The short version
Near does not require an account and does not operate a hosted journal, follower graph, or social feed. Your original journal content is stored on your iPhone. Information leaves your device only through an action you choose, such as a nearby Meet, an export, a support email, an Apple purchase, or a confirmed safety report.
Information stored on your iPhone
Near stores Moment text, photos, optional place labels, favorite-song links, tags, Echoes, your display name, app preferences, purchase entitlement status, encrypted identity keys, blocked-device identifiers, and content-free Meet history on your device.
You can export a readable summary or a password-protected archive from Settings. You can also delete individual Moments, forget one relationship, unblock a person, or erase the entire local journal.
Nearby Meets
A Meet uses Apple's local networking technology to connect compatible nearby devices after both people verify matching words. Each person chooses which eligible Moments to offer, and the other person accepts or skips them individually.
Peer Moments are held temporarily for the active Meet and are cleared when it ends, times out, disconnects, is blocked, or leaves the foreground. Near cannot prevent someone from taking a screenshot or using another camera; the app warns both people before sharing.
Purchases
Apple processes Near Plus purchases and may provide the app with product, transaction, and entitlement information needed to unlock or restore the purchase. Near does not receive your payment card details or journal content through StoreKit. Apple's own privacy terms apply to its processing.
Song links
You can attach a Spotify or Apple Music song link to a Moment. Near stores the link locally and includes it only when you deliberately share that Moment in a Meet or export. Opening the song leaves Near and contacts the selected music service, whose own privacy terms apply. Near does not connect to your music account or read your listening history.
Safety reports and support
When you confirm a safety report, Near sends the reason, a device verification code, a Meet identifier, and—with your separate choices—an optional timestamp and permission flag for a selected-item aggregate. The report preview shows the exact fields before sending. It does not include Moment text, photos, place labels, tags, or Echo text.
If you email support, your email provider and ours process the message and contact information you choose to include. Do not send journal content unless it is necessary for your request.
Retention and protection
Local information remains until you delete it, remove the app, or restore over it. Submitted safety reports are normally deleted within 90 days and support correspondence within 12 months. We may keep a limited record longer when needed to respond to an active safety issue, prevent repeated abuse, resolve a dispute, or meet a legal obligation.
Safety reports are routed through Cloudflare and our email delivery provider to the monitored safety inbox. Near uses iOS data protection, encrypted device identity material, authenticated encrypted Meet sessions, and password-protected archive exports. No system is perfectly secure, so keep your device updated and protect your export password.
Age eligibility, changes, and contact
Near is available to people age 13 and older and is not directed to children under 13. We may update this policy as the product changes and will post a new effective date here. For privacy questions or requests, visit Support or email support@usenear.online.