Privacy Policy

At MacStories, Inc. (‘MacStories’), your privacy is important to us. We take your privacy seriously and only ask you to provide the personal information necessary to provide the services and software we offer. Also, we store personal information for only as long as we have a reason to keep it and aim to make it as simple as possible for you to control your personal information.

Who We Are and What This Policy Covers

MacStories consists of MacStories, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including AppStories LLC. MacStories operates websites and related services, including MacStories, Club MacStories, AppStories, and Dialog, and publishes apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other platforms. This Privacy Policy applies to information we collect about you when you use any of these websites, apps, and their related content, products, and services, which we refer to herein as the ‘Services.’

With regard to apps, an individual app may provide additional privacy information in its App Store listing, inside the app, or on its support page. That information should be read together with this Privacy Policy and will describe any practices specific to that app.

Information We Collect

We only collect information about you if we have a reason to do so, including in connection with providing the Services, communicating with you, or improving the Services.

We collect information when you provide it to us and in some cases automatically.

Information You Provide to Us

We collect information that you provide to us, including:

  • Account information you provide if you sign up to be a member of Club MacStories or create an account for another Service, including your name and email address
  • Information you provide if you enter a giveaway or other promotion related to the Services
  • Information you provide in response to polls, surveys, and similar communications with us
  • Transaction and billing information if you purchase something from us
  • Information you provide when you contact us for customer support, report a problem, or otherwise communicate with us

Purchases made through Apple’s App Store are processed by Apple. MacStories does not receive your complete payment-card information from Apple. We may receive transaction information from Apple, such as the product purchased, transaction status, country or region, and information needed to verify a purchase or provide customer support.

Because Apple controls those transactions, MacStories and AppStories LLC cannot issue App Store refunds directly. Refund requests must be submitted to Apple through reportaproblem.apple.com, and eligibility is determined by Apple subject to applicable law.

We also collect some information automatically:

  • Log Information: Like most online service providers, we collect information that web browsers, mobile devices, and servers typically make available, such as the browser type, IP address, which is stored for seven days only, referring site, the date and time of access, and operating system.
  • We also collect information about what happens when you use our Services (for example, page views) along with information about your device (for example, mobile screen size) and your interaction with links on the site. We use this information to, for example, provide our Services to you, as well as get insights on how people use our Services, so we can make our Services better.
  • Depending on the app and the features you use, we may receive limited app and device information, such as app version, operating-system version, device type, language or region, feature usage, crash reports, and diagnostic or performance information. An app’s specific privacy information will identify the categories of data that the app and any third-party services it includes collect.

Information Used by Our Apps

Our apps may use information stored on your device or in services you choose to connect in order to provide requested features. For example, an app may request access to files, photos, calendars, reminders, contacts, location, or other protected system resources when a feature requires that access. We will request permission through the operating system where required, and you may deny or revoke that permission in your device settings. The particular permissions and data uses will depend on the app and its features.

Information that an app stores only on your device is not collected by MacStories. If an app offers synchronization or backup through Apple services such as iCloud or CloudKit, Apple processes that information under its own terms and privacy policy. Unless an app tells you otherwise, MacStories does not have access to information stored in your personal iCloud account. If an app uses a MacStories-operated account, server, or other cloud service, its specific privacy information will explain what is transmitted and why.

We may receive crash reports, diagnostics, sales information, and aggregated usage information made available by Apple or by a service included in an app. Where Apple gives you a choice about sharing analytics or diagnostics, your device settings control that choice.

How We Use the Information We Collect

We use information about you as mentioned above and as follows:

  • To provide our Services – for example, to set up and maintain your Club MacStories account, operate app features, synchronize information when requested, verify purchases, and provide customer support
  • To limit certain parts of macstories.net/club to Club MacStories members
  • To monitor and analyze trends and better understand how users interact with our Services, which helps us improve our Services
  • To diagnose problems, maintain the performance and reliability of our websites and apps, and develop new or improved features
  • To monitor and protect the security of our Services, detect and prevent fraudulent transactions and other illegal activities, and protect the rights and property of MacStories
  • To comply with applicable legal obligations

Sharing Information

We do not sell our users’ private personal information.

We share information about you in the limited circumstances spelled out below and with appropriate safeguards designed to protect your privacy:

  • We may share information about you with our team of editors, writers, developers, and support personnel who need to know the information to help us provide our Services or process information on our behalf. We require our team to follow this Privacy Policy for personal information that we share with them.
  • Between Related Companies: MacStories, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including AppStories LLC, may share information when necessary to operate, support, secure, or improve the Services. Any related company that receives personal information under this Privacy Policy must provide the same or an equivalent level of protection.
  • Third-Party Vendors: We may share information about you with third-party vendors who need to know information about you in order to provide their services to us. This group includes vendors that help us provide our Services to you and those that help us understand and enhance our Services, including:
  • App Vendors and Software Development Kits: An app may use third-party services or software development kits for functions such as synchronization, diagnostics, customer support, or analytics. An app’s specific privacy information will identify material third-party services when appropriate. We require third parties that receive user data from our apps to provide the same or an equivalent level of protection described in this Privacy Policy.
  • As Required by Law: We may disclose information about you in response to a subpoena, court order, or other governmental request.
  • To Protect Rights and Property: We may disclose information about you when we believe in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the property or rights of MacStories, third parties, or the public at large.
  • Business Transfers: In connection with any merger, sale of company assets, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business by another company, or in the unlikely event that MacStories goes out of business or enters bankruptcy, user information would likely be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party. If any of these events were to happen, this Privacy Policy would continue to apply to your information and the party receiving your information may continue to use your information, but only consistent with this Privacy Policy.
  • With Your Consent: We may share and disclose information and content you create with your consent. For example, we may share your information as part of another MacStories publication, or with third parties when you authorize us to do so.
  • Aggregated and De-Identified Information: We may share information that has been aggregated or reasonably de-identified, so that the information could not reasonably be used to identify you. For instance, we may share aggregate statistics about the use of our Services with prospective sponsors of our Services.

Information Shared Publicly

Information that you choose to make public is disclosed publicly. For example, if you submit a question or other information for inclusion in a Club MacStories newsletter and do not request anonymity, that information will be disclosed.

Your Choices and Controls

You can control certain information through the settings provided by the applicable Service, your device, and your Apple account. Depending on the Service, these controls may allow you to:

  • Update or delete account information
  • Unsubscribe from non-essential email communications
  • Deny or revoke an app’s access to protected system resources
  • Control whether your device shares analytics and diagnostics
  • Delete information stored locally by deleting it within the app or deleting the app, subject to any synchronization or backup settings you have enabled

You may contact us using the support contact identified in the applicable Service or App Store listing to ask about, access, correct, or request deletion of personal information controlled by MacStories. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. Some information may need to be retained where required by law, to complete a transaction, to maintain security, or for another legitimate business purpose.

If information is controlled by Apple or another third party—for example, App Store purchase history or information in your personal iCloud account, you must use that third party’s privacy controls or contact that third party directly.

Retention and Deletion

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Services, fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and protect our rights. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the Service involved. As noted above, website IP addresses in our logs are stored for seven days only.

When personal information is no longer needed, we delete it or de-identify it. Information stored only on your device can generally be removed using the app’s controls or by deleting the app. Deleting an app may not delete information stored in an account, synchronized through a cloud service, included in a device backup, or retained by Apple or another third party. An app’s specific privacy information will explain any additional deletion process that applies.

Security

We work hard to protect information about you against unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction, and take reasonable measures to do so. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Our Services are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete it as quickly as possible. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us using the support contact identified in the applicable Service or App Store listing.

Transferring Information

MacStories is a worldwide service. By accessing or using the Services or otherwise providing information to us, you acknowledge that information may be processed, transferred, and stored in Italy, the U.S., and other countries, which may have rights and protections that are different from those in your home country.

Ads and Analytics Services Provided by Others

MacStories uses analytics providers to collect information about your use of our Services. This information allows us to, among other things, analyze and track usage and determine the popularity of certain content. An individual app may not use analytics services; its specific privacy information and App Store privacy label will describe its practices. Please note this Privacy Policy only covers the collection of information by MacStories and does not cover information that third-party sponsors, analytics providers, or other third parties collect independently under their own privacy policies.

MacStories participates in the Amazon Associates program, Apple’s Performance Partners Program, and other affiliate programs. As a result, we may be paid a small commission if you click on a link on the site and purchase a product or service from a third party. Affiliate link revenue represents a small part of MacStories’ income that does not influence its editorial decisions.

Privacy Policy Changes

Although most changes are likely to be minor, MacStories may change its Privacy Policy from time to time. MacStories encourages visitors and app users to check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy. If we make a material change, we may provide additional notice through the relevant Service where appropriate.

Last Updated: August 19, 2026

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