never used to track you across apps or websites, and RevenueCat does not receive your name, email address or payment details. Learn more at revenuecat.com/privacy.

9. Third-Party Advertising

The app does not display any third-party advertisements. We do not use ad networks or tracking pixels.

10. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties. The cover art search may forward the title you type to IGDB, as described above. The Steam import forwards the Steam profile you enter to Valve's Steam Web API, as described above. RevenueCat receives your purchase status and app user ID, as described under Subscriptions and Payments. If you turn on an AI feature, what it sends reaches Cairn's server, hosted by Vercel, and Anthropic, the AI provider, in readable form, as described in the AI Features section above. Your encrypted backups are held by Supabase, which also hosts our database, file storage, and email sign-in if you choose it over Apple or Google. Because backups are encrypted on your phone with a key we never receive, neither we nor Supabase can read their contents. Sign in with Apple or Google is handled by Apple or Google, whichever you choose. Crash and performance reports go to EAS Observe, run by Expo, as described above; they carry no content you created and are never used for advertising or tracking. Account-related email is delivered by Resend, our email delivery provider, as described under Email below.

11. Email

If you sign in, we send the emails your account needs: confirming your address, password resets and sign-in links. If you buy Pro while signed in, we also email you a short note when it starts, when a subscription is set not to renew, and when it ends. They are sent to the address on your account through Supabase, our account provider, and Resend, our email delivery provider. Any reminder email carries an unsubscribe link. If you unsubscribed from our emails, we keep your email address on a do-not-email list after your account is deleted, so we never email you again.

12. Children's Privacy

The app is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided information through the app, please contact us at cairnappsstudio@gmail.com.

13. Data Retention

Data on your device stays there until you delete it. Cover art searches may be cached for up to an hour to avoid repeat lookups and are never written to a database. A Steam game list is held in server memory for up to five minutes and is never written to a database. If you back up, we keep your five most recent backups and delete older ones automatically. Deleting your account in Settings removes your account record, every backup it holds and any AI records kept with your account, across all Cairn apps that share the account. Signing out leaves your backups in place so you can restore later. Anthropic keeps AI requests only for a limited period under its commercial terms, as described in the AI Features section above. Diagnostic reports are retained by EAS Observe under Expo's own retention policy and contain no content you created.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted at this URL with an updated effective date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

15. Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, contact cairnappsstudio@gmail.com.