PDFCrop Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 25, 2026

Thank you for using PDFCrop. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your data when you use our application.

1. Overview

PDFCrop is designed with privacy as a core principle. We understand that PDF documents often contain sensitive information, which is why we have built our app to process your documents entirely on your device.

Key Privacy Commitment:

  • 100% Local Processing: All PDF cropping and editing operations are performed locally on your device
  • No Cloud Uploads: Your documents are never uploaded to external servers
  • No Data Collection: We do not collect, store, or transmit your document content

2. Data We Collect

2.1 No Personal Information

PDFCrop does not collect, store, or transmit any personal information such as:

  • Your name, email address, or phone number
  • Account credentials or passwords
  • Document content or metadata
  • Usage patterns related to your documents

2.2 Anonymous App Metrics (Optional)

To improve app performance and user experience, we may collect anonymous, non-identifiable usage metrics such as:

  • App launch frequency
  • Feature usage statistics (e.g., which tools are used most)
  • Crash reports and error logs
  • Export success rates

These metrics are:

  • Completely anonymous and cannot be linked to you or your documents
  • Aggregated and analyzed only to improve app stability and features
  • Processed on our behalf by Google Firebase Analytics (see section 5.2) and never sold or shared with data brokers

You can opt out of anonymous metrics collection at any time: Settings → Share Anonymous Analytics.

3. Data We Do NOT Collect

PDFCrop explicitly does NOT collect:

  • Document Content: Your PDF files are never accessed, stored, or transmitted beyond your device
  • Document Metadata: We do not read or store information about your documents
  • Location Data: We do not access your location
  • Contacts: We do not access your contacts
  • Photos/Media: We only access files you explicitly choose to import
  • Browsing History: We do not track your web activity
  • Device Identifiers: We do not use device identifiers for tracking purposes

4. How Your Data Is Processed

4.1 Local-First Architecture

PDFCrop follows a local-first architecture:

  1. Import: You select PDF files from your device’s local storage
  2. Processing: All cropping, editing, and transformations happen on your device using native iOS frameworks (PDFKit, QuickLook)
  3. Storage: Edited documents are saved to your device’s local file system using iOS Security Scoped Bookmarks
  4. Export: You choose where to save the final output on your device or in your iCloud Drive

4.2 File Access Permissions

PDFCrop only accesses files when you explicitly:

  • Import a PDF from your device’s Files app
  • Save or export a cropped PDF
  • Access document bookmarks for file persistence

We use iOS Security Scoped Bookmarks to maintain file access permissions without storing your file data.

5. Third-Party Services

5.1 AdMob (Google Mobile Ads)

PDFCrop may display advertisements through Google Mobile Ads. AdMob may:

  • Collect anonymous device identifiers for ad targeting
  • Use cookies and similar technologies for ad delivery

Google’s privacy practices are governed by their Privacy Policy.

AdMob Data Collection:

  • Anonymous advertising ID (IDFA)
  • General device information (device type, OS version)
  • Non-identifiable usage data for ad relevance

You can opt out of personalized advertising in your iOS device settings under Privacy → Apple Advertising.

If you are in a region that requires it (such as the EEA and the UK), PDFCrop presents Google’s User Messaging Platform consent form before any ad is requested, and respects the choice you make there. Pro subscribers see no ads at all.

5.2 Firebase Analytics (Google)

PDFCrop uses Google Firebase Analytics to understand how the app is used in aggregate — for example how often exports succeed, which editing tools are used, and where people drop out of a flow. Firebase Analytics:

  • Receives only app events (such as “export completed”) and coarse buckets (such as “the export took 1–3 seconds”)
  • Never receives your documents, file names, file contents, or any text from your PDFs
  • Is governed by Google’s Privacy Policy

You can turn this off at any time: open Settings in PDFCrop and switch off Share Anonymous Analytics. Analytics collection stops immediately.

5.3 App Store Listing (Apple iTunes Search API)

The Settings screen shows a list of our other apps. To display it, PDFCrop requests our public App Store listing from Apple’s iTunes Search API. This request contains no personal data and no information about your documents; it sends only our developer ID and your App Store storefront region.

5.4 No Other Third-Party Services

We do not use social media integration or third-party data brokers.

6. Data Storage and Security

6.1 Local Storage

  • All documents are stored on your device using iOS secure storage mechanisms
  • No document content is transmitted to external servers
  • File access is protected by iOS sandbox and security model

6.2 Security Measures

  • All file operations follow iOS security best practices
  • Documents are processed using native iOS frameworks (PDFKit, QuickLook)
  • No sensitive data is logged or cached in plaintext

6.3 Data Retention

  • Documents are only retained for as long as you choose to keep them on your device
  • Deleting the app does not delete your documents (they remain in your file system)
  • Anonymous metrics are retained for a maximum of 90 days for analysis

7. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your data:

7.1 Control Your Documents

  • Import Choice: You choose which documents to import
  • Export Choice: You choose where to save exported documents
  • Delete: You can delete documents at any time from your device

7.2 Opt-Out of Metrics

  • You can disable anonymous metrics collection in Settings → Share Anonymous Analytics
  • This does not affect app functionality

7.3 Opt-Out of Personalized Ads

  • You can limit ad tracking in iOS settings: Settings → Privacy → Apple Advertising
  • You can reset your advertising identifier at any time

7.4 Subscription Management

  • You can manage your subscription through iOS Settings → Your Name → Subscriptions
  • You can cancel auto-renewal at any time
  • You retain access to Pro features until the subscription period ends

8. Children’s Privacy

PDFCrop is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, we will take immediate steps to delete such information.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by:

  • Updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy
  • Providing notice within the app for significant changes

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

In-App Feedback:

  • Use the “Help & Feedback” section within the app

Email:

App Store Support:

  • Visit our App Store listing and use the “App Support” link

We will respond to your inquiry within a reasonable time frame, typically within 5 business days.

11. App Store Privacy Disclosure

This Privacy Policy is designed to comply with Apple’s App Store privacy requirements. We disclose the following data collection practices:

Data Types Collected:

  • Not collected: Contact info, Health, Financial info, Location, Sensitive info, User content, Browsing history, Other data
  • Collected, not linked to you: Usage data and Identifiers (Firebase Analytics app events and an anonymous app instance ID; AdMob advertising identifier)

Data Linked to You:

  • None (all data collection is anonymous and cannot be linked to your identity)

Data Tracking:

  • Third-party tracking is limited to advertising purposes only (AdMob)
  • You can opt out of tracking in iOS settings, and out of analytics in PDFCrop’s own Settings screen

Data Purposes:

  • App functionality: Local document processing
  • Analytics: Anonymous app performance metrics (optional)
  • Advertising: Third-party ad delivery (optional)

This Privacy Policy is effective as of July 25, 2026, and governs your use of PDFCrop.