myResearchQuillPrivacy Policy
Effective 1 October 2026
myResearchQuill (shown on your device as "myResearch") is a research notebook for students on iPhone, iPad and Mac. It is made by Paul Bedford ("we", "us"). This policy explains what happens to your information when you use the app.
The short version
- We don't collect your data. The app has no accounts, no analytics, no advertising and no tracking, and we have no servers that receive what you create.
- Your work stays yours. Your projects, sources, notes, lectures, pictures and recordings are stored on your device and, if you use iCloud, in your own private iCloud storage, which we cannot see.
- We never sell or share your information, because we never have it.
What the app stores, and where
Everything you add is stored on your device: projects, sources, citations, notes, references, lecture notes, recordings and transcripts, pictures, your settings and your profile (name, school, course and picture).
If you're signed in to iCloud, the app copies this to the private database in your own iCloud account (Apple CloudKit), so it appears on your other devices. Apple stores it under Apple's Privacy Policy. Only you can access it; we cannot read it.
Microphone and speech recognition
The app uses the microphone only when you start dictating a note or recording a lecture. While you do, the app turns your speech into text using Apple's speech recognition. Where your language supports it, this happens on your device. Otherwise the audio is sent to Apple to be transcribed, under Apple's privacy policy. Recordings and transcripts are saved on your device and in your iCloud, and never sent to us.
Camera, photos and files
The camera, your photo library and your files are used only when you choose a picture or a PDF for the app. What you pick stays on your device and in your iCloud.
When the app connects to other services
To add a picture to a source, and only when you ask for one, the app requests it from the service that has it:
| When you ask for… | The app contacts | And sends |
|---|---|---|
| A book cover | Open Library (Internet Archive) | The book's ISBN, or its title and author |
| A video thumbnail | YouTube or Vimeo | The video's address |
| A web page's picture | That web page | The page's address you entered |
Like any internet request, these services can see your device's IP address. Their own privacy policies apply. Nothing identifying you, such as your name or profile, is sent. Opening a web link from a source or reference opens it in your browser.
Children
myResearchQuill is made for students of all ages. Because we don't collect personal information from anyone, we don't knowingly collect it from children either.
Your choices and rights
- Delete anything in the app, and it's removed from your device and your iCloud.
- Turn off iCloud for the app, or remove its iCloud data, in your device's Settings under your Apple Account › iCloud.
- Deleting the app removes its data from that device.
If you're in the UK or the European Economic Area, you have rights under data protection law (UK GDPR / GDPR), including access and deletion. Because we hold no personal data about you, there is nothing for us to provide or delete, but you're welcome to contact us with any question. UK users can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Changes to this policy
If the app changes how it handles information, for example if we add an optional feature for working on projects with classmates, we'll update this policy and the date above before that version is released, and the app will ask before anything is shared.